Jason Whitlock: Colin Kaepernick supporters want 'racial shakedown' of NFL

The TV debate swirling around Colin Kaepernick's continued unemployment is getting more heated, with FS1 co-host Jason Whitlock charging that the former 49ers quarterback's supporters are attempting a "racial shakedown" of the NFL.

Whitlock, noting that Spike Lee is promoting a pro-Kaepernick rally outside the NFL's New York City headquarters, said his supporters are following the protest playbook used by Al Sharpton in the 1980s during the Tawana Brawley case.

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At first, Whitlock thought Kaepernick's noisy celebrity supporters hurt him more than helped him. But now he thinks public pressure may force the NFL to cave in and stop blackballing the ex-49ers quarterback who turned the league upside down with his protest of the American flag/national anthem last season.

"This is a shakedown. This is an Al Sharpton racial shakedown of the NFL. They are trying through public pressure, through rallies, through everything, to give this guy a roster spot and give him the contract he wants. That’s what all this is about. It’s a shakedown. Colin Kaepernick is the Tawana Brawley of the NFL," said Whitlock on Tuesday SFY.

"That’s what he is. That was a fictionalized story, a fictionalized narrative that Al Sharpton used, that ended up blowing up in his face. Bill Cosby gave $25,000 to find the guys that did it. Don King promised $100,000. Spike Lee put Tawana Brawley in 'Do The Right Thing' as Tawana told the truth. All the same things are here in play. Celebrities caping up. This false narrative that Colin Kaepernick is being mistreated. It's a shakedown. I look at people that are starting to fold. There's conversations in my mind that are already going on among NFL ownership and (Commissioner Roger) Goodell. Somebody will give him a job — and this will go away."

.@WhitlockJason: Colin Kaepernick is turning into the Tawana Brawley of football. This is a shakedown. pic.twitter.com/A78RENQD62

— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) August 8, 2017

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New FS1 hire Mark Schlereth noted that when the league wants to make bad publicity go away, it's more than capable. When Michael Sam was poised to be the NFL's first openly gay player, the league made sure he was drafted, noted Schlereth. Sam didn't last. But his brief stint in the league enabled the NFL to to avoid accusations of homophobia. 

But Whitlock thinks it would be a mistake for the NFL to bow to public pressure on Kaepernick: "They will be getting shook down for eternity. Once you cave on this, you will be caving and bending over for these groups forever."

A group of football fans offended by Kaepernick's protest of racial injustice launched the #BoycottNFL online movement last year. But boycotts cut both ways. Many fans may boycott the NFL this season if Kaepernick doesn't get a job. Especially when backup quarterbacks with less talent are getting hired. 

A #NoKaepernickNoNFL petition at Change.org has drawn more than 128,000 signatures.The group plans to send a protest letter with the signatures to Goodell and all 32 club owners on Wednesday.

 

People Let's Get The Story Straight. I Fully Support My Brother KAP 100 Percent. I However Find His Situation Very Suspect. How Is It Possible That All 32 Teams In The NFL (NO FREEDOM LEAGUE) Can't Or Won't Find A Spot For Number 7 On Their Rosters With His Proven Talent? Do Some Research And Peruse The Current Rosters Of All 32 NFL Teams And Check Out Who Are Their 2nd And 3rd String Quarterbacks (And There Are Teams That He Could Be The Starting QB) . After Doing That, Scratch And Shake Ya Head. Now About This Rally, I First Heard About The United We Stand Rally This Morning. I Did Not Organize It, This Is Not My Brainchild. I Don't Know Who Started This, But It Wasn't Me. The Fact Is I Can't Even Make It To The Rally. I Have A Shoot The Very Same Day Which Was Planned 2 Weeks Ago That I CAN NOT Reschedule. Nonetheless I Will Be There In Spirit And Solidarity. I Truly Hope And Pray That 1 Courageous Owner And General Manager Will Step Up And DO THE RIGHT THING. Kap Needs To Be In Uniform In The NFL For The 2017-18 Season. Onward And Upward, Spike Lee. YA DIG - SHO-NUFF? And Dats Da "COLLUSION" TRUTH, RUTH

A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Aug 8, 2017 at 1:04pm PDT

Despite nearly winning a Super Bowl with the 49ers a few season ago, no NFL team has offered Kaepernick a backup job since his protest, notes the petition.

This shows that the NFL Owners are not willing to bring Kaepernick into their team because — according to many fans — he is a "distraction". A man who protested because of injustices towards people of color is pretty much blackballed in a league that is 70% Black. If you are appalled by this, then show your power by boycotting the NFL until Kaepernick gets signed to a team. This means to not watch any games, no social media comments about your favorite team before/during/after the games, don't attend the stadiums, and don't buy any merchandise which represents the league or your favorite team.

We understand the NFL is very important to you. We also understand the purpose of Colin Kaepernick's protest is FAR more important than any games you will ever watch. Simply put, if things stay the same for the way America — where "all men are created equal" — treats people of color, then your loved ones, friends, and children will eventually be affected as well. Finally, this situation really shines a light on how much the NFL really cares about its Black athletes. It's pretty much: Play for us, entertain us, make us money, and shut up.