The University of Michigan football team has a few players who have joined in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in silent protest during the National Anthem. Michigan is facing Penn State this week, and during the Anthem, at least three players were seen with a fist raised. While Kaepernick has chosen to kneel during the Anthem, numerous players are offering the hand salute first used in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by John Carlos and Tommie Smith.
I won’t be writing about every single instance of the demonstration, but this one is at least moderately notable. Last month, after Kaepernick was first noticed sitting during the National Anthem, opinions started flowing in. One opinion came from Kaepernick’s former head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was asked at a press conference, and initially he said he acknowledges Kaepernick’s right to do it, but he did not respect the motivation or the action.
Shortly after, Harbaugh quickly tweeted an apology and correction. It’s entirely possible Harbaugh simply misspoke, but it’s also possible he recognized his comments might be used against him in recruiting. I would not be surprised if Harbaugh got a question about Saturday’s demonstration. I hope he does because I’d be fascinated to hear what he has to say now that it more directly impacts his team.