Iconic 1968 Summer Olympics medal winner, John Carlos had some choice words for Shaquille O'Neal, while applauding Colin Kaepernick for protesting injustice during the playing of the pre-game National Anthem, on Thursday, September 29.
"To Shaq and all the other guys that want to be the naysayers to what Kaepernick is doing, all I can say to them is they better be careful on how they gonna come out ... on which side of history they're gonna come out in the future," Carlos told a TMZ reporter, following his attendance at a ceremony honoring 2016 Team USA Olympians in the East Room of the White House. "I think they're gonna come out on the wrong side of the street."
The 71-year-old former Olympic bronze winner, who was immortalized in history when alongside U.S. gold medalist Tommie Smith, he raised a Black power fist during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, recognized the dozens of players across the NFL who've joined Kaepernick's protest. In doing so, Carlos cited the influence he's had on the generations that followed his stand for equality and justice, pointing to those who've selected to put their fists up rather than kneel as "being a little more forceful in terms of saying 'hey man, we want respect, and we want a righteous playing field for all people. And we don't want it tomorrow, we want it now."
Carlos' comments towards O'Neal are in reference to his appearance on a Fox News show, during which he questioned Kaepernick's motivations after asserting that he'd never abstain from the National Anthem. "His comments were 'there's injustices,' there's always been injustices. Me personally, I would probably go about it a different way," Shaq is recalled saying. "My question is, what happened last year? How come you didn't decide to do this last year, or the year before that, or the year before that?"
Source: youtube.com
