The NFL protests sparked by Colin Kaepernick kneeling against police brutality during the national anthem has found many other players following the former NFL player’s lead. Players like Antonio Cromartie, who was previously on the Colts’ roster took part in the protests by taking a knee at the beginning of one of their games.
According to Cromartie’s wife Terricka, the player was one of the first after Kaepernick to take a knee during the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
She also noted that he was one of the first to get fired because of his protest. Cromartie’s career found him playing for the Jets from 2010 to 2013 and then returning to the Jets for another season in 2015. After that, he played four games for the Colts last year before he was let go by the team in October 2016.
Now, Cromartie has come out and made it clear that Kaepernick is not the only one who allegedly got blackballed from the NFL for protesting, as he told the press he has remained unemployed as a result of taking a knee. When speaking to the NY Daily News, Cromartie noted that taking a knee was the main reason he is out of a job. “I’m not going to say ‘part’ of the reason. That is THE reason,” he said. Cromartie went on to say “My play wasn’t part of it. I still feel that way after a whole year.”
After being cut from the Colts in October 2016, Colts owner Jim Irsay spoke to USA TODAY two weeks later, saying “I think it’s the wrong venue [for political protest]. It hasn’t been a positive thing.” Irsay went on to say “We are being paid to put on a show. There are other places to express yourself.”
Source: nydailynews.com
