After Colin Kaepernickrefused to stand for the national anthem prior to a preseason game in late August, there were quite a few people from all walks of life who called him out for doing it. But some of his most vocal critics were actually former NFL players who didn’t agree with his decision to stay seated during "The Star Spangled Banner."
Former Giants running back Tiki Barbercaught hell on social media for saying that he couldn’t "commend [Kaepernick] for sitting and not honoring this country and our flag." Former Chargers and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said that he thought Kaepernick’s "heart is in the right place" before adding that he believed he was "going about [trying to cause change] in the wrong way" (he also inexplicably referred to Kaepernick as "not black"). And Hall of Famer Jerry Rice chimed in with a tweet that featured him using the phrase All Lives Matter.
"All lives matter," Rice wrote in his since-deleted tweet. "So much going on in this world today. Can we all just get along! Colin, I respect your stance but don’t disrespect the Flag."
Rice was, in turn, criticized for sending out the tweet. Thousands of people ripped him for it on Twitter. And while he didn’t respond to that criticism right away, Rice did get around to rethinking his position on the subject, and very early Thursday morning, he apologized for his All Lives Matter tweet and said that he didn’t know about Black Lives Matter when he sent it out:
That's cool of Jerry Rice to apologize for speaking without being informed.
The response to Rice’s apology has been a little bit all over the place. Some people appreciate it:
Jerry Rice admitted he was wrong? Just that gains my respect back. I guess i can see why he would be out the loop.
My only question, If Jerry Rice didn't know about Black Lives Matter why did he instantly go to All Lives Matter ? C'mon bruh
Others can’t believe—or don’t believe—that Rice just learned about the Black Lives Matter movement:
Wait, Jerry Rice didn't know about black lives matter then how did he know to say all lives matter?
And of course, there are also folks who don’t like the fact that he’s no longer running with All Lives Matter:
The lesson learned from all of this? If Rice wants to talk about this specific issue, he should probably educate himself on it—and then discuss it on a forum other than Twitter. Unless he enjoys getting hit from all angles by people who don’t agree with his position.
