NFL commissioner say that they were wrong about kneeling protest

Four years ago Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL), took a knee during the American national anthem to protest against racial injustice, oppression and police brutality. And continued to take a knee throughout the regular season. A simple but powerful act of protest that we have seen once again from protestors in recent weeks, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last Monday. Floyd was an unarmed black man who died after a policeman knelt on his neck leaving Floyd unable to breathe properly.

But in 2016, Colin Kaepernick's kneeling and simultaneous stance against racism were not universally praised or supported. At the time, his actions were criticized by team owners, fellow players and even President Donald Trump.

But today, Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner has said that the league should allow players to protest against racial discrimination during the national anthem and that they were wrong not to encourage the players to speak out previously.

This comes as a video of Goodell was released on Friday, where he stated that the NFL supported the Black Lives Matter movement and that he, himself, wanted to be part "of the much needed change in this country".

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday, stating: "We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"

However, Drew Brees, a New Orleans Saints star quarterback, responded to the president's tweet, writing: "We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities."