It’s safe to say Antonio Brown is not going to be wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey anytime soon.
If for some reason you were looking to get your Antonio Brown fix, today is your day.
Typically the only person trying to get that fix is the man himself, but thanks to social media the general public is usually dragged along for the ride. This is the case with Brown’s attempt to be the Main Character again, if only for a fleeting moment.
Unlike his former colleagues, Brown isn’t gearing up for the start of NFL training camp this summer. The free agent receiver is, instead, spending his time ranting about Colin Kaepernick, choosing to go scorched earth seemingly out of the blue on the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Brown was recently a guest on the show Cigar Talk and decided to use the opportunity to go on a rant absolutely bashing Colin Kaepernick.
“You took the money, the commercials. We don’t see you outside. We don’t see him in the hood. He don’t do nothing. Like, we cool. But nah we ain’t even stan Kaepernick,” Brown said.
Brown also used a trope that many people used in the initial wake of Kaepernick’s protest, claiming that his suburban upbringing disqualifies his Blackness.
“He not even from the hood. You don’t even been in the trenches. We like Kaepernick and all, but we ain’t really on that. As Black people we need to get that clear,” Brown said. “He took the handout, so he got to take the mayor out and, like, take responsibility for that.”
Antonio Brown goes off on Colin Kaepernick: “F–k outta here”
The catalyst for the rant was Brown taking issue with the idea that Kaepernick has gained a large following in the years between his National Anthem protest and his exile from football, and that he is seen as a symbol in the fight for social justice.
While not officially proven, the belief is that Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL by the league’s overwhelmingly white male ownership groups as a means of appeasing a predominantly conservative audience.
Brown, however, is not among that crowd. He cites the money that Kaepernick has made as somehow canceling out the fact that he hasn’t been offered a contract since his release by the 49ers in 2017.
“He took a deal,” Brown said. “We don’t feel sorry for you. You took the deal. F–k outta here. Oh, Kaepernick!’” he added in a mocking tone. “Man, you on f—ing Nike, man. F-k- outta here.”
Brown is also without a job in the NFL. Unlike Kaepernick, who is now best remembered for his silent protest to bring awareness to Black Lives Matter and police brutality in minority communities, Brown exited his last job by skipping off the field shirtless in the middle of a game.