JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 18: Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans rushes for yardage during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on October 18, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Arian Foster is aware that racial profiling and police misconduct toward African-Americans are problems that have plagued America for decades.
The 30-year-old Miami Dolphins running back was barely a teenager when California cops pulled over his dad driving north on Interstate 5 between San Diego and Los Angeles.
“They told us to get out of the car, all of our clothes got pulled out of the bag and then said, ‘Y’all have a good day,’ ” Foster said. “Never told us why we were pulled over. I know my rights, but there are certain things you’re taught to do as a young man that won’t get you killed. Those are the confrontations that we have with police officers on a regular basis in our communities. And that’s what Colin Kaepernick is trying to portray.”
Foster continued: “I understand 100 percent what he’s doing. He’s frustrated, just like me. He’s just like my brother. He’s just like my cousins out there. He’s frustrated. It’s hard seeing people get murdered and killed without repercussions.”
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Foster’s primary issue with the string of police shootings is the lack of value granted to the lives lost. Cops who fire their service weapons are rarely prosecuted or indicted. In addition, the media’s frequent reaction is to publish a mug shot of the victim along with a criminal record if the victim has one, no matter how small that record may be.
This clearly upsets Foster, and he has shown it. He spent much of Sunday engaging in debates with dissenters on Twitter, including ex-Texans teammate T.J. Yates, who voiced his disagreement with Kaepernick’s protest.
Jim Brown, a former Cleveland Browns running back and Hall of Famer, appearing on NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access,” said, just as Harbaugh did, that he agrees with Kaepernick’s sentiment, though perhaps not the means.
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