"I
view Colin Kaepernick like I do my idol and hero," Ventura expressed. "They
did the same thing to him. There was a gentleman from Louisville by the name of
Cassius Clay, who became Muhammad Ali. And they took his time away three years.
He was not allowed to fight as the World Heavyweight Champion because of a political
stance on the Vietnam War. Now, you're talking to a Vietnam veteran, who respects
the position Ali took."
Ventura
continued, "I respected completely that was in his heart. He did not want
to fight, and therefore he should not have had to. And he wasn't going to be used
like they would have used him. Had they brought him into the military, they would
have used him simply to recruit other young black men into that colonial war,
which I despise today that I participated in."
The
current Black Lives Matter protests have inspired fans to call for a NFL team
to sign Colin Kaepernick, who has been out of the NFL since 2016. Many have shown
their support for Black Lives Matter by taking a knee, like how Kaepernick did
to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Ventura
expressed his support for players who take a knee during the national anthem.
He redirects by stating the issue that needs to be addressed, is the name and
logo of the Washington NFL team.
"But
that aside, getting back to the football end of it. I just want to make sure though,
like Adrian Peterson, remember he's a Viking first, Adrian Peterson said that
in the fall, probably the entire league is going to take a knee," Ventura
stated. "That's wonderful. I have always supported the right to do that.
And I'm a veteran."
Ventura
ended by stating, "Taking a knee is the opposite of what our president says.
It means you're showing respect. You take a knee at church, you take a knee to
marry your wife. There's many things you take a knee at doing. And you take a
knee at the grave site of another killed veteran; that's standard policy.
"But
anyways, that aside, I just hope that Adrian Peterson, when he takes that knee,
realizes the uniform he's wearing and the helmet he has on is blatant racism also,
and I really wish they could get rid of the name before they take the knee."
