Fox Sports 1’s Jason Whitlock was blasted on social media Tuesday night for mocking Colin Kaepernick by apparently allowing a man wearing an afro, a 49ers jersey and a large black glove to impersonate the football player.
“Great to have Kap stop by the studio today,” Whitlock, the co-host of Speak for Yourself tweeted. On Tuesday’s show, a panel discussed whether Kaepernick’s time in the NFL had come to an end. The impersonator also raised a gloved fist in air, resembling the Black Power Movement gesture.
Kaepernick is a free agent quarterback who made national headlines last season when he refused to stand for the national anthem in protest of the treatment of African Americans in America, especially at the hands of police.
The Whitlock post caught fire with irate replies from those criticizing what they called blackface.
Robert
Littal, editor in chief of
Black Sports Online,
ripped Whitlock for the stunt.
“I know FS1 is touting out alternative style shows, but this was way over the line and offensive to a lot of people,” Littal wrote. “Even if you don’t care for Colin Kaepernick, don’t mock the black power movement, don’t mock our hairstyles, because without those people fighting for us doing the Civil Rights Movement, Jason Whitlock wouldn’t be afforded the opportunity to disrespect his people so much.”
See the Whitlock post below.
