Defined By 1968 Olympics Silent Podium Protest Whose Message Is Now Crystal Clear, Gold Medal Sprinter Tommie Smith Is Poised To Stand Atop New Platform As ‘With Drawn Arms’ Docu Is Shopped To Distributors
Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: It took almost four years — and the death of George Floyd and ensuing protests — for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to acknowledge how badly football fumbled a chance to support the concerns of its minority players over police brutality, poverty and economic disparity in America, when QB Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the National Anthem. Kaepernick and players who followed his lead were excoriated by President Trump, with Kaepernick not being offered a place on a team after he left the San Francisco 49ers.Kaepernick’s hardship pales in comparison to the 52 years of adversity endured by Tommie Smith.