Former NFL Green Bay Pacerks quarterback Brett Favre compared Colin Kaepernick to Pat Tillman during a teleconference-style interview with TMZ Sports. In the two-minute clip available online, Favre was asked a couple of questions about the infamous rabble-rouser Kaepernick. The first question was about Kaepernick’s ability to play and if he should still be playing. The second question was about the impact of the former QB and if he belongs in the ranks of Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson.
It doesn’t appear as if Brett Favre was truly ready for heavy-hitting questions from TMZ. Especially in the day and age of sound-byte click-bait dominating the news scene. Favre appeared as if he wanted to shy away from comparing Kaepernick to Ali and Robinson, but then made a crazy pivot. Favre essentially said that he cannot think of another guy that put his career on the line to stand up for something that he believed in like Kaepernick has other than Pat Tillman.
Another League Altogether
Comparing Colin Kaepernick to Pat Tillman is the prototypical example of comparing apples to oranges. These two men have absolutely nothing in common aside from playing in the NFL.
Pat Tillman played Free Safety for the Arizona Cardinals. Instead of extending his time with the Cardinals, he refused a three-year contract worth $3.8 million and joined the Army. This happened around eight months after the horrific 9/11 attacks on the United States. In a subsequent interview and/or documentary, Tillman said that the majority of men in his family had served in some way, form, or fashion. He felt an obligation to do the same, rather than doing “nothing” for his country. And so, he did. Tillman was shipped off to Afghanistan where he later died. The circumstances of his death are controversial so that’s probably best left for another article.
Kaepernick Is An Opportunist, Not Revolutionary
Colin Kaepernick, on the other hand, did not have many offers from NFL teams when he reached the proverbial “sidelines.” The average NFL career does not last long. Especially not for players who run and get hit a lot like running backs. While Kaepernick is a quarterback, he also runs a lot. His dominant skill is his scrambling ability, not throwing. Kaepernick had a good NFL run, but it came to a close and his skills diminished. It was around this time that he discovered some long sought-after acceptance as a black man by kneeling during the National Anthem.
Jackie Robinson changed Major League Baseball forever by being the first black player to integrate the all-white league. Muhammad Ali risked going to prison over his objections to the Vietnam War because he resisted the draft. Pat Tillman abandoned his NFL career and died as a literal war hero. What did Kaepernick do? Kneel before the flag and gain a bunch of attention online as an armchair activist while getting paid by NIKE the whole time.
Kaepernick is an overblown brand ambassador and nothing more. Favre appeared to simply say the wrong thing. He may (and should) come out and apologize. This whole fiasco is a prime example of when being “woke” goes wrong.
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