Navy SEALs investigating provocative Colin Kaepernick stunt
The US Navy SEALs are investigating a disrespectful joke about former NFL star Colin Kaepernick they say is “completely inconsistent” with the organisation’s values.
It comes after video surfaced from a fundraiser last year in Florida that showed a K-9 demonstration using a “Colin Kaepernick stand-in.”
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The video — which was posted last January but went viral this weekend — shows what appears to be Navy SEAL dogs attacking a man wearing a Kaepernick jersey during a demonstration.
A second video shows the dogs taking the man in the Kaepernick jersey down. Finally, after the dogs are pulled off, the man in the jersey says: “Oh man, I will stand.”
Laughter ensued from the crowd, clearly taking his statement as a joke regarding Kaepernick’s protests around the national anthem.
Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce used “Colin Kaepernick stand-in" for K-9 demonstration at fundraiser last year #BecauseFlorida https://t.co/COHFCeJ3GN pic.twitter.com/EpcELHxrSe
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) August 2, 2020
In another video, after “Navy SEALs and Navy SEAL dogs take down Colin Kaepernick for not standing during National Anthem,” he moans something like, "Oh man, I will stand” #BecauseFlorida https://t.co/uZ3ervZguB pic.twitter.com/6vi1uCGIt5
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) August 2, 2020
Kaepernick first started kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 while he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
He hasn’t played in the league since that season, and received immense backlash for his protest, which was used to bring attention to social and racial injustice in the United States.
That form of protesting has taken off in recent months, with NBA players and coaches, Major League Baseball players and both MLS and NWSL players participating in their respective season restarts.
Countless NFL players have already committed to kneeling during their season this fall, too.
Athletes have also kneeled before events in several other sports around the world including football, rugby league and Formula One - to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Navy launches full investigation
The Navy SEALs announced on Sunday that they have launched a full investigation into the incident, which took place at the national Navy SEAL Museum near Fort Pierce, Florida.
After condemning the incident, the organisation said it believes that none of the people participating were active duty Navy personnel.
https://t.co/c2Rtf9dARW pic.twitter.com/Crgj5r1VtC
— US Navy SEALs (@us_navyseals) August 2, 2020
“We became aware today of a video of a Navy SEAL Museum event posted last year with a military working dog demonstration,” the SEALs said in a statement.
“In the demonstration, the target is wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. The inherent message of this video is completely inconsistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the U.S. Navy.
“We are investigating the matter fully, and initial indications are that there were no active duty Navy personnel or equipment involved with this independent organization’s event.”
