Ex-NFL player Marcellus Wiley, now host of the FS1 show Speak For Yourself, has drawn the ire of certain segments of the internet for his stinging comments about Colin Kaepernick’s “fitness” to serve as the face of a movement.
This all stems from the recently announced partnership between the NFL and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Entertainment company. A partnership that handles Super Bowl halftime shows and various other entertainment endeavors for the league and also includes a social justice component.
It is the social justice component that has caused a division in the room. On one side you have Kap, Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and the people that the NFL is at best unjust towards and at worst something far more nefarious. On the other, you have Jay-Z and those that support the mogul in believing we’ve moved past protests, and it’s time for change to happen from within.
Wiley is firmly in Jay-Z’s camp and had some critical words for Kap on this past Monday’s show, saying:
“Kaepernick comes from a situation where he never felt the full weight of these injustices. This is a mixed race guy who was raised by a white family from Wisconsin to central California. Respect — that does not disqualify you from talking for us but when you make missteps and miscalculations, oh, it comes back into play."
Marcellus Wiley says his “pass” for Colin Kaeprnick has expired. Doesn’t think Kap and Nessa are qualified enough to lead the movement the way they’ve been due to not being fully black. This is getting uglier by the day pic.twitter.com/NUMBByeMBy
— Phella (@PhellaDaFam) August 19, 2019
Wiley goes on to say:
“And we all know Nessa. Respect to her and her ethnicity. But it’s not Black.”
You ain't gonna organize a player boycott if Marcellus Wiley ass niccas snitching on you.
— Ella Septima-Hamer (@Jbrous14) August 21, 2019
marcellus wiley said "brothers of color" 😆🤣😂
— ✪ ★ ⭐ Pokie LaCarre ☭🏴 (@L_Gordito) August 20, 2019
even these big negroes are afraid to say black.
✌🏿brothers of color✌🏿
🙄
i ain't never in all my 41 years on this earth ever heard a black man refer to a group of black men as "brothers of color".
what type of shit is that?!? https://t.co/0WJWsn768o
Please give Marcellus Wiley donkey of the day. Based on his ignorant ass rant yesterday about Kap. Thank you
— Anthony Washington (@anthony33472) August 21, 2019
#MarcellusWiley pic.twitter.com/WZeoQWwXVJ
— The Groomer D (@YoSahop) August 21, 2019
Marcellus Wiley: Light skinned Black people cannot be leaders in Black movements
— L E F T, PhD (@LeftSentThis) August 21, 2019
History: pic.twitter.com/5q0Z1b7Ihf
Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for March of Dimes and Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
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