Michael Vick, who knows well the sting of being an NFL outcast, believes Colin Kaepernick must do little more than cut off his Afro in order to return to the ranks of active NFL quarterbacks.
Not only are Vick’s comments insulting, because they imply that black hair, when worn in its natural state, is not clean cut. His comments are also hypocritical.
If hair were the issue, Michael Vick, who sported cornrows while playing at a Pro Bowl level for the Atlanta Falcons, would never have risen to NFL fame. If hair were the issue, even a middle aged black man like myself would be eligible for millions in NFL money, since I shaved myself bald 20 years ago.
But hair is not the issue. The NFL’s failure to offer a contract to former All Pro and starting Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick is driven by racism, and by Kaepernick’s decision to speak out against it.
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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon.
