Pro-Kaepernick protest to take place before Bears' home opener

Pro-Kaepernick protest to take place before Bears’ home opener

By Madeline Kenney

Its been a week since Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh floated the idea of adding Kaepernick, a veteran who has Super Bowl experience and the baggage that comes from his decision last year to literally sit out the National Anthem on game day. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s window to find a new team is closing by the day with the NFL season starting next month.

Multiple reports say owners are hesitant to sign Kaepernick, who drew national attention last season when he knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice.

That’s part of the reason why Tim Clark and Amber Le’Shea decided to plan a pro-Kaepernick protest Sept. 10 before the Bears’ regular-season opener against the Falcons at Soldier Field.

“Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest of police brutality and other racial injustices has led to him being blackballed by the NFL,” Clark and Le’Shea wrote in the event’s description on Facebook. “NFL owners have either decided to punish Kaepernick for taking this stand OR that it’s best for business to sweep these issues under the rug.

“By standing for Kaepernick, we are standing for players’ ability to raise awareness by taking small steps such as not standing for the national anthem without losing their jobs.”

There already are more than 600 people on Facebook who’ve said they’re going to participate in the protest, and it has sparked the interest of more than 3,100 people. Clark and Le’Shea weren’t immediately available for comment.

Kaepernick has kept his promise from last season, when he pledged to donate $1 million to charity. Several Chicago charities have benefitted from Kaepernick’s generosity, including Chicago’s Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) and the city’s Black Youth Project 100.

Follow me on Twitter @madkenney.

Email: mkenney@suntimes.com