On Super Bowl Sunday, there were those who temporarily put aside their boycott of the NFL to watch the biggest game of the year. Count director Ava DuVernay as one person who refused to cross the picket line, instead choosing to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick by boycotting this year’s Super Bowl.
The filmmaker shared words of support for Kaepernick in advance of the game, excoriating the NFL’s “racist treatment” of the sports star.
“I will not be a spectator, viewer or supporter of the #SuperBowl today in protest of the @NFL’s racist treatment of @Kaepernick7 and its ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of all its players,” she wrote on Twitter. “To watch the game is to compromise my beliefs. It’s not worth it. #ImWithKap.”
https://twitter.com/ava/status/1092093707212312577
When Kaepernick caught wind of her stance, he replied back “Love you Sister.”
Love you Sister @ava ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 https://t.co/cAhduldiYB
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) February 3, 2019
DuVernay’s statement came in advance of the Super Bowl as Kaepernick continues to be embroiled in a legal battle with the NFL. He maintains that the league has taken steps to keep him off the field in retaliation for his “Take a Knee” protest, which was utilized during the national anthem as a means of calling attention to police brutality against Black men in America.
