Colin Kaepernick Mentions ‘Lawful Lynchings’ During Awards Acceptance Speech

Kaepernick was accepting Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers in action against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers in action against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)

While accepting an award from Amnesty International in Amsterdam over the weekend, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick referred to police killings of African-Americans and Latinos in the U.S. as “lawful lynchings.”

Kaepernick made the remark during his acceptance speech after his former 49ers teammate Eric Reid presented him with the Ambassador of Conscience Award.

The 30-year-old quarterback was picked for the award, which has previously been given to Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, because of “his refusal to ignore or accept racial discrimination.”

“How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates, ‘freedom and justice for all,’ that is so unjust to so many of the people living there?” Kaepernick said. “Racialized oppression and dehumanization is woven into the very fabric of our nation — the effects of which can be seen in the lawful lynching of black and brown people by the police, and the mass incarceration of black and brown lives in the prison industrial complex.”

Kaepernick remains unsigned and it appears his NFL career may be over.

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