In Case There Was Any Doubt, Michael Crabtree Is Not The Reincarnation Of Martin Luther King Jr.

Crabtree didn't want to offer opinions on his ex QB Kaepernick or on the protests. "I just play football. I ain't no Martin Luther King."

— Ann Killion (@annkillion) September 25, 2016

Jesus Christ, pretty sure Martin Luther King Jr. just rolled over in his grave. If not because an African American athlete just distanced himself from his "blackness" then because of his egregious use of a double negative in doing so. If there is a realm where not everyone is meant to be an activist against an overwhelmingly controversial societal issue it's professional sports so - in theory - I don't have a problem with what Michael Crabtree was trying to say. It's the execution that could have used a little work. I don't want this to get misconstrued as me calling someone I've never met ignorant, but it's really tough for an answer to a relatively important question to have a more ignorant tone. 

Is it fair that every black athlete is expected to have an informed, well-crafted opinion on the state of racial injustice in this country? Not remotely. With the amount of idiots that support Trump, you can only imagine how counterproductive things would get if every white athlete was presented with an opportunity to publicly comment on Colin Kaepernick. So Michael Crabtree is right in the sense that not everyone is built to stand in front of a microphone and field inquiries that refer to polarizing current events. Unfortunately, that's the situation that Colin Kaepernick has put his peers in with a gesture that the media can't seem to stop exploiting for content. I readily admit that I am part of the problem as I have written about a person kneeling during the National Anthem more than I ever thought possible. However, as much as he didn't ask to be a part of this, Michael Crabtree also becomes part of the problem when he can't conjure up a single predetermined, pseudo-intellectual response when asked about something that directly effects the lives of so many people like him. He doesn't need to be Martin Luther King Jr. (or read his most famous quotes off the back of Cam Newton's shirt for that matter), but with the platform he's been given he should simply embrace his position as a black athlete when asked about a cause that - hopefully - benefits his entire race in the long run.