Charlamagne tha God doesn't think J. Cole sharing Colin Kaepernick's open letter to the New York Jets was a good idea.
On the Wednesday morning broadcast of The Breakfast Club, the Radio Hall of Famer aired out his grievances with Kaepernick trying to land a job with the Jets, who are in desperate need of a quarterback. The Jets' off-season pickup Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in the season opener, and second-string option Zach Wilson has been unable to pick up the reins after two horrendous starts.
In the letter that J. Cole shared publicly with Kaep's reticent permission, the QB expressed his desire to help the Jets via their practice squad since he's a "real weapon" and will get the defense "ready week in and week out, all season long."
Reactions over the letter were polarizing, and Charlamagne threw his two cents on the matter, calling the ex-NFLer's message "sad" and "downright pathetic."
"I wish that letter was never written. That letter was tragically sad and downright pathetic," Charlamagne said. "Colin Kaepernick has let his setback become his identity, and I hate that for him. God exalted Colin Kaepernick into a position of leadership in regard to activism, and it pains me to see that man still begging in the league that he called racist and compared to a plantation."
He continued, "And I hate that he can never speak for himself. He always got somebody else speaking for him, or putting out his messaging for him. That's so wack to me. I wish Colin the best in all his endeavors, but just begging, you know, these same people you called racist for an opportunity is pitiful."
Kaepernick has been out of the league for nearly seven years after he protested during the National Anthem, and he's been trying to find his way back ever since. In his time away from the league, Kaepernick became a civil rights activist and called out racial injustices within society and the NFL.
The more he stood up against racist biases such as police brutality and white supremacy, the more fans believed he would never return to the league due to the alleged discriminatory practices that have plagued the NFL for years.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Kaep revealed he's still going hard with his workouts and is hopeful that an NFL team will give him an opportunity.
"I'm going to keep pushing," the 35-year-old said. "I'm going to keep fighting for it because I know I can step on the field and play. Every workout, every opportunity I've had to show that, the feedback has always been positive. Everything from, 'he's still an elite player,' to 'the workout was great; it was better than expected.'"
Colin Kaepernick also told NFL teams to put their political agendas to bed when it comes to giving him a tryout, saying, "Obviously, there's something else within this decision. To me, that's typically what it ends up being, or has been for the last seven years. So, I just want the opportunity to come in, show what I can do on the field. Judge me based upon that, not the political bias that you have."
