In the way sport imitates life, young men imitate professional football players: The trickle-down begins quickly with something as simple as a dab, which NFL MVP Cam Newton popularized last year.
But even Newton’s celebratory move can’t compare with the movement 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick spawned with a peaceful protest of the national anthem, a simple kneeldown. That act sparked an emotion-laden debate about race relations and police brutality. Other NFL players, such as Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, soon followed Kaepernick’s lead. So have members of the Aurora Central football team.
A group of Aurora Central players have chosen not to stand for the national anthem for the first three games this season and plan to continue to do so, hoping to gain more followers.
“The big thing that we talked about as a team was, if we’re going to do it, we need to know the reasoning behind it,” said senior quarterback Jalil Grimes, who has guided the Trojans to a 3-0 start but has not yet participated in the kneeling.
He plans to start joining his teammates, he said. “You do it for a purpose, not to just go out there and do it just to do it.”
While the kneeling Trojans aren’t risking the critical reception faced by professional athletes such as Marshall — who lost endorsements, had his jersey burned by a disgruntled fan and faced intense social media backlash — they know it’s not an action to be taken lightly.
Senior captain Tarell Gissendanner organized the decision to kneel. The defensive back/wide receiver brought his team together for a players-only meeting before the season began to discuss hot-button issues raised by Kaepernick’s protest and how such issues affect Aurora Central and the surrounding community.
“I saw what Colin Kaepernick did and how he ignited a big discussion around him,” Gissendanner said. “I believe in what he’s doing, because I don’t feel minorities are being treated correctly. So even as high schoolers, we’re not going to sit there and not let it be a big discussion.”
Aurora Central’s administration has supported the players’ decision.
“Aurora Central High School and Aurora Public Schools staff members respect the right of our students to protest in a peaceful manner. We are using this opportunity as a teachable moment and a catalyst for meaningful dialogue,” said Patti Moon, interim chief communication officer for Aurora Public Schools, in an e-mailed statement.
Aurora Central has one of the most diverse student bodies in the state, with more than 95 percent of students minorities, according to 2015-16 Aurora Public Schools data. Latinos make up 66.8 percent of the student body.
The protesters, which have numbered around 10 to 15 according to Aurora Central coach Jamarr Kerney, have received a mixed reaction from their peers and fans, with some in support of the kneeling and others seeing it as a disrespectful act toward the flag, the police and the military.
“I would tell (detractors) that it’s not meant to disrespect anyone in any way; the only reason we do it is because we feel that there should be societal change because minorities aren’t being treated fairly,” Gissendanner said.
The Colorado High School Activities Association has taken a hands-off approach to the issue. Assistant Commissioner Bert Borgmann said it’s “a local issue for schools to address within their communities.” At Aurora Central, Kerney, athletic director Dan Lliteras and Gerardo De La Garza have discussed the ongoing protest with the team, and have decided to not get in the players’ way.
“My guys came to me and we talked about some of the things that are going on around the United States; they came to me with that concern and I took it to our principal, and ultimately it’s their right to peacefully protest and we’re in no position to take that right away from them,” Kerney said. “But we also told them that if that’s something they’re going to do, they have to be good citizens and they need to be upholding the message behind those peaceful protests in the hallways and out in the neighborhood as well.”
The Trojans host Mountain Range at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Several Trojans will kneel.
“I feel more guys will start to buy in as they learn more and more,” said Gissendanner. “We’ll be kneeling until we feel that there’s a change, or that people are starting to take notice of the behavior that’s been displayed. The more high schools that kneel, the more people will realize that it’s a very serious topic and that changes need to be made.”
