Two athletes who have suffered the wrath of woke supporters for different reasons are Riley Gaines and Jonathan Isaac. They are still suffering from it. Gaines interviewed the Orlando Magic player in the latest episode of her podcast Gaines for Women.
They touched on quite a few topics in the nearly 23-minute interview, but Gaines wanted to focus on a specific topic. The swimmer asked Isaac about his decision not to take a knee - like all of his teammates did - while the national anthem played before a game in 2020 to protest the death of George Floyd.
"For me, that was kind of the highlight of my early career of being in the NBA, was 2020. It was after the tragic death of George Floyd, and we were ushered into the NBA ‘bubble,’ where there was just so much pressure. Not even just in the bubble but just around the world with the rise of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement," Isaac responded. "For me, it was simply about offering another solution. I saw the issue. I saw the problem. I saw what happened to George Floyd. And as I listened to the tone and the rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, I never truly felt comfortable."
In the latest episode of the Gaines for Girls Podcast.@Riley_Gaines_ talks with @JJudahIsaac about courage, faith, the upcoming #NBA season, & his clothing line @weareunitus
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"I’m not going to kneel, and I’m not going to wear that T-shirt"
Most of the Magic players agreed to kneel before the game but one of his teammates asked him what he was going to do. The basketball player's response was clear:
One of my teammates turned towards me and says, ‘What are you going to do?’ And I said: ‘Fellas, I’m not going to kneel, and I’m not going to wear that T-shirt. Simply because I have another solution. I don’t believe that kneeling for the national anthem or wearing a T-shirt is the same thing as saying that we support Black lives. They’re not synonymous.'
His decision unleashed criticism from woke supporters. Isaac further explained why he decided to remain standing and not to wear the Black Lives Matter shirt:
It's not saying that Black lives don't matter. It's not saying that what happened to George Floyd wasn't wrong. It's saying that this is the unifying message that can actually bring people together. And also that racism is not the only thing that plagues our society. We all fall short. We've all done things that are wrong.
