NEW YORK — On Monday, GQ magazine released its special issue naming former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick “Citizen of the Year.”
The magazine has since received a lot of backlash, including several tweets from former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry.
McHenry took to Twitter arguing that not only is he not worthy of the title, but there are many more people in the NFL worth the title.
“He’s been vilified by millions and locked out of the NFL — all because he took a knee to protest police brutality,” GQ wrote in a news release about the cover. “Colin Kaepernick’s determined stand puts him in rare company in sports history: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson — athletes who risked everything to make a difference.”
Kaepernick has been on the cover of GQ before, but for his athletic skill. Now he’s on the cover because he’s not playing.
“And it’s not because he’s hurt, or because he’s broken any rules, or because he’s not good enough,” GQ said. “Approximately 90 men are currently employed as quarterbacks in the NFL, as either starters or reserves, and Colin Kaepernick is better — indisputably, undeniably, flat-out better — than at least 70 of them.”
Kaepernick is not interviewed for the issue but appears in a photo spread. GQ said he agreed to participate because he wanted to “reclaim the narrative of his protest, which has been hijacked by a president eager to make this moment about himself.”
