Roger Goodell Comments on NFL Players Participating in Activism on Social Issues

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the ongoing protests by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players Sunday.

Ben Goessling of ESPN.com noted Goodell hasn't reached out to Kaepernick, but he "praised the shift of players' activism from 'protests to progress.'"

Goessling shared more of Goodell's words:

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As I've said before, I truly respect our players wanting to speak out and change the community. We don't live in a perfect society. We want them to use that voice. They're moving from protests to progress and trying to make things happen in the communities, and I admire that about our players [being] willing to do that.

Obviously, we want to respect people. We want to respect our differences. We want to reflect our flag and our country, and our players understand that. So I think where they're moving and how they're moving there is very productive, and we're going to encourage that.

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Goodell has weighed in on Kaepernick's protests before. The commissioner previously said he didn't agree with the way Kaepernick was kneeling during the national anthem but did support players' right to seek change in society, per Barry Wilner of the Associated Press.

Kaepernick and teammate Eric Reid kneeled during the national anthem before San Francisco took on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows noted defenders Jaquiski Tartt, Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold held their fists up during the song.

In the preseason, Kaepernick dominated news cycles when he sat during the national anthem to protest police brutality and the way people of color are treated in the United States. He explained to NFL.com's Steve Wyche in August that he was "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

The signal-caller then started kneeling during the anthem after meeting with former Green Beret and Seattle Seahawks training-camp long snapper Nate Boyer, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

Kaepernick's protest inspired other players in the NFL, including Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster. Foster and other Dolphins kneeled during the anthem before their regular-season opener, as James Walker of ESPN.com shared:

Foster addressed some of the criticism he faced in the aftermath on Twitter:

Elsewhere, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall kneeled during the anthem before his team took on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, per Mike Klis of 9News.

The movement has spread beyond the NFL, as United States women's national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe did the same ahead of her team's international friendlies against Thailand on Thursday and the Netherlands on Sunday.

Kneeling during the anthem is not the only thing that has been done to address the concerns Kaepernick has raised.

According to Dan Loumena of the Los Angeles Times, the 49ers pledged $1 million to two organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area that look to address racial and social inequality. Kaepernick also elected to donate $1 million from his base salary, as well as all of the money he makes for the sales of his jersey.

Those types of actions were likely the shift to progress that Goodell discussed Sunday.