Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality became a divisive issue across the country. The outspoken Kelly Stafford certainly had her opinion on the matter. In a 2017 Instagram post, she shared a quote that stated, in part, that “the anthem is not the national police song.” Kelly then suggested the only way to show unity was to stand: “Let’s stand united against terrorists, against racism, against white supremacists, against killing of cops, against police brutality, against sex slave trafficking.”
Three years later, she understood that she missed the point of Kaepernick’s protest. “When Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, I had strong feelings about it. Even when he kept saying it had nothing to do with the flag or military, I didn’t listen,” Kelly wrote. “I kept not listening to him or anyone else and let the political rhetoric persuade me that him kneeling was disrespectful to our military.” Her change of heart was communicated in yet another Instagram post that revealed she and her husband, Matthew Stafford, were donating $350,000 to “a social justice program for University of Georgia Athletics.”
“Over the past several months, I have opened my ears, mind, and heart and it has opened my eyes to see how wrong I was and for that I am sorry,” Kelly continued, adding that defeating systemic racism will take all of us. “Matthew and I thought this was a good place to start.”