A viral video of dogs attacking a man wearing a red Kaepernick jersey has resurfaced and prompted a Navy investigation.
What We Know:
- On Sunday, the Navy became aware of a video where a Colin Kaepernick fill-in is targeted and attacked by a pack of dogs. The incident happened at a 2019 K-9 demonstration at the Navy Seal Museum of Florida, the Navy said on Twitter.
- Kaepernick was a San Francisco 49ers quarterback that garnished national attention when he began kneeling during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police brutality and systematic oppression experienced by African Americans and minorities in the US in 2016. At the end of the season, he became a free agent and did not get picked up, ultimately costing him his career in the NFL. His actions inspired other players to take a knee during the anthem which led to boycotts and disagreements about patriotism. Kaepernick eventually filed a collusion grievance against the NFL and reached a settlement.
- The footage of the k-9 demonstration was originally posted last year on social media and taken down. Over the weekend, filmmaker Billy Corben reposted the videos again on Twitter. One of the videos shows four dogs, one being the museum’s mascot, targeting a man wearing padding, and a red Kaepernick jersey at the fundraiser event. In another video, the dogs and the soldiers take the fill-in wearing Kaepernick’s jersey down and we hear “Kaepernick” say, “Oh man, I will stand” and the crowd starts laughing.
In another video, after “Navy SEALs and Navy SEAL dogs take down Colin Kaepernick for not standing during National Anthem,” he moans something like, "Oh man, I will stand” #BecauseFlorida https://t.co/uZ3ervZguB pic.twitter.com/6vi1uCGIt5
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) August 2, 2020
- “The inherent message of this video is completely inconsistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the U.S. Navy,” a statement from the US Navy Seals’ Twitter said. The Navy went on to state they are investigating the matter fully, and that their “initial indications are that there were no active-duty personnel or equipment involved with this independent organization’s event”.
- The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, located in Fort Pierce, Fla., is the only museum dedicated solely to preserving the history of the U.S. Navy SEALs and their predecessors. According to its website, the main objective of the museum remains the promotion of public education.
We reached out to the museum for a statement regarding this demonstration and how it aligns with their main objective but have not received a response.
