Raiders Fan Criticized Over Hanging Kaepernick Doll From Pickup Truck
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- A San Jose man is catching heat for dangling a Colin Kaepernick doll from his pickup truck by his neck with a chain.
The truck belongs to an Oakland Raiders fan who calls himself "Raider Rob." On Thursday, he said the uproar is all a big misunderstanding.
It all began with a Twitter post. San Jose State University senior Joanna Acevedo took the photos at a gas station in South San Jose showing the Kaepernick doll hanging by a chain from the truck's bumper.
"We should create a conversation around these little subtle implements of racism to combat the overall systematic reality that people are being oppressed," Acevedo told KPIX 5.
Raider Rob, who sits in the "Black Hole" at the Oakland Coliseum, did not want his face shown on camera. He said the doll and his Raider logo-covered black truck are meant to signify the Bay Bridge rivalry, not racism.
"I'm just a Raider fan," he said. "Nothing to do with politics. Nothing to do with race, it's just a rivalry that's all."
Kaepernick is no longer the 49ers quarterback or even playing in the NFL, and his kneeling protests during the national anthem to call attention to racial inequality and injustice drew both praise and heavy criticism.
Raider Rob says the doll has been hanging from the back of his truck for three years and hasn't gone viral until now. He says he understands the criticism of the doll hanging by the neck.
"I get that. But a lot of people are very sensitive nowadays," he said. "But I'm Mexican. I've dealt with racism my whole life, too. To say I'm racist is absurd."
Acevedo says there are plenty of other ways to show your team affiliation. "I know very much about the Bay Area rivalry and there's a bunch of paraphernalia that doesn't involve the lynching a black man that stood up for his community," said Acevedo. "No matter the attention, this is an act of racism."
Raider Rob says he's also had Sourdough Sam, the 49ers team mascot, hanging from the back - but that it was stolen. He says he's considering swapping out Kaepernick. "I think that might change and I'll find a new doll. Maybe I'll find a Tom Brady doll," he said.
Acevedo would like to see the chain noose gone.
"When it comes to sports rivalries, I do understand how nasty it can get. But, I don't think we should normalize hanging anybody from anything," said Acevedo.
