On the Tuesday, Nov. 29, edition of FOX Sports One‘s “Undisputed,” co-host Joy Taylor commented on the recent controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and his statements regarding the late Fidel Castro.
Taylor ridiculed Kaepernick for seemingly dismissing Castro’s oppressive regime.
The latest wrinkle in the uproar over his national anthem protest came after a Miami Herald reporter chastised the QB for wearing a T-shirt depicting the 1960 meeting between Castro and Black freedom fighter Malcolm X during a press conference last week. Kaepernick was criticized for praising the Cuban dictator’s literacy program and health care system.
His comments and bravado riled up Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, who told media that there was “bad blood” between his team and the 49ers. Additionally, he is on record calling the QB “ignorant” for attempting to “rewrite” Castro’s legacy.
In the clip, Taylor said she supports Kaepernick’s national anthem protest but that his beliefs about Castro are off base.
“He claims that he is against systematic oppression, that is the definition of Fidel Castro,” Taylor says. “His people were not free. And if Kaepernick claims he is about education and about freedom and about equality, he would be wise to reach out to Kiko Alonso and apologize.”
Taylor urged the QB to sit down with Alonso, who is a child of a Cuban exile, to understand the reality facing many Cubans.
“[Castro] is a terrible figure in our world’s history,” Taylor said. “The world is better without him. And Kaepernick has no excuse for what he is doing.”
Taylor was not alone in her criticism. Shannon Sharpe implied the QB did not do his homework on Castro.
“I don’t think he spent that kind of time studying Castro and was able to articulate and to come up with [a reason] why he wore the shirt,” Sharpe says. “For me, when it comes to certain figures — Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Tong, Castro — I am not offering any explanation. History will be their judge.”
However, fans were quick to take the two co-hosts to task on social media. Many took to the comments section to call out Taylor for her analysis and to point out that most Cubans loved Castro.
User Jennifer Miller pointed out that America is in no position to criticize Cuba when it also has committed crimes against humanity.
Sagee Asante said Taylor’s logic is uninformed because there are politicians in the West who have been accused of the same atrocities as Castro. However, they have not faced the same censure.
Facebook user Juleon H. Dove compared Englishman Cecil Rhodes to Castro, noting that the two have committed similar atrocities, yet one is celebrated while the other is demonized.
Ervin Wild said that older Cubans who lived under the Bautista regime hate Castro because they lost their social status after the revolution.
User James Williams returned to state that America has convinced the world that Cuba is the enemy. He excoriated Taylor for ignoring the role Castro played in helping nations win independence from European powers.
Lastly, user Sherman R. Bias called out America for its hypocrisy. He claimed that there is no evidence proving Castro killed his fellow Cubans.
