In the ongoing debate about the NFL player protests during the national anthem, The Root has obtained an exclusive interview with three figures at the center of the debate. Staff Writer Michael Harriot and Senior Politics Editor Stephen A. Crockett sat down to discuss the issue with the American flag, the National…

President Donald Trump knows how to light a tiki torch, doesn’t he? Shortly after news broke that the NFL had succumbed to the demands of the grand wizard of “Make America great again” to punish players who protest during the national anthem, Trump, who crusaded against players’ rights to protest, made it clear that…

If you don’t believe that former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being whiteballed by the NFL, then look no farther than Eric Reid. While there have been questions about Kaepernick’s style of play not fitting with different teams, there have been no questions about Reid’s ability to play football. In…

If you know like I know, bow your heads.

I pray that when my infant son is old enough to attend college, there are courses devoted to the historical lineage inside Colin Kaepernick’s Afro. In the history of Afros, Kaepernick’s falls somewhere between Angela Davis and all of the men from the grossly underrated family soul group the Sylvers.

There was a man who tried to tell Marshawn Lynch what to do. That man is no longer with us. Because no one—I repeat, no one—tells Marshawn Lynch what to do.

Now that former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick’s protest has been gentrified by arm locking, kneeling before the anthem and praying (OK, that last one was just one guy, but still ... ), everyone has been trying to explain the logic behind “taking a knee.”

All of this is making my head hurt, but apparently, it is a thing for right-winged zealots who are so upset that grown men have taken a knee during their precious national anthem to make videos of themselves burning jerseys and team paraphernalia.

Dearest Ray,

A Lake Ozark, Mo., bar owner is under scrutiny after a passerby called out his makeshift doormat as racist.

I know that it’s insane to want President Donald Trump to act presidential. I know that it’s insane to want him to stop tweeting like a boy-obsessed teen who can’t stop mean-girling. I know that it’s insane to want the president to stop emboldening and encouraging racist white hate.

Three current players and one recent retiree have asked the NFL for a dedicated month devoted to social activism.

I spent just about all of Sunday watching football, from the early-afternoon games to the 4:30 p.m. game to that horrible night game (followed by an Insecure season finale watch party with friends—I’m #TeamDaniel). Do I feel guilty? Nah. Do I feel like the guy still taking the 503 line during the Montgomery Bus…