{"id":19429,"date":"2020-08-04T19:07:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T19:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/08\/04\/navy-seals-cut-ties-with-museum-over-colin-kaepernick-video\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:15:39","slug":"navy-seals-cut-ties-with-museum-over-colin-kaepernick-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/08\/04\/navy-seals-cut-ties-with-museum-over-colin-kaepernick-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy SEALs cut ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DELRAY BEACH \u2014 The commander of the Navy SEALs said the unit will suspend its support of the National Navy SEAL Museum, a nonprofit organization not overseen by the military after videos surfaced online of dogs attacking a man wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey<\/a> during a demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach and every one of us serves to protect our fellow Americans – ALL Americans. Even the perception that our commitment to serving the men and women of this nation is applied unevenly is destructive,\u201d Rear Adm. Collin Green, who heads the Naval Special Warfare Command, said in an email to his forces on Monday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cWe will revisit our relationship with the Museum<\/a> when I am convinced that they have made the necessary changes to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the letter, Green said, \u201cWhile the museum is an independent non-profit organization and the participants were contracted employees from outside the DoD, in many ways, these facts are irrelevant. We have been inextricably linked to this organization that represents our history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe may not have contributed to the misperception in this case, but we suffer from it and will not allow it to continue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter was provided to The Associated Press by a service member under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to do so. Museum officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the AP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter comes one day after a pair of videos of an event at the Fort Pierce, Florida-based museum last year surfaced Sunday on social media. The videos quickly garnered more than 6.7 million views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the videos, men with guns \u2014 wearing camouflage and tactical gear \u2014 order four dogs to attack a man wearing protective equipment and Kaepernick\u2019s red and white San Francisco 49ers jersey. A second video shows a dog biting the man in the jersey as he lays on the ground. An individual with a rifle approaches and orders him to turn over on his stomach. The man in the jersey replies, \u201cOh, man, I will stand,\u201d a joke aimed at Kaepernick\u2019s kneeling during the national anthem to bring attention to racial injustice and police brutality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Naval Special Warfare Command condemned the video and said in a statement posted Sunday to Twitter: \u201cWe are investigating the matter fully and initial indications are that there were no active-duty Navy personnel or equipment involved with this independent organization\u2019s event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On social media, the video was met with mixed perceptions as some viewed the demonstration as further proof to indict and demand reforms of systemic racism within government institutions, especially after the civil unrest and protests around the country after the killing of George Floyd. Others found no issue with the video due to their disagreement with Kaepernick\u2019s protests during the national anthem which they believe are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the memory of fallen service members, a viewpoint shared by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Army veteran Nate Boyer stands to the right of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, middle, before a Sept. 1, 2016, preseason game in San Diego. The NFL’s new policy on the national anthem was revealed nearly two years after Kaepernick’s initial protest. (Chris Carlson\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kaepernick, 32, began his protests in 2016 and began to kneel during the national anthem after Nate Boyer<\/a>, a former Army Special Forces soldier who tried out as a long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, suggested it. The former San Francisco quarterback and other players faced intense backlash. But a number of athletes have started kneeling after national protests broke out in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\t