Three young black men inspired by ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick to kneel during the national anthem before their high school football games will be the guests of Democrat Beto O’Rourke for the second round of presidential primary debates.
O’Rourke reached out to ex-Lansing Catholic High School football players Michael Lynn III, Matthew Abdullah and RoJe Williams and spoke with them by phone last week. They will attend Tuesday’s debate in Detroit.
The former Texas congressman’s campaign says he learned of the men’s story and found them through “general local outreach.”
O’Rourke tells The Associated Press the four “have served their community in one of the most American ways possible.”
O’Rourke’s defense of NFL players who chose to take a knee to protest police brutality and racism went viral in 2018.
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