Former NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Paying for Autopsies for Police Related Deaths

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By Vanguard AdministratorMay 14, 20236 comments
PC: Adam Fagen
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By The Vanguard Staff

ATLANTA, GA – Former NFL star quarterback Colin Kaepernick—in effect, blackballed because he protested police violence by refusing to stand for the National Anthem—will pay for an independent autopsy of Lashawn Thompson, a Georgia jail inmate who died last year while covered in insects, according to an NPR story earlier this month quoting civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Apparently, said NPR, “Kaepernick has paid for other autopsies. Last year, Kaepernick launched the Autopsy Initiative, offered through his Know Your Rights Camp organization—free, secondary autopsies to family members of anyone whose death is ‘police-related.’”

“The Autopsy Initiative is one important step toward ensuring that family members have access to accurate and forensically verifiable information about the cause of death of their loved one in their time of need,” said Kaepernick, according to NPR.

NPR said Kaepernick personally reached out to Thompson’s family to offer his support, quoting Crump, who said, “We want to thank Colin Kaepernick for helping this family get to the truth and soon,” at a news conference outside the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where Thompson had died.  

NPR recounted that “Thompson, 35, was found dead in September 2022 after being held at the jail’s psychiatric wing for about three months. At the time, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the cause of his death was ‘undetermined,’ but his family says the jail’s deplorable conditions played a role.” 

“Not only was Thompson’s cell filthy, but his body was covered in insect bites, including on his ears, mouth and nose,” Crump said in a statement, adding, “It is completely unacceptable to force inmates to live in appalling conditions where they are subjected to insects, grime, and infections. No one should be treated that way.”

NPR quoted Attorney Michael Harper, who is also representing Thompson’s family, charging the inmate was “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs.”

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6 comments

  1. I fully applaud blackballed NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his organization for offering to pay for the autopsies of people that perished under the hands of law enforcement. I find this case to particularly appalling. Everyone has the right to live in non-filthy conditions, including inmates.

    1.  blackballed NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick

      Kaepernick did a lot of the blackballing to himself.  Refusing to show up to tryouts and/or trying to change the venue when teams were interested.  I think Kaepernick knew his abilities had diminished at that point.

      1. Kaepernick did a lot of the blackballing to himself.  Refusing to show up to tryouts and/or trying to change the venue when teams were interested.  I think Kaepernick knew his abilities had diminished.

        I am providing evidence of the real truth about how the NFL treated him after the 49ers released him.

        Colin Kaepernick Reaches Deal With The NFL To Settle Collusion Allegations

        https://www.npr.org/2019/02/15/695213705/colin-kaepernick-reaches-agreement-with-the-nfl-his-lawyer-says

        But at the very least, he could be a much more serviceable backup QB option than what some NFL teams currently have in their locker rooms.

        https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/goodell-apologizes-kap-wishes-nfl-had-listened-earlier#

        2. Earlier Saturday, in a statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kaepernick representatives Ben Meiselas and Jeff Nalley outlined their reasoning: 
          “From the outset, Mr. Kaepernick a legitimate process and from the outset the NFL league office has not provided one,” the statement said. “Most recently, the NFL has demanded that as a precondition to the workout, Mr. Kaepernick sign an unusual liability waiver that addresses employment-related issues and rejected the standard liability waiver from physical injury proposed by Mr. Kaepernick’s representatives.
          Additionally, Mr. Kaepernick requested all media be allowed into the workout to observe and film it and for an independent film crew to be there to ensure transparency. The NFL denied request.”

          https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/11/16/colin-kaepernick-nfl-workout-location-atlanta-time-change-media-access/4215063002/#

        3. If Kaepernick really wanted to tryout and join a team he had plenty of opportunities, but like I said IMO his abilities had diminished and he knew it so he threw up roadblocks at every turn.

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