Yesterday morning GQ Magazine revealed their annual "Men of the Year" issues, which this year honors Late-night host Stephen Colbert, actress Gal Gadot, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, and former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick.
As part of the "Men of the Year" honors, GQ Magazine will be running cover stories on each of the four individuals, including Kaepernick who GQ dubbed, "Citizen of the Year." Obviously, not everyone was on board with Kaepernick receiving that honor, but those who have supported him from the jump couldn't be prouder.
Shortly after GQ's announcement, TMZ caught up with congresswomen Maxine Waters in New York City to get her thoughts about Kaepernick being named Citizen of the Year.
"I think he has absolutely sacrificed an awful lot for what he believes in. And people with courage to do what they think is right -- despite the consequences -- must be respected and honored."
In the cover story, titled, "Colin Kaepernick Will Not Be Silenced," Kaepernick posed for a series of photos in Harlem, although he declined to provide quotes for the story itself, citing his desire to remain silent. The article states, "As his public identity has begun to shift from football star to embattled activist, he has grown wise to the power of his silence."
Instead, GQ asked others to comment on Kaepenrick's story and impact on society, including singer Harry Belafonte, rapper J. Cole, director Ava DuVernay and former teammate Eric Reid.
"Had (Kaepernick not taken a knee), this guy would be making millions of dollars right now. Period, point blank," rapper J. Cole said in the article. "And more important than the money, he was living his dream. He sacrificed his dream."
Colin Kaepernick recently filed a grievance against the NFL owners on October 15th, alleging they colluded to keep him out of the league. ESPN reports that he is not working through the NFLPA, and has instead hired high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos to represent him.
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