John Carlos, the 1968 Olympic 200m bronze medalist who, along with gold medalist Tommie Smith, was kicked out of the Games for raising a black-gloved first on the podium, admires the athletes who boycotted competition Wednesday and Thursday over racial injustice.
“I respect the hell out of them,” Carlos, 75, said, according to Time. “Because you have to squeeze the toothpaste tube to get people to respond. And their boycotting lets the powers that be, whether it’s the NBA or any professional organization or corporate entity, know that they need to raise their voices.