PHOENIX — Alan Williams and his mother, Jeri, watched on television this summer as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested police brutality and racial injustice by refusing to stand during the national anthem. Kaepernick’s political statement was personal for both Williams, a second-year player for the Phoenix Suns, and his mother, who had recently agreed to become the city’s police chief.
They began a pointed discussion over Kaepernick’s gesture and its potential to unravel their tightly knit relationship.
Alan Williams, 23, said he felt obliged to support his teammates if they decided, like several other professional athletes, to join Kaepernick.