Simmonds: Protests not about black and white, it's about what's right

As an African-Canadian player who makes a living in the U.S., Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds knows exactly what it's like to be unfairly discriminated against for the color of one's skin.

On Wednesday, Simmonds was asked to share his opinion regarding players taking a knee during national anthems to protest racial inequality: "Everybody is relating to politics," Simmonds said, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"But for the people who are doing the kneeling and protesting peacefully, I think it has nothing to do with how (other) people are taking it," he said. "Some people are saying it’s a disrespect to the flag, a disrespect to the Army. That’s not the thought process behind it; it’s just the vehicle that’s being used to create a conversation about social inequality."

What started out as just one football player staging a protest, has grown to encompass an entire movement throughout the sports world; a fact that Simmonds believes everyone should be aware of.

"In this day and age, obviously, you have to be cognizant of everything that’s going on," said Simmonds.

"You see the protests in the NFL, you see guys in baseball starting to kneel ... It’s a hard subject to talk about. Everybody’s on one side or the other. It’s a fine line."

Simmonds may only be a hockey player, but he realizes the issues being addressed by athletes peacefully protesting are about much more than just race.

"I don’t think it’s black and white; at this point, it’s about what’s wrong and what’s right. It’s not just a black and white thing. It’s the LGBT community, it different ethnicity - black, brown, Asian, all that. It shouldn’t just be black and white."