Waleed Aly defends cricketers refusal to support Black Lives Matter
Waleed Aly has jumped to the defence of South African cricketer Quinton de Kock, who refused to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The world-famous wicketkeeper made international headlines when he refused to kneel at the T20 World Cup during a show of support for the global anti-racism movement.
His refusal sparked outrage around the world, as ABC Breakfast host Tony Armstrong says he "saw red" and blasted the cricketer's actions on air.
In the days following, Quinton de Kock, who comes from a mixed race family, issued an apology, saying he felt like his rights were "taken away" as players were instructed just hours before the commencement of the game to take a knee.
The Project host leapt to his defence, saying he understood the cricketer's reluctance to participate.
"Especially when it came out that he was just told on the way to the ground and all of that sort of stuff," Aly told the program on Thursday night.
"I think that there's a thing that sport has to think about here, which is, it's one thing for sport to take a stand... It's another thing when you compel every player to take the same stand, especially when you compel them a couple of hours before a game."
Despite saying "if I was in his position, I'm taking the knee", Waleed said he thought it was unfair for Cricket South Africa to spring the action on unsuspecting players.
"There was no conversation and suddenly he's meant to process this and take on something that the game or Cricket South Africa and a statement that they want to make as his own personal one," Aly continued.
"It's a really weird situation for a player to be in."
Guest host on The Project Tony Armstrong accepted the cricketer's apology and explanation, and admitted he may have made a mistake calling the player a racist.
"I'm so glad that he's come out and said what he said. Because I think what he might not have realised in the moment was - just what it means to so many people," he said.
You can check out the whole discussion here:
Image credits: The Project