When Super Bowl LIII kicks off later today, millions of people will be watching both live and on television, but Ava DuVernay will not be one of them.
The New Gods director took to Twitter Sunday morning, noting that she will not in any way be supporting the event in an act of protest over what she referred to as the NFL’s racist treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as well the organization’s “ongoing disregard” for the health and well-being of players.
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I will not be a spectator, viewer or supporter of the #SuperBowl today in protest of the @NFL’s racist treatment of @Kaepernick7 and its ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of all its players. To watch the game is to compromise my beliefs. It’s not worth it. #ImWithKap pic.twitter.com/fNEeke0crs
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 3, 2019
“I will not be a spectator, viewer or supporter of the #SuperBowl today in protest of the @NFL’s racist treatment of @Kaepernick7 and its ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of all its players. To watch the game is to compromise my beliefs. It’s not worth it. #ImWithKap,” DuVernay wrote.
DuVernay’s support of Kaepernick isn’t a surprise. The filmmaker is a supporter of many of the same causes he supports and in January, DuVernay served as the host for the annual National Day of Racial Healing event.
“The responsibility of fighting inequality and injustice is all of ours,” DuVernay told Deadline at the time. “But it’s particularly important that those of us with certain visibility and influence use our platforms to urge bold conversations. We can never give up on pushing this nation to live up to its promise.”
In a sense, DuVernay’s tweet and associated boycott of the Super Bowl fits in with that statement. Many on the social media platform replied to her message indicating that they will be joining her in skipping the Super Bowl as they, too, want to show their support for Kaepernick. The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon is also supporting the effort, tweeting his own message of solidarity soon after DuVernay.
Kaepernick, who himself pushed the conversation on race when he began first sitting and then kneeling for the National Anthem during games, currently has a pending lawsuit against the NFL. In the grievance, Kaepernick alleges a conspiracy to by NFL owners colluding to keep him out of the league. The NFL had requested that the case be dismissed, but that requested was rejected by an arbitrator and is expected to go forward to trial.
What do you think about DuVernay’s boycott of the Super Bowl? Sound off in the comments below.
Super Bowl LIII, between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
DuVernay’s New Gods film for DC does not yet have a release date.
