‘I Am Not A Racist’: South Africa’s Quinton De Kock Apologies For Not Taking A Knee
De Kock was the only player in the South African squad who had previously chosen not to make any gesture in support of antiracism
Mumbai: South Africa’s Batter/Wicket Keeper Quinton de Kock has apologised to his fans & teammates for not taking a knee in the match against West Indies and sitting out of the match due to “personal reasons”.
The 28-year-old batter has declared himself available for the rest of the T20 World Cup Tournament, which for South Africa, resumes on Saturday against Sri Lanka.
He released a statement on Thursday Morning via Cricket South Africa.
“I’d like to start by saying sorry to my teammates & the fans back home…For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed-race family. My half-sisters are Colored and my stepmom is Black. For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born,” according to the statement released by Cricket South Africa.
Quinton de Kock’s statement further read, “…I was raised to understand that we all have rights, and they are important…I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told.”
Quinton De Kock also said that it hurts him to be called a racist when he is not. He added that he is not great with words and did not mean to hurt and this is all just a misunderstanding
“I’ve been called a lot of things as a cricketer. Doff [dim]. Stupid. Selfish. Immature. But those didn’t hurt. Being called a racist because of a misunderstanding hurts me deeply. It hurts my family. It hurts my pregnant wife. I am not a racist. In my heart of hearts, I know that. And I think those who know me know that. I know I’m not great with words, but I’ve tried my best to explain how truly sorry I am for making like this is about me.”
De Kock was the only player in the South African squad who had previously chosen not to make any gesture in support of antiracism and said that that was because he “didn’t understand why I had to prove it (his feelings on antiracism) with a gesture when I live and learn and love people from all walks of life every day,” he said.
West Indies players have been taking a knee in support of Black Lives Matter before all their matches ever since the inception of the movement, which was prompted by the murder of an African-American citizen, George Floyd, in the USA.
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