The South African cricketer Quinton de Kock has now issued an apology to his fans and teammates for refusing to take the knee. During South Africa’s second T20 World Cup match against West Indies, Quinton de Kock had made himself unavailable for the game rather than follow an instruction from Cricket South Africa to “take the knee” in a gesture against racism.
On Tuesday, Cricket South Africa’s via their official Twitter handle released a statement from Quinton de Kock, in which he revealed that he was sorry the “hurt, confusion, and anger” he caused. The star batsman further stated that his intentions were not to hurt anyone and that he understands the importance of standing against racism. He also revealed the personal reasons because of which he decided to pull out of the game. He wrote:
“I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home. I never ever wanted to make this a Quinton issue. I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example.”
He added:
“I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, especially the West Indian team themselves. Maybe some people don’t understand that we were just hit with this on Tuesday morning, on the way to a game. I am deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion, and anger that I have caused,”
Further, the South African cricketer also asserted that the Black Lives Matter movement is very close to his heart. He also said that the way things turned out on that particular day was not to his liking which made him take the bold decision. Concluding his statement, Quinton de Kock agreed to take the knee in all the upcoming matches. He wrote:
“For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed-race family. My half-sisters are coloured and my stepmom is Black. For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born. Not just because there was an international movement. 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,”
Here, check out the Tweet:
Quinton de Kock statement ? pic.twitter.com/Vtje9yUCO6
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 28, 2021
Meanwhile, the statement from Quinton de Kock went viral in no time and it was welcomed with mixed reactions from the fans to it.
Here, check out the reactions of Twitterati on this:
This is the problem with democracy this shouldn’t have been an issue it’s a personal choice for him and that’s that. Next thing they will tell players if they don’t support a particular party they must not play. He’s freedom of expression is taken away
— Thabo Kubeka (@kubeka_thabo) October 28, 2021
he’s coming from a mixed-raced family, and his step mom is black, thisbis so “I have black friends” ?
— Zukx (@ZukxDaKid) October 28, 2021
I personally, appreciate this statement. The truth is, nobody will ever truly know why a person will or won’t take a knee, unless the person communicates why. Zaha for example has stated that the action of taking the knee has become an empty gesture. And I agree with him. If…
— Kurt Ellis ?? (@realKurtEllis) October 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/cricanadian/status/1453618719054344193?s=20
An honest and transparent statement. This kind of instruction should not have been ‘last minute’ or an ‘afterthought’. As Quinton said, there was ample opportunity to discuss and debate this ahead of the occasion, so the whole team can buy into it. This is a management issue.
— James AH Campbell ??????? (@JAHC1) October 28, 2021
Im not racist, I have a black step mom.
— Isaac Maliyamungu (@kakaramba101) October 28, 2021
Lesson: No individual is bigger than the national team.
It’s a privilege not entitlement to play for the national team.
At the end, apology accepted.
— KaraboPDube ?????? #FullyVaccinated (@KaraboPDube) October 28, 2021
Shame on you for forcing this on the players without proper consultation first.
“If people can’t control their own emotions, then they have to start trying to control other people’s behavior” – Robin Skinner
— The Kiffness (@TheKiffness) October 28, 2021
