In search of justice, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix seeks criminal justice degree
Don’t let the name fool you. Green Bay Packers defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is taking the racial divide that’s cutting through cities across this country as seriously as any player in the NFL. Maybe even more seriously, and that includes backup San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
So seriously, in fact, that Clinton-Dix has re-enrolled at the University of Alabama in pursuit of his degree in criminal justice two years after his early entry in the NFL draft, according to ESPN.com.
“I understand what’s going on in this world,” the Eatonville, Fla., native told ESPN.com’s Jason Wilde this week. “But cops have to go home at the end of the day. They have a family. They have to go home, too.
“Growing up where I’m from, some people are afraid of cops. They don’t really like cops. And what a lot of people don’t realize is, they’re really not the bad guys. They’re really on our side, they’re really trying to help us out. And sometimes, we don’t understand that.”
While Kaepernick’s decision to protest “The Star-Spangled Banner” — a movement joined nationwide by football players from the professional to high school level — has sparked a conversation about race across the country, and he has pledged $1 million plus proceeds from his NFL-leading jersey sales to charities in support of his pursuit of racial justice, he also made divisive comments about police.
A photo posted by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Sep 7, 2016 at 7:22am PDT
“There’s a lot of things that need to change,” Kaepernick told reporters last month. “One specifically is police brutality, there’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. The cops are getting paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.”
Meanwhile, Clinton-Dix returned to school this past January, enrolling in four online classes as his Packers remained in playoff contention, according to ESPN.com. He took an advanced criminal justice course over the summer that required him to partake in training camp by day and study by night in August. Clinton-Dix, who left Alabama after his junior season, set Fall 2017 as his graduation goal.
“I went into criminal justice because I want to learn more about the law, about what’s going on in this world, and be a mentor to kids from where I’m from,” the 23-year-old former first-round pick told ESPN.com. “To [help them] understand that the law isn’t against you, it’s actually for you.
“You have to put yourself in people’s shoes in certain situations because you don’t know what people really think or what they’re really going through. I feel for the cops, I feel for us as a society as a whole, period. I just hope we can find peace and justice and get back to getting better in this world. That’s how it was going. We were getting better. And I just hope it goes back to that way.”
It should be noted Clinton-Dix grew up just outside of Orlando, where an LGBT nightclub was targeted in a hate crime and terrorist attack this past June, so he’s well aware of the other serious issues facing the country’s law enforcement community.
A photo posted by Haha Clinton-Dix (@_ha21) on Jun 12, 2016 at 5:11pm PDT
There are many athletes who have been outspoken about the divide between civilians and police everywhere from New York to California and Wisconsin to Texas, including players from most NFL teams, but few are willing to go as far as Clinton-Dix to bridge the gap. Ha Ha is no laughing matter.
More NFL on Yahoo Sports
