Sports fans are throwing in their two cents following reports of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick offering to cover the fee of a second independent autopsy for a man whose family is seeking closure over his death.
Lashawn Thompson, an inmate who died in a Fulton County Jail cell last September, is said to have been a victim of inhumane and deplorable conditions. Attorneys for his family claim the 35-year-old was “eaten alive” by insects while a prisoner in said cell.
Thompson’s autopsy did not provide his family with the answers they were after, which is why they are keen on a second one. According to Ben Crump, a family lawyer, Kaepernick has stepped up to pay for a second examination after the initial one was said to be “undetermined.”
“We want to thank Colin Kaepernick for helping this family get to the truth,” Crump was quoted as saying, per CBS. “And as soon as we get the results of that independent autopsy we’re going to come right back here and let people know what happened to him.”
Meanwhile, the quarterback’s gesture has earned him lots of praise online.
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The cost of such autopsies ranges from $20,000-50,000, so it’s one less thing the Thompson family has to worry about as they seek answers.
Kaepernick, now an advocate for civil rights, social justice, and racial equality, launched an initiative last year geared towards helping families get free secondary autopsies.
The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, following his kneeling during the national anthem before games as a form of protest. He filed a grievance against the league and its team owners in 2017, accusing them of colluding to keep him out.
