Former Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson said in an interview with TMZ Sports that he believes the national anthem protests in the NFL are now “politically whitewashed” and have lost their initial meaning, much like the “Ice Bucket Challenge” that became a viral sensation in 2014.

“We’re not kneeling for the same reasons that Kaepernick kneeled for 14 months ago,” Johnson explained. “It’s completely different.”

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