Photo courtesy of Kijuana Nige
This Monday, former offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins Chris Foerster resigned from his position after a video of him snorting white powder was released by Kijuana Nige. The Las Vegas-based model is now speaking out to clarify that her decision to publish the video was rooted in calling out the hypocritical and racist rhetoric surrounding NFL protests against police brutality. Nige wanted to draw attention to the fact that players participating in a legal and peaceful protest often receive more damnation than alleged drug users and abusers."We dated for a little bit over a month," Nige told Broadly when asked about her relationship with Foerster. According to the Miami Herald, the two met last September when the Dolphins were in Oxnard, California. Nige told the publication that Foerster's incriminating video was shot within the past week, and that after he sent it to her, she decided to release it publicly on her Facebook page.For Nige, Foerster is only a small part or symptom of the larger problem. "This isn't just about sports, that's what I keep having to explain to people," she said. "It's not just about Kaepernick. It's about everything in general. There are inequalities in society and people act like it doesn't exist."
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In the now-deleted video post, Foerster is shown saying, "Hey babe, miss you, thinking about you," before snorting lines of what appears to be cocaine with a $20 bill. A source familiar with the Miami Dolphins office confirmed to the Miami Herald that Foerster was in the Dolphins' facility while recording the video. (The Miami Dolphins did not immediately respond to Broadly's request for comment.)In a later Facebook post, Nige defended her decision to publish the video, writing, "The white people mad at me like I forced blow down this mans nose and like I recorded it on tha low … So quick to make excuses for him but will roast a minority player over an anthem, dog fights, weed, domestic issues etc."In an interview with ESPN Radio on Wednesday, Nige said that Foerster sent her threatening messages before she released the video. She confirmed this claim to Broadly, adding, "He thought he could threaten my safety to make me quiet.""He's a millionaire. He can pay someone a good amount of money to do something to me. He thought that if he threatened me, I would be quiet," she said before explaining why she chose to publish the video anyway. "I'm just a little bit different. I think if I'm dying, I'm going to die for something I believe in. I'm going to die to speak my mind."
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When I pointed out that her video was one of many recent unsavory revelations about men in power, Nige simply said, "Any man that has money, that has a life of prestige, seems to believe that [he] can treat people however [he] wants to.""Men in specific positions try to take advantage of the people around them. That's for sure. In light of what has happened, I hope that women realize that we have a voice, too," said Nige.Since releasing the video, Nige says she fears retaliation from Foerster and is concerned about her personal safety. "But growing up as an African-American, or even a minority in society, you never feel safe anyways," she added. "At least now I don't feel safe for a reason, not just because of my skin."