49ers Colin Kaepernick will continue anthem boycott, speaks out on police brutality, presidential election
Colin Kaepernick adamantly outlined why he won’t be standing for the national anthem: to bring justice to America.
“Ultimately it’s to bring awareness and make people realize what’s really going on in this country,” Kaepernick said Sunday inside the 49ers locker room. “There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust, people aren’t being held accountable for, that’s something that needs to change.
“That’s something, that, this country stands for liberty, freedom, justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now.”
Kaepernick embraced the uproar that’s ensued after it became public Friday night that he didn’t stand for the national anthem and instead sat by water coolers on the 49ers bench.
Kaepernick plans to continue his anthem protest.
“I’ll continue to sit. I’m continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed,” Kaepernick said. “To me this is something that has to change, and when there’s significant change and I feel that that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent and this country is representing people in the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.”
Kaepernick stood before his 49ers teammates Sunday and explained his rationale, which won over at least one skeptical teammate.
“When it came out, honestly I took offense to it,” center Daniel Kilgore said. “But after Kap stated his case and seeing where he’s coming from, I do stand with Kap when he says enough is enough against crime, violence, discrimination and racism.”
Wide receiver Torrey Smith added: “I know he’s taken a lot of heat for it, and he understands when you do something like that, it offends a lot of people. When I think of the national anthem, I think of the soldiers that have died for our rights, and a right that he exercised.”
Kaepernick said he did not advise anyone he was going to protest the anthem, and, although no teammate has said they’ll follow his lead, he said he has received widespread support from not only the 49ers organization but those outside the sports realm.
Kaepernick passionately spoke for 18 minutes to about 30 reporters swarming around his locker. One player eaves dropped behind the media scrum: running back Shaun Draughn, who said: “He stood for what he believes in. You’ve got to respect it.”
Kaepernick clearly has fallen behind Blaine Gabbert to reclaim the starting quarterback job, but not because of his off-field actions or words. A sore throwing shoulder kept Kaepernick out of the first two exhibitions, and he only played 12 snaps in Friday’s exhibition loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Gabbert’s take on Kaepernick: “The beautiful thing about this country is everyone is afforded the right to their own opinion. That’s his opinion.”
With the exhibition season closing Thursday at San Diego, coach Chip Kelly has not announced who’ll be his starting quarterback for the Sept. 12 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick is not fearing a potential release over his activism.
“But if I do, I know I did what’s right and I can live with that at the end of the day,” Kaepernick said.
Kaepernick insisted his stance is not to bring attention to himself but the plight of “oppressed” people.
“There’s a lot of things that need to change,” Kaepernick said. “One, specifically, is police brutality. There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable.
“Cops are getting paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.”
Smith, the 49ers’ most veteran wide receiver, added: “We have real issues in society that need to be addressed. That was his way of standing up for it. Whether I agree with what he did or not, that’s not something I would do, but he did it.”
Kaepernick also weighed in on the U.S. presidential race and how it mirrors society’s problems.
“The two presidential candidates we have represent the issues we have now,” Kaepernick said. “You have Hillary (Clinton) who’s called black kids, black teens ‘super predators.’ You have Trump who’s openly racist.”
Kaepernick said he’s speaking out — and boycotting the anthem — only after gaining more knowledge of the country’s issues. Added Kaepernick: “These aren’t new situations, this isn’t new ground. It’s things that have gone on in this country for years and years and have never been addressed, and need to be.”
Kaepernick insisted that he means no disrespect toward the U.S. military, with whom many teammates say they think of when the American flag is unfurled before games.
“I have great respect for our men and women that fought for this country,” Kaepernick said. “I have family, I have friends that have fought for this country. And they fight for freedom. They fight for liberty and justice, for everyone.
“And that’s not happening. I mean, people are dying in vain because this country is not holding its end of the bargain up as far as giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody.
“It’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos, I’ve seen circumstances, where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for. On our land. That’s not right.”
Several teammates said they had no idea Kaepernick wasn’t standing for the anthem and didn’t learn about it until NFL Media first reported it after Friday’s game.
“We know Colin. We support Colin,” linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing because he voiced his opinion on such a strong topic. But we can’t allow this to divide our team.”
