Donald Trump Responds to Colin Kaepernick’s Decision to Sit Out National Anthem

49ers head coach Chip Kelly on Tuesday morning again addressed the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand during the National Anthem when he confirmed the quarterback would play later this week.

After swirling trade talks all off-season, he’s battling for the starting quarterback position with Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert has started all three exhibitions thus far, and every regular-season game since replacing Kaepernick at midseason past year.

Kaepernick has sat rather than stand with his 49ers teammates during the national anthem in their exhibition games, and he plans to continue doing so to bring attention to racial injustice and other social concerns.

The plan all along, according to Kelly, was to keep all four quarterbacks on the roster for the Chargers game on September 1. He would not specify exactly how soon after the game – not that night – but it could come a by the end of the weekend.

Kelly said he would like to finalize a decision on the starting quarterback after the preseason finale, with an announcement coming as early as Friday.

When it comes to Kaepernick’s roster plight, Kelly deferred to general manager Trent Baalke’s authority in making the final personnel decisions, albeit with Kelly’s input. The two careers should not be compared, Kelly said.

Thursday’s game will be held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

But Kelly is the 49ers’ first-year coach.

I asked Kelly, is Kaepernick now one of the team’s best two QBs?

And while Kaepernick’s political statement has been the focus of the last several days, Kelly said he doesn’t see it taking away from his preparation. “We haven’t had one discussion about the quarterbacks”.

“What should horrify Americans is not Kaepernick’s choice to remain seated during the national anthem, but that almost 50 years after Ali was banned from boxing for his stance and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s raised fists caused public ostracization and numerous death threats, we still need to call attention to the same racial inequities”, Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the Washington Post on Tuesday.

In fact, after the camera crews left, Kaepernick amiably hung around his locker and chatted informally with several of us, confirming for me that he has been a vegan for nine months and saying he feels great because of it.