QB Kaepernick sits in protest during anthem

Kaepernick told NFL Network Reporter Steve Wyche that he refused to stand because he could not “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color”.

“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way”, Kaepernick told NFL Media. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”, he said.

All of the players on both the Eagles and the Colts stood for the national anthem Saturday.

If Colin Kaepernick continues to sit during pregame national anthems, 49ers coach Chip Kelly won’t object.

“The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony”.

“You’ve got to look at the gifts that we have, the opportunity that we have to play a great game is through the men and women that serve our country”, Ryan said before practice on Sunday. “We recognize his right as an individual to choose to participate or not participate in the national anthem”.

Many responses called Kaepernick a n*****r and claimed his adopted white parents negated his rights to discuss racial inequality or oppression.

The biracial signal caller, 28, has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.

He is not the first US -based athlete to use the anthem for protest.

Twenty years ago, the NBA suspended the Denver Nuggets’ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf one game for sitting during the national anthem.

Jenkins, who is active in social issues, said he is similarly a person with conviction.

Meanwhile, Kaepernick emphasized on the principle of his protest effort insisting that he is not anxious about any potential consequences.

You can read the full transcript of Kaepernick’s media session here, and I recommend that you do if you are still struggling to understand the motives behind his protest.

“I think a lot of what is going on in the country is outrageous, but I try to be careful: What are the outcomes I want to see and how do I go about that?” Some said they know he has offended his countrymen.

His agent did not immediately return a request for comment.

“Colin Kaepernick can get the hell out of our country”.

Kaepernick’s statement is about that, and will generate intense criticism because of that, but it’s not about football, or his relationship with the 49ers, or his status as a quarterback about to lose the starting job to Blaine Gabbert. He generated one first down on three drives. Kaepernick said he wouldn’t ask anyone to join him in his protest.

We’ve seen him evolve from a shy rookie to a snippy and at times rude rising star to an aggrieved QB to now.

But he went just 1-for-5 on his other throws, completing a pass for two yards and rushing four times for 18 yards.

Gabbert started and went 2 of 3 for 14 yards and added 15 yards on two runs on his two possessions.

“We haven’t gotten any feedback from any of our players about the situation”, Kelly said Saturday. “We flashed but we weren’t consistent enough in any area whether it was running the football, converting, protecting, catching it”.

– The 49ers debuted what now appears to be their starting offensive line in the game, inserting Joshua Garnett at left guard and Anthony Davis at right guard. Carlos Hyde (concussion), Quinton Dial (knee) and Bruce Ellington (hamstring) left with injuries.