“You can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist”, Kaepernick said.
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“I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed”, Kaepernick said Sunday at his locker. Kaepernick closely follows the Black Lives Matter movement, which began in 2013 to protest violence against black Americans, especially at the hands of law enforcement.
Letting his hair go au natural and sprinting between drills as usual, Kaepernick took the field Sunday with the 49ers as his stance drew chatter across National Football League camps.
“National anthem… It’s a respect thing”.
The Colin Kaepernick story isn’t going to change anytime soon, says the quarterback himself.
Kaepernick acknowledged that some took his gesture as insulting the military but said “that wasn’t my intention at all”.
“I have great respect for the men and women who have fought for this country”, Kaepernick responded. “I have friends, I have family that have gone and fought for this country”. They fight for the people. They fight for liberty and justice. And that’s not happening. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. “It’s something that’s not happening”.
But, when Colin Kaepernick did not stand for the national anthem at the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason game on Friday night, he hit a nerve.
Kaepernick reiterated that on Sunday. He also said one specific thing he’s standing up against is police brutality. There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable.
Kaepernick said he did not advise anyone he was going to protest the anthem, nor is he recruiting teammates to join his protest.
On Sunday afternoon, Kaepernick spent almost 20 minutes addressing reporters for the first time since he was spotted sitting between two Gatorade jugs during the national anthem of Friday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
At halftime of Fox’s telecast of the Houston Texans-Arizona Cardinals preseason game, reporter Jay Glazer said Kaepernick has a “very, very big uphill battle to make this team”, and it has nothing to do with his protest. He instead sat by water coolers on the 49ers bench before making his exhibition-season debut as Blaine Gabbert’s backup.
“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team”, Glazer said (h/t Pro Football Talk). I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of the year. “Now, I think people are really talking about it”.
“There’s a lot of things that need to change”. It’s a respect for your teammates.
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The NFL said in a statement Saturday: “Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem”. Kaepernick said he didn’t plan for his protest to “blow up” the way it did and said he didn’t want to be the focus of discussions. “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change”. I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed.
