After the Niners preseason loss against the visiting Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick said that he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people”.
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Bleacher Report spoke to seven team executives and each person said they would not want the quarterback on his team following the controversy swirling around Kaepernick for not standing for the national anthem.
Kaepernick has received an outpouring of support on social media from veterans using the trending hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick to combat critics speaking on their behalf. In particular, the player was protesting the prejudice he says is rampant in America’s police departments. “To me, this is bigger than football …”
“It’s a touchy subject, but to each his own, I guess”, Garoppolo said Wednesday when asked about Kaepernick’s protest during an appearance on WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan Show. You’ve just got to let him stand by that.
“It’s hard for me, because my brother was a Marine, and he lost a lot of friends over there”, Boone said.
Marcus Newsome, who served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2011, told The Huffington Post he was exhausted of seeing Kaepernick bashed for “exercising his 1st Amendment right”.
The Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition organized the “Stand With Kaepernick” rally at 11 a.m.in front of the police union at 800 Bryant Street.
“I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country”, Kaepernick told the press. The quarterback added that USA military members “fight for freedom, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody”.
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But not all former members of the military see Kaepernick’s protest as disrespectful.
