Colin Kaepernick has been the center of controversy for almost a full week, stirring up emotional responses on both sides when he explained why he refused to stand during the national anthem at last Friday’s preseason NFL game. “It would be selfish on my part to look the other way”. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”. Teammate Eric Reid kneeled next to Kaepernick during the Star Spangled Banner on Thursday before the 49ers faced the Chargers.
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Kaepernick has been the subject of much conversation since he sat out the National Anthem during a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
According to Fox5 San Diego, it will be the 28th year that the Chargers host their Salute to the Military Game, which is heavily attended by veterans and armed forces members.
After the director of a national police union ripped Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback issued a statement on Instagram. “Men and women bleed for this”.
As Kaepernick knelt near the 49ers bench, a navy officer sang the anthem while 240 sailors, Marines and soldiers presented a USA flag and emblems from branches of service. But Kaepernick asserts that his expression was an act of freedom of speech, one meant to show solidarity with movements condemning police brutality and supporting civil rights. “Super Flag” and a sailor performed the national anthem, Kaepernick stood, too. “We live in America and you should have respect”, said fan Juan Moreno.
“I think the league is in a downward spiral regarding their obligations to the public under [commissioner] Roger Goodell, and this is just another example of that”, he said.
Then, the head of a national police organization blasted Kaepernick on Thursday for wearing the socks. The fact that he’s starting in this game, a game usually reserved for those who are at best second-string players, could indicate that he’s not that close to reclaiming it.
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“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”, he told the San Jose Mercury News.
