Despite the furore caused by the Milwaukee-born footballer he has vowed to continue his protest, and his teammate Eric Reid joined him in their game versus the San Diego Chargers.
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One other National Football League player, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane sat for the Anthem on Thursday, prior to his team’s game against the Oakland Raiders.
Kaepernick, who led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl but has since been demoted to backup, has said he would not show pride in the flag of a country that oppresses people of colour, citing police brutality.
The 49ers have so far supported Kaepernick and said it is up to the players whether they stand for the national anthem.
Kaepernick has ignited a national debate over his refusal to stand for the anthem in protest over officer-involved police shootings involving minorities.
Of course, there were boos when Kaepernick played Thursday night, but that’s to be expected from those who consider themselves patriotic, even though people in the military are supposedly protecting people’s rights, which include the right to protest.
“And that came off as more respectful to the country, to the anthem, to the military”.
On Thursday, Kaepernick again protested, this time by kneeling during the anthem. “And we were talking to him about, how can we get the message back on track?”
“I think it’s very fearless of him to continue to stand up for what he believes in while also changing his physical position to be respectful to the country”, Reid said.
“He approached me and said, ‘I support what you’re doing”.
“We have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with”, Kaepernick said. “I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from”.
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“The 49ers organisation has taken no action to stop or prevent Mr Kaepernick from continuing to make inaccurate, incorrect and inflammatory statements”, it said after being obtained by NBC Bay Area. “It’s not right that they’re not put in the position to succeed or given those opportunities to succeed”. But this is a responsibility that he feels and a responsibility that I feel as well.
