At a practice earlier this month, Kaepernick wore socks that had cartoon pigs wearing police hats on them.
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He told NFL.com’s Steve Wyche that he would not “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”.
Hunter, a Trump supporter, said that while he supports open displays of opposition to Kaepernick’s action, he doesn’t foresee a boycott of 49ers games.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is involved in plenty of plays, but if he were in one written by William Shakespeare, he may say to himself, “To sit, or not to sit, that is the question!”
The juxtaposition of Kaepernick’s protest against racism and the Chargers’ 28th annual Salute to the Military, which is traditionally held during the final home exhibition game, provided a juicy story line. “So before these socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address them immediately”.
Kaepernick said last Sunday he would continue sitting during the playing of the anthem. “Now, I think people are really talking about it”.
“I feel like in a sense he is committing something that is heroic”, another student said of Kaepernick. “I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. That’s insane. Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us”.
Kaepernick wore the socks at least three times in August: once at a practice at San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium and twice at scrimmages, one against the Houston Texans and another against the Denver Broncos. He stood next to Kaepernick during his protest and then hugged him. Meanwhile, in Oakland, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also sat out the anthem before his team’s game against the Raiders.
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Without ceremony, Kaepernick quickly knelt, joined by 49ers safety Eric Reid, just before the anthem began and stayed kneeling through a naval officer’s performance of the song.
