Another man, dressed in a black 49ers shirt, knelt beside Kaepernick. “U-S-A!” after Powell concluded.
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Roethlisberger isn’t the first to oppose Kaepernick’s protest, but thanks to Twitter, the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick was born.
When Kaepernick lined up to begin the game, the booing resumed. One executive from an unnamed team described Kaepernick as a “traitor”.
There were some supporters in the crowd.
Colin Kaepernick is used to being a target on the football field as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers.
When the Chargers’ public-address announcer asked fans to recognize active military personnel during a timeout, the quarterback stood and enthusiastically applauded along with his teammates and the entire stadium.
“When there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent in this country, I’ll stand”, Kaepernick told reporters Sunday.
In Oakland, Seahawks defensive back Jeremy Lane also didn’t stand for the anthem. But there has been no word as to whether it deliberate act of protest.
Amid the uproar of his emerging social activism, Kaepernick is still trying to win a job with the 49ers less than four years after leading them to the Super Bowl.
“I don’t think we’d have a player like him, frankly, I think he’d be booed out or the owners would be forced to not accept someone like him”, he said. “That’s why it’s a sacrifice”. And Huiskamp notes what Kaepernick is doing is not new.
According to USA Today, Kaepernick wore the socks as early as August 10.
Urban Dictionary defines as a pig as the following: A filthy police officer, who thinks they are above the law and whatever they says goes. The only thing is that it wasn’t the first time Kaepernick was on the bench for “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The 49ers’ visit coincided with the annual Salute to the Military preseason game for the Chargers, who have strong fan support in their city’s extensive armed forces community.
At halftime the Chargers recognized six Vietnam War veterans as a remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the war. The team also have wounded warriors as special guests and a patriotic fireworks show to wrap-up intermission. Boyer has been one of the most prominent military veterans to publicly support Kaepernick’s right to protest, though he said he doesn’t necessarily agree with the message it sends. Kaepernick has had an extended layoff while recovering from surgery in November on his non-throwing shoulder. I wonder if I can get odds in Vegas over the next hour that he walks out after the game wearing a Che shirt.
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“[I’m] not really too concerned about that”, Kaepernick said. And others who believe “there is no reason to believe one country deserves the greater moral respect to another place, and it’s just an arbitrary accident of birth that we are in one place rather than another”.
