There were plenty of people who were offended by Kaepernick’s actions, which sparked an outrage and took away from his initial message.
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“The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony”. 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.
The 49ers haven’t direcly addressed Kaepernick’s activism, but did release the following statement after last Friday’s game.
Colin Kaepernick went from sitting alone unnoticed during The Star-Spangled Banner to being noticed, to taking a knee with teammate Eric Reid during the national anthem with all eyes on him, to pledging $1 million to communities in need.
Even Colin Kaepernick’s practice socks are seemingly connected to his protest.
Kaepernick’s status on the team was briefly in question after his anthem protest over racial oppression and police brutality in the United States became public last weekend. Former Green Beret Nate Boyer, a guest of Kaepernick, stood to the quarterback’s left with his right hand over his heart. “That’s what I’ve seen since we’ve been here”. And I get it, his First Amendment right. “That is not the way to do it”.
“The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-military, and that ” s not the case at all”, he said. “He said he appreciated it”. “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed”. Matt Verderame, a member of the Pro Football Writers of American, wrote that he had backed Kaepernick’s right to protest the national anthem, but wearing the cops-as-pigs socks are a “disgrace”.
Kaepernick kneeled next to Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who went to training camp with the Seahawks a year ago as a long snapper.
When the same naval officer performed “God Bless America” before the fourth quarter, Kaepernick remained standing and then applauded along with his teammates. “And it was also a way to try to show more respect to the men and women that fight for this country”.
While negative reaction to the quarterback has been strong, Kaepernick also has been widely praised for his commitment to his stance.
Kaepernick made his stance on cops clear Sunday while explaining his protest.
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Johnson, whose organization represents more than 240,000 active law enforcement officers, called Kaepernick’s decision to wear the socks “disrespectful”.
