The 49ers coach on Thursday defended his quarterback, saying the veteran is using his national anthem protest to highlight social injustices and bring attention to an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed.
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In a recent poll, Keapernick was voted the most disliked player in the NFL. However, sales for his jersey have gone up since he started the protest and on Thursday Time magazine tweeted the cover of the October 3 issues showing Kaepernick kneeling like he does during the national anthem.
Kaepernick, who has repeatedly made a decision to not stand for the national anthem over the past month, will be on the cover of the October 3 issue of Time.
Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest has polarized the nation, drawing vocal supporters and critics. To make matters worse, 37% of Caucasians stated that they dislike him “a lot”.
“I think other people are picking up on the protest and speaking out about it, from high school to activists to pro athletes”, Kaepernick said. “It needs to be addressed, it needs to be taken care of”. We all have inalienable rights as a citizen of this country. “And I think that’s what Colin is standing up for”.
Despite Kaepernick’s position at the center of the broadening protest, Kelly said the quarterback hasn’t had problems handling his responsibilities as the backup to starter Blaine Gabbert. “The minute a black guy stands up and says ‘I want to improve something, ‘ we just stonewall it, and I think we can be better than that”.
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That Oct. 3 issue of Time is scheduled to include stories about Kaepernick and other National Football League players who have joined the protest. Hes focused, hes dialed in when were at practice, hes dialed in when were in meetings..
