Colin Kaepernick Talks Protest Support In First One-On-One Interview
Photo of Colin Kaepernick courtesy of ESPN.
In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Colin Kaepernick played his first start of the season on Sunday, but with his recent protests of the national anthem, he had more opposition than the Buffalo Bills.
Outside of the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium, a vendor sold t-shirts with a rifle scope aimed on Kaepernick, calling him a "notorious disgrace to America." Another shirt demanded, "shut up and stand up!"
Kaepernick has made headlines this year for his refusal to stand for the national anthem when it's played before NFL games - a protest, he says, against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.He has also pledged to donate $1 million, and the revenue from his jersey sales, to organizations that fight the issues he is protesting. After keeping him asa backup quarterback during thepreseason and the first five weeks of the season, the San Francisco 49ers promoted the once-star to starter as a replacement for the slumping Blaine Gabbert.
The protests have been divisive: some have praised him as a burgeoning new face of the civil rights movement, while others decry his protest as disrespectful to the military and police.
Along with the t-shirts, akoozie for sale outside the stadium hadthe same "shut up and stand up" catchphrase. And other fans made a makeshift tackling dummy emulating him, screaming "tackle the Muslim" for bystanders. The merchandise obviously wasn't team-sanctioned, but it's inexcusable to have shirts threatening a player. Fans booed and chanted "USA!" as Kaepernick knelt in protest and ran onto the field to play.
Bills fans scream "tackle the Muslim", then a young lady obliges. pic.twitter.com/A1eKcyWT87
Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko) October 16, 2016
For his part, Kaepernick seemed to handle the hostility well. He walked into the stadium wearing a t-shirt that depicted Muhammad Ali and signed autographs for 49ers fans before the game. On the field, he passed for 187 yards on 13 for 29 passes, including a 53-yard touchdownthrow to Torrey Smith. The playwas his first touchdown pass since October 18, 2015.
Still, Kaepernick couldn't make up for the 49ers porous defense, which was crippled by injuries and players retiring in the offseason. The Buffalo Bills won the game, 45-16.
