Colin Kaepernick Chose to Remain Seated During the National Anthem -

If you are truly patriotic and American then you have to accept that it’s OK to protest our national anthem, and to do so for whatever reason that you choose. The Anthem is just a symbol — but our constitution is the ultimate law in this country and it gives us free speech and the right to protest.

Colin is bound to become a target of those who take patriotism too damned seriously, and you are going to see a lot of outrageous outrage from conservative media and the “hatriot” crowd, and the Alt Righters will also make this into multiple memes.

I accept Colin’s choice and protest, and I suspect that if this becomes a great big deal then we will see many more black athletes sitting, and some white athletes joining them as well.

Kaepernick’s social media accounts have recently been centered on forwarding discussion on topics like race, religion and politics. He shared pieces by writers who were highly critical of how Ryan Lochte was afforded the benefit of the doubt when many athletes aren’t, and has been engaging discussions about police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement.

On Saturday morning he spoke with NFL.com about his decision.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game against Green Bay. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

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