Colin Kaepernick kneels on cover of ‘Time’ magazine

Check out who is kneeling on the cover of the latest edition of Time magazine.

According to SB Nation, the cover story is written by Sean Gregory, who also interviewed Jim Brown, Devin McCourty and Malcolm Jenkins about Colin Kaepernick’s protest, which has spread around the NFL the past few weeks. The story will hit newsstands October 3.

What is your take on the cover?

Here is Chip Kelly’s take: “You look at what has gone on in Tulsa and Charlotte the last two nights. It’s an issue that’s at the forefront of our country. It needs to be addressed. It needs to be taken care of because what is going on is not right. I think he’s shedding light on a situation that is heinous and it shouldn’t happen in this country. We all have inalienable rights as citizens of this country and they’re being violated. And that is what I think Colin is standing up for.”

This article has 103 Comments

  1. The 49ers should play the hot shot this weekend. Expose him to the largest audience he’s had since the Superbowl and let him show everyone what we all know–that he’s a lousy QB who doesn’t comprehend the intricacies of the game.

    Then everyone can extrapolate that he’s just as much a simpleton on social issues as he is on the field.

    1. I would love to see Kaep play more, and am confident that he will take the league by storm, AGAIN.

      Chip, if he wants to win, should not sheathe his most powerful weapon. Kaep, with this improved O line, will have more than a nanosecond to throw. Ignore the fact that Kaep has made jaw dropping throws, I will not.

  2. Judging a magazine by its cover, I don’t think it’s as powerful as the Ali one where he was pierced by arrows for his rebuke of the United States Army….

  3. Kudos to #7 for getting the message out there……The vast majority of police officers act responsibly in all circumstances. It’s the handful that are either corrupt or inept who are causing 100 percent of the problems. There’s nothing wrong with demanding better from the people on the front lines of law enforcement.

    My take on the cover – Love it! Piss off those right winged deplorable nut jobs even more!

    1. I’d like to take your hand on that. Colin is asking the we discuss better training and that police organizations take responsibility for their actions.

      Colin’s cause isn’t going anywhere until we pay attention to what’s been going going on since the glory of plantation days.

      1. If you are a right-winger you hate Colin……but you believe in the Constitution. This is not covered by the Constitution…..(their thinking only covers what they believe in!)
        Do I support him? Yes, I believe in the Constitution 100%

        1. Careful Don Manas, stereo types aren’t helpful in this situation people are more diverse than their political leanings indicate.

        2. I support him too. And I’m no right-winger. But what he’s doing is *not* constitutionally protected. The team, as a a private entity, would be within their rights to cut him over this. Bad PR, for sure, but still within their rights.

          1. You can be within your rights but still be wrong.

            We’re very fortunate that Jed York is taken the path he is on this issue. I think he’s a horrible owner but on this point, he’s doing the right thing and putting his money and reputation where his mouth is.

          2. “But what he’s doing is *not* constitutionally protected.”

            Sigh. No.

            What he is doing is constitutionally protected with respect to government action. To say categorically that it is “*not* constitutionally protected.” is just as much a misapprehension as claiming that the U.S. Constitution protects what he is doing with respect to non-government action. Both evince a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Constitution is and to what (and to whom) it applies.

            What is more appropriate is to state that an employer is not restricted by the Constitution (as the U.S. Constitution itself does not apply to private actors; it only applies to government actors of the government it constitutes (and the states, through the 14th Amendment)) and can take disciplinary action or terminate an employee for actions that are protected from government intrusion by the Constitution (since, again, it is not enforceable against non-government actors). This is conceptually and legally very different from claiming that the actions in question are “*not* constitutionally protected.”

            1. The point being, were the 49ers to cut him over this (however unlikely) they would not be infringing on his 1st Amendment rights.

    2. Does it make any difference to the “message” that the total number of people killed by cops is 2 to 1 white to black…and of all the black homicides in 2015, 4% of them were by way of police, whereas with the white population 12% of total homicides were the result of police?

      Now I’m not saying that people being killed by police isn’t an issue, because it is and I’ve been saying for years that police are being rushed to service way too quickly, they aren’t being properly trained to handle stressful situations (a result of being rushed to service too quickly, lack of training and psych testing), they have too many power hungry people and do a poor job of deescalating situations lots of times, but this idea that its a war against a certain skin pigmentation of society is being completely overblown and being used as a way to again segregate the population of this country. Its race baiting and causing racial tensions.

      If you want to say that percentage wise based off population that black people are 2.5x more likely to be shot, thats fine…but that comes off as saying that one skin pigmentation is more valuable than another, since again overall numbers show that 2 times as many whites have been shot as blacks. Again, segregation at its finest.

      If Colin really wanted to do something about an epidemic, he should be out there trying to stop the black on black crime. That is a true epidemic, which takes way more black lives than police. Complaining about police shootings/killings when way more black lives are ended by those of their own skin pigmentation is like complaining about a mosquito bite as a rattlesnake is clamped to your ankle.

      1. Your black on black crimes is so beyond stupid it makes no sense. Since 80% of this nation is white, the white on white crimes are also just as much as problem. Stop trying to ask law abiding citizens to protest criminals. The issue and the only issue is that our police are killing unarmed or targeting minorities based on their skin. That’s a government problem. This isn’t a crime problem. Because in this instance, the criminals are wearing badges. That’s unacceptable. You should be just as offended.

          1. And, in 2013, 3005 white people were murdered vs 2491 black people. Of the 3005, 2509 were by white people. Of the 2491 blacks murdered, 2245 were by other blacks. 83% of whites were killed by other whites. 90% of blacks were killed by other blacks.

            The biggest stand out of these stats is total population. Out of ~183,000,000 white people in this country, 2509 were killed by another white person. That is .0000013% of the white population. Of the ~25,000,000 black people 2245 were killed by a black person, that is .00010%.

            If you cant see that black on black murders isn’t an issue, you are blind to the simple math.

            1. Your black on black rant is dumb and code word for “look at me without my white hood on”

              we are talking about law enforcement abuse of power

              1. Typical response from someone who has no true argument. Call you a racist and leave it at that.

                I presented facts, I presented stats, I showed how the greater threat to a black american is another black american, and you say I’m a member of the KKK. Good on you, you’re quite the brilliant mind.

            2. Why did you randomly use numbers from 3 years ago for your argument? You couldn’t find the 2015 numbers? Also, is that 135,000,000 number from 2013 or 2016? I’m not saying you made these numbers up, but I can’t seem to find this information anywhere online. Perhaps you could post a source? Also, your math is incorrect…

              According to a study conducted by The Guardian, last year, Young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015; There were 1,134 deaths of young black males by police officers in 2015.

              Here’s an excerpt from the article:
              “Despite making up only 2% of the total US population, African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 comprised more than 15% of all deaths logged this year by an ongoing investigation into the use of deadly force by police. Their rate of police-involved deaths was five times higher than for white men of the same age.

              Paired with official government mortality data, this new finding indicates that about one in every 65 deaths of a young African American man in the US is a killing by police

              Overall in 2015, black people were killed at twice the rate of white, Hispanic and native Americans. About 25% of the African Americans killed were unarmed, compared with 17% of white people. This disparity has narrowed since the database was first published on 1 June, at which point black people killed were found to be twice as likely to not have a weapon.”

              1. Its all that I could find from the FBIs statistical webpage…they had 2014 and 2015 links but they did not work. Its the best I could do, and I don’t think 2 years would make a huge difference, one way or another. Even if one segment is on the rise or the decline, we are talking percentages of percentages with these amount of numbers.

                That still doesn’t change the fact that white on white murder and black on black murder is almost the same amount, but the total population of each is vastly different (whites being almost 6 to 1).

                As I said below, quick recap, police violence is an issue for everyone, why it had to be made about one race I don’t agree with and it segregates this country when we don’t need it. If Colin wanted to really do something to help the black communities, he should have looked at violence of black v black, which poses a far greater risk to them than anything the police are doing.

      2. eMJay,

        You are doing the same thing a number of others are which is trying to rationalize the problem by comparing it to something else. So many people cannot focus on the issue at hand without bringing other ones into the discussion in an obvious attempt to diminish the importance of what is actually being said. Any percentage of unarmed people getting murdered by Cops is bad, and yes there are many Caucasian victims too, but that isn’t what the protest is about. Kap has been clear and direct on what his views are and some just can’t seem to get it through their heads. Instead we get the straw man arguments, feigned offense to not standing for the anthem and comparisons to other tragedies that have nothing to do with the point trying to be made.

        So many people weighing in on this continue to be outraged while being completely oblivious to what this whole thing is about. They either can’t or won’t focus on the subject at hand. Kap saw a problem with minorities being targeted by Police offers to the point of being murdered. He brought attention to it while also trying to get across that Police training needs to be rethought and ultimately changed. All this other crap that keeps getting brought up is nothing more than an attempt to evade dealing with the problem.

        1. My problem is you have the media and society saying that one life is more valuable than another. That one skin pigmentation is more valuable than another pigmentation. When you have this mindset that there is some epidemic against one select group when this applies to all people, then you are being just as racists as those you claim to be fighting against.

          Again, this is why I said that if Colin really wanted to make a change in society, that he should focus his efforts on black on black crime, murders, etc. The likelihood of a black man (or woman) being killed by another black person is far greater than they being shot or killed by police. You want to bring change, that will pay out much greater.

          Racism will always exist as long as we keep segregating ourselves. If Colin had an issue with police training and violence, he should have spoke up about that…when he threw in “blacks and people of color”, he became just as racists as those he was claiming to be against.

              1. How can his point be wrong and misguided? The police killed more people over the weekend. It seems like he’s correct and quided in the right direction to me.

              2. eMJay,

                In 1991 approximately 7500 black’s were killed by other blacks. The number you gave represents a 67% decrease over 25 years.

                How low does the number have to go before another issue can be discussed?

                No one is saying cops shooting minorities is the only problem, they’re just saying that it is a problem.

                And if you can’t see that there is a difference between a citizen shooting another citizen, and a cop wrongly shooting a citizen, then there’s nothing more to say.

          1. You want him to approach this the way you feel he should. You are criticizing him because there aren’t enough people being affected to attach that level of importance to it. He has to go bigger and include everyone, even though the percentage of minorities affected by this is much higher and they face very different issues than Caucasians do. That is what you’re missing here. He has focused in on one area he is concerned about and is trying to instigate change. You are downplaying it because of the low percentage of people it affects. Your bringing other issues into play achieves nothing. It’s rhetoric and talking with no action. The most dramatic impact he can have is by focusing in on one area and trying to make a difference, and that is exactly what he’s doing.

            1. Again, its segregating this country. We need to stop looking at each other as black, white, brown, yellow, red…and just as Americans. If he has a problem with police, make it a problem with police and how they do their job…because it is just that, its not a racial issue, its not a pigment issue, the only issue is that there are some poorly trained officers out there.

              He made it about skin color, he made it racial and it never needed to be that way. Until we move past segregating ourselves, racism will always exist.

              1. eMJay,

                I don’t disagree with your view here, and it would be great if we can ever get to the point where skin color doesn’t matter anymore, but again Kap has focused on one area in which he sees a problem and is trying to instigate change. I understand you wanting more, but he shouldn’t be criticized for trying to raise awareness on this particular part of the issue imo.

              2. EMJay,

                It would be nice to get to that place, sadly, we’re nowhere close. Not only that, you’re asking the aggrieved group to be the “bigger person” and get over it. I don’t think that’s realistic or fair.

      3. Non-Hispanic whites make up 63 percent of the U.S.; Hispanics, 17 percent; blacks, 12.3 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and multiracial Americans, 2.4 percent. About 353 of the nation’s 3,143 counties, or 11 percent, are now “majority-minority.”Jun 13, 2013

        There are 5.25 Non-Hispanic whites for each self identified black person. If you want to see how many blacks are killed by the police in relation to “whites” then multiply by 5.25.

        1. HT – For 8 years I lived in Charlotte about 2 miles from where Mr. Scott was killed. The population there was 36% white and 47% black – and, aside from my time in the Army, I have not experienced racial harmony anywhere even close. Of course, we all lived together interspersed with that ratio, not like what you experience here in the massively segregated state of California. It is a totally different place from what most who post here believe, and the rioting, looting and property destruction, both public and private are unprecedented.

          1. That gun better show up in the video that the police won’t release, and it better be in the dead man’s had before he was shot.

            Police have been known to drop a gun on occasion when the victim failed to bring his or her own gun.

            1. Couldn’t agree more HT. I was just hoping for a small amount of restraint before everybody got violent. Black police officer, black chief, a place with historically good racial harmony as seen with my own eyes (which is probably hard to deal with for those who have not experienced it). If the people of Charlotte fail here, I’m about ready to give up on the world. Tulsa did the right thing. I honestly don’t know how anyone in Charlotte who is not hopefully biased would believe that they would not.

  4. He’s still a lousey Quarterback…maybe this will get him enough notoriety that some OTHER damn fool might trade for him…Hello Cleveland …?

    1. And you are a lousy speller. If you want Gabbert to start all year, you must want the Niners to get the first pick of the draft.

  5. Do I believe in the Constitution? 100%……Not just what I think is covered! Yes, Colin is correct according to the Constitution……..(right-wingers take note.) Threatening him with death threats shows a false belief in the Rights accorded to him.

        1. The only Santa Clause that should be shot by police is the one who ran over grandma last Christmas Eve. I know she’d been drinking too much egg nog, but that’s no excuse.

  6. “Just know that all white people are f****** devils, all white cops are f******* devils and white people,” said a man identified as Scott’s brother.

    The police officer who shot Scott was African-American.

    He sounds like a reverse polarity Klansman. Clap. Clap. Clap.

    1. Sounds like a man who is emotional and angry over his brother being shot to death. Maybe a little empathy and understanding is in order here.

      1. Maybe his dumb ass should get the facts straight instead of blaming an entire race for something it didn’t do. If a white person said that you would be all over it. It’s a perfect example of flat out racism and incendiary thinking. He’s so emotional and angry that he told the world what he really thinks, despite it being absolutely wrong.

        1. Irrational, angry, racist comments because Kap sat during the anthem vs. irrational, angry, racist comments because his brother was just shot to death.

          Hmmmmm…

          1. The vast majority of peoples complaints about Colin had nothing to do with his race, but to do with him disrespecting the flag of the United States, its military, those who have fought and/or died for this country.

            1. Yep and they all ignored the fact that he stated the protest had nothing to do with any of that. Just a way to be offended and not listen to what is being said.

              1. There are many times we all do things and there are side effects that we didn’t intend. Usually we apologize for offending and hurting someone, if we cared about them, and say that we won’t do that again or find a better way. If he would have come out from the start and said he was sorry he offended people, that he meant no disrespect, that he would find a better way to express his displeasure with his perceived issues, then maybe he wouldn’t have received quite the backlash that he did.

                I’ve said it since the beginning, just because you have the right to do something does not always mean you are right in doing it.

              2. He did that though. He held a locker room Q&A and explained exactly what he was doing and what the intention was. He also listened to those who thought sitting was disrespectful and knelt instead. If someone continues to be offended because they aren’t listening or don’t want to, that’s their problem; not Kaps.

              3. I do not remember him ever saying he was sorry or some sort of apology for that. The best we got was that he didn’t realize it would cause that sort of response.

                I could care less what the man does, to me he’s still a trash qb who rose to fame way too quickly, who got paid because the NFL somehow no longer has a mid-teir qb pay benchmark, and is now a financial liability for this team. He can stand, sit, kneel, sleep, moonwalk for all I care, just please don’t get on that field anymore. Never thought he was any good, saw this in college, nothings changed.

            2. He didn’t need to say he was sorry. He needed to listen and he did. How you feel about him as a QB has nothing to do with this topic. He’s acting as as a concerned citizen of this country, and many want him to shut up and go away because it’s uncomfortable for them.

          2. “Just know that all white people are f****** devils, all white cops are f******* devils and white people,” said a man identified as Scott’s brother.

            Nobody denies racism exists. This is just a clear example of extreme racism and pure hatred towards ALL whites from a black man. Do you think he suddenly started feeling this way immediately after his brother was shot, even though his brother was killed by a black officer? The race card was played before the justice card was even warmed up. The fact that you are making excuses for his comments instead of condemning them is enlightening.

            1. I just feel bad for the man because his brother just got killed, but please, continue to be enraged.

              1. Do you feel bad for the white civilians that are being attacked in Charlotte? Do you feel bad for the two white Stockton girls that were beaten by a group of BLM protesters after having lunch?

                You feel bad for him because his brother was killed, yet you never even mention that his brother was killed by a black officer and that he had a gun in his hand. You feel bad for a man that knowingly blamed an entire race for something they didn’t do and innocent people are paying the price for his actions.

    2. Well it wouldn’t be America if we didn’t rush to judgement without any facts, use social media as our only tool to garner information (mostly from crackpot “news” outlets) and then not acknowledge the truth once it comes. No, that wouldn’t be the new American way.

  7. (peaceful) protest usually takes awhile to
    achieve its goals .. but.. before that happens ..
    a lot of people are incensed at the protesters..

    ..issuing various expletives .. and even death threats ..

    then ..eventually .. the conversation begins .. and .. yes ..
    across party lines …and ..
    when this happens .. the issues which are being protested ..
    begin to be alleviated …

    This is what happened during the Viet Nam War protests..
    “normal people” .. hated the protesters .. saying things like ..

    “How dare they disrespect this country.. our flag .. and
    those fighting for our freedoms ??”
    ..

    These “self-righteous” people .. obviously missed the actual point
    of the protests… due to their own prejudices ..and blindness
    to the facts …never realizing the fact that no disrespect
    was ever displayed …

    Both then and now … the protest movement grows ..

    Love him or hate him … I suspect Kap is in
    this for the long haul

    1. “(peacefull) protest…” Thought we were talking about the situation in Charlotte MW. Setting fire to trucks and shutting down Interstate 85 – some might say is not so peaceful. Might be fair to do some reading up on the looting and damage done to property, both public and private in Charlotte. Ain’t nothing peaceful about breaking into someone’s business and stealing and/or just plain wrecking stuff. The black Police Chief called in the State Highway Patrol and National Guard to help with those peaceful dudes. Setting fires and destroying innocent people’s property is going to really move Kaep’s cause along. (There was talk about moving the Panthers game next Sunday because of the rioting. Guess NFL fans can only take so much peace.)

      1. “… Thought we were talking about the situation in Charlotte MW…”

        No, sir .. WC …

        I was speaking specifically about Kap’s protest …
        and how it pertains to Charlotte and Tulsa ..

        The aftermath of violence is …in no way ..
        can be mistaken for “peaceful protest”

      1. The shootings are one thing; appearing in Time magazine is something completely different Razor. I honestly do not care who appears in any type of magazine.

      1. Any impact that CK had on PEACEFUL means of improving the situation is good and I agree with you completely MW. I have a personal stake in the Charlotte situation because I lived 2 miles from the scene of the shooting and am deeply disturbed that situation escalated to violence and destruction before any facts were brought to light. I’m not aware that it was necessary to resort to rioting in Tulsa to get people to do the right thing and because of all of the friends I have in Charlotte, the majority of which are black, the reaction there troubles me. As a test, I wonder how many of the fans on this board are aware that rioting closed the street where the shooting occurred at the railroad tracks along Hiway 49. Across the street from those tracks is located the University of North Carolina at Charlotte whose teams go by the name 49ers. Two wrongs never make a right.

      2. I am fine with that MWN, but I have no interest in whether someone appears in a magazine or not.

      1. What does that have to do with me not caring aboutKaepernick being on a magazine?

  8. Sports has led the way towards racial progress in America. Think Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington, Earl Lloyd, Ali. They all broke barriers.

    Kaep is changing America, even if his detractors try to ignore him.

    I want to commend Kaep for his bravery. It takes guts to stand tall against the hate. He has joined the hallowed pantheon of brave Americans who stood for justice, and was so threatening to the haters, they assaulted him with death threats.

    I hope to God that he does not become a martyr, so he can continue to fight for justice. I also hope he continues his long career in football.

  9. So my take on this is that the Police are randomly shooting black folk for the sake of killing. In other words these people have not done nothing wrong and they obeyed the police commands and just for kicks the Police shoot them.

    Seeing that for the most part I am a law abiding citizen and the only times I have interaction with the Police is involving my driving habits(seat belt). I do exactly what they tell me to do every time.

    I would like to no how many of these shootings are innocent people who follow the Police commands have done ******absolutely nothing******* criminally wrong and are shot? The truly innocent is where my concern is placed.

    For the lawbreakers you are damn lucky there is police and law and order as if you came across my path breaking the law then you would be screaming for help. Its because I do not want trouble is why you are still able to shed a tear.

    I sure wish you people would take up a cause such as the illegals that have killed hundreds of American citizens. I will not get behind the police shootings protest unless it is a innocent person that obeyed police commands.

    Its simple when the police say stop, you stop, when they tell you to put down your weapon you put down your weapon, when they tell you to get on your belly you get on your belly. If you don’t then its on YOU!!!!

    1. “509 people have been killed by cops so far this year, 484 were male 25 female, 238 white, 123 black, 420 had known weapons, the rest unknown. More then half were mentally ill or on drugs, Almost all had prior criminal records.

      We don’t have a race problem, or a cop problem we have a media problem, a drug problem, a mental illness problem and an entitled welfare state breeding thugs problem.”

      And this is exactly where the problem lies – if you do not recognize the problem you can’t fix the problem. Kaep and many others do not recognize the problem, it goes way beyond his menial protest. I can not respect him for disrespecting his right to disrespect – makes no sense to me and the more this carries on the more disdain I have for him. I don’t like Ali but I respect the hell out of him. Big difference between him and Kaep, Ali a man, Kaep a mere child in a adult body.

  10. The odds of being killed by a cop are greater than being killed by a terror attack. If you’re black your odds go up dramatically!

    1. Umm…Noo….the fact that white homicides by cop attribute to 12% of total white murders(homicides) and black homicides by cops attribute to 4% of total black homicides shows that blacks are more likely to be murdered, 96% of the time, by someone other than a cop, whereas with a white person it is 88% of the time not a police officer. Last I checked, 12% > 4%.

      The real threat to both of these groups, and all people, is going to be someone of their own color, and a normal citizen.

      The greatest threat to all people is a greedy corporate America who are soley after bottom line profits and are destroying the middle class, affordable housing, and employment that provides adequately for you and your family. There will be a revolution if things don’t change, but it won’t be blacks vs cops, or whites vs blacks, itll be the 99% vs the 1%, and if anyone remembers the French Revolution, that didn’t work out so well for the 1%ers.

  11. There is a great article in Sports Illustrated about how Kap was trying to raise awareness on twitter about this for months. No one paid attention.
    Can’t find a link, it’s by Will Leitch.

  12. For the fools who want Collin Kaepernick to start against the Seahawks this is his outstanding numbers lifetime against them 88-of-165 ,961 yards, 3 TD, 9 int, 48 carries, 342 yards, 0 TD , 2 lost fumbles

  13. I guess the five people killed in Washington by a Muslim are not black enough to warrant any attention from Kaep and his loyal following.

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