Kaepernick on America: “It’s really hard to lock down one specific thing that needs to change currently.”

 

SANTA CLARA — Here’s the transcript of Colin Kaepernick’s Sunday press conference.

Q: What are you trying to accomplish by not standing for the national anthem?
KAEPERNICK:
Ultimately it’s to bring awareness and make people realize what is really going on in this country. There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust and people aren’t being held accountable for. That’s something that needs to change. Our country stands for freedom, liberty, justice for all, and it’s not happening for all right now.

Q: How has this progressed that you’ve made a stand like this?
KAEPERNICK:
It’s something that I’ve seen, I’ve felt. Wasn’t quite sure how to deal with originally. And it is something that has evolved. It’s something that as I’ve gained more knowledge about what is going on in this country in the past and what is going on currently – these aren’t new situations. This isn’t new ground These are things that have gone on in this country for years and years and have never been addressed, and they need to be.

 Q: Will you continue to sit?
KAEPERNICK:
Yes. I’ll continue to sit. I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change, and when there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.

Q: Specifically what would you like to see changed?
KAEPERNICK:  T
here’s a lot of things that need to change. One specifically is police brutality. There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. Cops are being given paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.

Q: So many people see the flag as the symbol of the military. How do you view it and what do you say to those people?
KAEPERNICK:
I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country, and they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. And that’s not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody. It’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos, I’ve seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought have for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That’s not right.

Q: Have you personally felt oppressed?
KAEPERNICK:
There have been situations where I feel like I’ve been ill-treated, yes. But this stand wasn’t for me. This stand wasn’t because I feel like I’m being put down in any kind of way. This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard and effect change. So I’m in the position where I can do that and I’m going to do that for people that can’t.

Q: Is this the first year that didn’t stand during the anthem?
KAEPERNICK:  
This year’s the first year that I’ve done this.

Q: All preseason games so far?
KAEPERNICK:
Yes.

Q: How did your teammates respond when you explained yourself?
KAEPERNICK:
The support I’ve gotten from my teammates has been great. I think a lot of my teammates come from areas where this might be the situation. Their families might be put in this situation. It’s something that I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘I really respect you for what you’re doing and what you’re standing for.’ So, to me that’s something that I know what I’m doing was right and I know other people see what I’m doing is right. It’s something that we have to come together, we have to unite, we have to unify and make a change.

Q: What do you say to people who say you’re doing the right thing but you’re going about it the wrong way?
KAEPERNICK: I don’t understand how it’s the wrong way. To me, this is a freedom that we’re allowed in this country. And going back to the military thing, it’s a freedom that men and women that have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by the contributions they have made. So, I don’t see it as going about it the wrong way. This is something that has to be said. It has to be brought to the forefront of everyone’s attention and, when that’s done, I think people can realize what the situation and then really effect change.

Q: You’ve done it every preseason. Were you relieved that this became public so your voice could be hear?
KAEPERNICK: It wasn’t something that I really planned as far as it blowing up. It was something that I personally decided I just can’t stand for what this represents right now. It’s not right. And the fact that it has blown up like this, I think it’s a good thing. It brings awareness. Everybody knows what’s going on and this sheds more light on it. Now I think people are really talking about it, having conversations about how to make change and what’s really going on this country. And we can move forward.

Q: Are you concerned that this can be seen as a blanket indictment against law enforcement in general?
KAEPERNICK: As far as what? I don’t really understand what you’re trying to get at.

 Q: You said people are being murdered by police. Do you think that could be seen as an indictment against police?
KAEPERNICK: There is police brutality. People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it, and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So, that’s something that this country has to change. There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable, make those standards higher. You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist. That’s insane. Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and more training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us.

Q: Do you plan to do things beyond sitting during the national anthem, as far as activism?
KAEPERNICK: Yeah, most definitely. There are things that I have in the works right now that I’m working on to put together in the future and have come to fruition soon. Those are things that I’ll talk about as we get closer to those days.

Q: Any concern about the timing of this and the possibility if it being a distraction?
KAEPERNICK: No. I don’t see it as a distraction. I think it’s something that can unify this team. It’s something that can unify this country. If we have these real conversations that are uncomfortable for a lot of people, if we have these conversations there’s a better understanding of where both sides are coming from. And if we reach common ground and can understand what everybody’s going through, we can really effect change and make sure that everyone is treated equally and has the same freedom.

Q: Has anyone from the league or the team asked you to tone it down? It doesn’t seem as if anyone if trying to quiet you.
KAEPERNICK: No. No one has tried to quiet me and, to be honest, it’s not something I’m going to be quiet about. I’m going to speak the truth when I’m asked about it. This isn’t for look. This isn’t for publicity or anything like that. This is for people that don’t have the voice, and this is for people that are being oppressed and need to have equal opportunities to be successful, to provide for families and not live in poor circumstances.

Q: In your mind have you been pulled over unjustly or had a bad experience?
KAEPERNICK: Yes, multiple times. I’ve had times where one of my roommates was moving out of a house in college and, because we were the only black people in that neighborhood, the cops got called and we had guns drawn on us. Came in the house without knocking, guns drawn on my teammates and roommates. So, I have experienced this. People close to me have experienced this. This isn’t something that’s a one-off case here or a one-off case there. This has become habitual. This has become a habit. So it’s something that needs to be addressed.

Q: You’re the only player in the NFL taking this stand. Why do you think you’re the only one doing this?
KAEPERNICK: I think there’s a lot of consequences that come along with this. There’s a lot of people that don’t want to have this conversation. They’re scared they might lose their job or they might not get the endorsements, they might not to be treated the same way. Those are things I’m prepared to handle, and those are things that other people might not be ready for. It’s just a matter of where you’re at in your life, where your mind is at. At this point I’ve been blessed to be able to get this far and have the privilege of being able to be in the NFL, making the kind of money I make and enjoy luxuries like that. But I can’t look in the mirror and see people dying on the street that should have the same opportunities that I‘ve had and say ‘You know what? I can live with myself.’ Because I can’t if I just watch.

Q: Do you think you might get cut over this?
KAEPERNICK: I don’t know. But if I do, I know I did what’s right. And I can live with that at the end of the day.

Q: Does this have reflect your relationship with the 49ers or the NFL?
KAEPERNICK: No. This is about the way people have been treated by this country.

Q: How long did you talk to the team?
KAEPERNICK: It was a conversation and they asked me to talk and just explain why I did what I did and why I felt the way I felt. I had an open conversation with them. I told them why I felt that way and why I looked at things the way I do. And a lot of it has to do with the history of the country and where we’re currently at. And I opened it up to all my teammates. Come talk to me if you have any questions. If you want to understand what I’m thinking further, come talk to me. This isn’t something that should be hidden and shouldn’t be talked about. It happened and I think it’s something that can bring everybody closer.

Q: Were there people that voiced disagreement?
KAEPERNICK: There were people that said, ‘I want to understand further, let’s talk.’ So, I’ve had those conversations and will continue to have them with my teammates. It’s something that – the knowledge of what’s happened in this country and what’s currently happening, it’s something that I think everybody needs to know. And when you have the knowledge of those things you can make an educated decision on what you really feel and what you really stand for.

Q: Have people outside sports world reached out to say they support you?
KAEPERNICK: I’ve had a few people reach out. Quite a few, actually. Saying, ‘We really support you. We’re proud of you for taking a stand. We respect what you’re doing. We know a lot is coming to come with it, but we’re behind you.’ And that means a lot. That means I’m not the only one who feels this way and I’m not the only one who sees things this way.

Q: Is the team talking about this or the Super Bowl?
KAEPERNICK: No, we’re focused on football while we’re in meetings, while we’re on the field. That’s what our focus is. But in our free time, we have conversations about this. And that’s not something that we should be ashamed about or shy away from. We talk about football, we handle our business there but there’s also a social responsibility that we have to be educated on these things and talk about these things.

Q: Would you consider forming an alliance and getting teammates to join?
KAEPERNICK: This isn’t something I’m going to ask other people to put their necks out for what I’m doing. If they agree with me and feel strongly about it, then by all means I hope they stand with me. But I’m not going to go and try to recruit people like, ‘Hey, come do this with me,’ because I know the consequences that come with that and they need to make that decision for themselves.

Q: Did you reach out to anyone for council before this?
KAEPERNICK: This is a conversation I’ve had with a lot of people a lot of times over a long period of time so it wasn’t something that I planned on having a conversation about at a particular time. It just so happened it was the other night that people realized it and talked about it.

Q: Do you have any concern that the focus is on you and not the issues?
KAEPERNICK: I do think that the talk has been more about me, more about… I know a lot of people’s initial reactions thought it was bashing the military, which it wasn’t. That wasn’t my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues

Q: Since you’ve done this, do you know of any other players who feel the same but are not ready to step forward publicly?
KAEPERNICK: Yeah. I know there’s other players that feel the same way. I’ve had other players reach out to me. Once again, it’s not something I’m going to ask them to put their necks out. I know the consequences that come along with my decision, and if they feel strongly and want to stand with me, then I hope they do. If it’s something they’re not ready for, that’s what the conversations are for and they can make that decision when they’re ready or if they’re ready.

Q: Do you feel you’ll be safe in some of the road cities? Will you take precautions?
KAEPERNICK: Not really too concerned about that. At the end of the day if something happens, that’s only proving my point.

Q: Have you consulted with Dr. Harry Edwards?
KAEPERNICK: Once again, it wasn’t something I consulted anybody on. It was a conversation I had when someone asked me about it. Dr. Edwards is a good friend, he’s someone I talk to a lot and run things by and have a lot of conversations with, and we have a lot of similar views.

Q: The fact that this is an election year have anything to do with timing of this?
KAEPERNICK: Once again, it wasn’t a timing thing, it wasn’t something that was planned. But I think the two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the issues that we have in this country right now.

Q: Do you want to expand on that?
KAEPERNICK: You have Hillary who has called black teens or black kids ‘super predators.’ You have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me, because if that was any other person you’d be in prison. So, what is this country really standing for?

Q: It is a country that has elected a black president twice. Can you see people that say, ‘Why the outrage?’
KAEPERNICK: It has elected a black president, but there are also a lot of things that haven’t changed. There are a lot of issues that still haven’t been addressed and that’s something over an eight-year term there’s a lot of those things are hard to change and there’s a lot of those things that he doesn’t necessarily have complete control over.

Q: What would be a success for you on this in the short term?
KAEPERNICK: That’s a tough question because there’s a lot of things that need to change and a lot of different issues that need to be addressed. That’s something that

 

This article has 391 Comments

  1. He should be more concerned about “people of color” killing each other. I have been a niner fan for 50 plus years and a kap fan since his college days but I am done with him and the 49ers. kap should spend some of his millions on the problem and shut his mouth.

    1. And “people of color” who kill get convicted and sentenced. Since when does “black on black crime” justify the murders of blacks by police. 85% of whites who are murdered are killed by other whites so do u see anyone saying….”no need to protect citizens from terrorists or mass murderes, as long as whites are killing eachother”? Think about what you’re saying because u make no sense.

      1. People who are offended by the fact that he made this protest have a complete lack of understanding of (or are willfully ignorant of) the principles under which this country was founded. When a person utilizes their given rights to freedom of speech to express themselves, it honors this country and it honors those whom have put their lives on the line for it. People have died –and continue to die–to preserve these rights, both on battlefields abroad and here in our own country. Amazingly, people forget that less than 50 years ago there were Americans dying for the most basic rights that many other Americans took for granted right here. To allow oneself to let your own limited experience and awareness of how other people experience life here is simple ignorance. Things are not equal for all Americans–that is fact. It isn’t disrespectful to draw attention to this reality–it is patriotic, because we all should love our country enough to want it to actually live up to the ideals upon which it was built.

        1. AJ, you’re a little confused about the first amendment. The principles of this country allow Kap to say whatever he wants to (with a few exceptions) without fear of being arrested. It does not guarantee him that people will accept what he says, or that he will be protected from the consequences of his stand. The principles of this country do not prevent me and others from thinking that he’s a shallow, silly man who thinks he can be noticed and be relevant by making a dumb vague protest which doesn’t accomplish a damn thing. He says it was to bring awareness? Like the media haven’t covered extensively every shooting of a black man by police (though not every white man shot by police)? I can’t help but think that the kid is confused and depressed that his career may be over and he’s about to exit the spotlight and wanted to make himself feel important again.

      2. That’s just the talking points of Fox News and a lot of Conservatives. I like how you threw his own words back on him, Pammie P.

      3. The point is that the number of black people killed by police is miniscule compared with the number of black people killed by other black people. Dwayne Wade’s cousin a couple of days ago, for instance. The only reason we heard about that shooting was that it was a relative of Dwayne Wade’s. But we hear about every cop shooting of a black person. We get a completely distorted view of reality because of the differential in media coverage.

        I agree that a lot of cops are trigger happy. Most of the time they are indeed afraid for their lives, and sometimes they overreact. Not a job I’d want. The statistics say that cops kill more white people than black. Compared to their numbers, black people are more likely to be killed by cops, but young black men in the inner cities are involved in more crime, for whatever reason, so they have more confrontations with the police, and probably are less likely to go quietly.

        As I said, a lot of cops are too quick to shoot, regardless of race. I’m sure there’s some racism involved, but I don’t think that’s a huge factor. It’s mostly that there are more confrontations per capita of cop vs black man.

        What’s frustrating to some of us is that there are all these protests against cops killing black men and none against the much more significant problem of black people killing each other.

    2. Ditto including the 50 plus years. We gave this guy every chance and he has spit in our faces. His performance as a football player on the field will determine his fate. And it doesn’t look good at this point. Think about it. You’re another team looking for a quarterback. The 49ers have one that is barely competent, is all about himself and refuses to stand during the playing of the National Anthem. You want this guy? Don’t even pretend.

  2. I hope Chip looks him in the eye and says- Kaep you have the right to sit as a common citizen, but if you put on a 49er uniform, you are representing the 49ers, and this action brings dishonor to the 49ers, the flag, and all that it represents. If you persist in your actions, the Niners will not prevent you, but we will prevent you from wearing the uniform and sitting, because millions of Americans love the flag, and thousands have died and sacrificed to protect your freedom to dissent. If you protest, it will not be in a 49er uniform. It is your choice.

    1. Dishonor?

      He has every right to say what he said, and do what he did.

      If #7 should ever swallow a fly, he’d likely have more brains in his stomach than in his head.

      If he truly cares…….He needs to support low income communities and their local police and local governments, in order for the racial injustice be avoided.

      Instead of protesting the flag and pouting, maybe do something positive for the low income communities. Help with their education, their housing issues. Employment. Support political candidates who want change in law enforcement policies.

      We all have a duty to help each other in need. That’s what America is all about.

      I do not respect fans who demand that the players on their favourite team keep quiet about their convictions.

  3. Good for you kap… Stand up for what YOU believe in. Nobody can tell you how to believe or what to believe. If you feel an inequality and want to protest, do you. I dont have to agree with you, but i respect the fact that you can take a stand.

  4. The only part of society that is all riled up and angry are non colored folks #gofigurethat1 #racistreactions #flagrepresentsacountry

    1. Speak for yourself. I am not white, want justice, but feel that Kaep is wrong to insult millions

      1. Seb:

        Millions? Ever read Imagined Communities by Anderson? Great book…loved it in grad school. You should read it.

        I am one of the vets you think CK insulted by not standing up for the Flag/Anthem, and I don’t feel he insulted me. As a matter of fact, it is about freaking time spoiled athletes stood for something worth while.

        1. There are 318 million people in the USA. You are one person who does not mind. Disrespecting the flag, demagoguing the controversy, Grandstanding and insulting millions who stand before every game to honor the flag is counter productive.

          Notice that he will not insist that everyone else on the Niners sit down before the National anthem, because he knows they will fear the repercussions or vehemently disagree. He will get paid no matter what, so he is not afraid of losing any money, and is just sticking his thumb in the FO’s eye.

          I guess you think that 318 million people hate their country as much as he does. Personally, I decry the deaths, but think that he needs to work in other, better, more productive ways to effect change.

          1. Seb you goof ball, for months we heard you speak nothing but unicorns and rainbows about CK and now you cant shut up abiut this protest.
            Why cant you just zip your pie hole for once and for all? You are the most annoying person ever to be on this blog.

            1. Prime, a storm did come, but it was not in the way I expected it to be.

              Why dont you threaten to leave again? That was amusing.

          2. ime with chess.Kap has the right to protest peacefully any way he wants thats why we live in a free society

            1. Fine, he can protest, but do not whine about the repercussions. Ali went to prison, Kaep is safely grandstanding.

              1. Is Colin whining about the repercussions? Who’s whining about the repercussions Seb?

                Personally, I feel like Colin is bringing attention to an important issue. And I can appreciate that.

                HOWEVER, I think there are better ways to make his point, and unfortunately, a lot of the substance within his message get’s lost in the storm of controversy that has ensued.

                It also took a lot of the attention away from his teammates, at the very time when they are trying to garner attention and earn a job.

                HOWEVER, I don’t think Colin intended for his protest to be the distraction it has become.

    2. Yeah, all those white people looting, rioting, shooting cops and burning down their local businesses and gas stations! What WILL we EVER do? LOL! Last I checked, the safest areas in America weren’t filled with people of color, bro.

      Meanwhile in Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and other war zones – it’s business as usual. But to call any of those turd world cities “riled up” and “angry” would be putting it lightly, eh?

      When 4% of the U.S. population (black adult males) are responsible for over 50% of violent crime/rape/murder in America, it’s simply adorable that we should be concerned about some angry non colored folks.

      Deflect much?

      Blame much?

      You AREN’T children, no matter what your leaders want you to believe. We can’t be your nannies forever. But maybe we have to. 400 years ago, all it would have took was a, “no thanks, not worth the trouble – sell your own people to somebody else” and there’d be no African-Americans. Take a peek at places like Ethiopia or Somalia if you’d like to see African civilization and accomplishments at its finest. Living in huts and their own feces. I.E. AIDSLand.

      #FactsMatter #StopShootingEveryone #NoAccountability #CultureOfViolence #BlameWhiteyForEverything #FathersDayInChiraq

      1. Rev…. What is your point? Are you saying that black people are inferior to white people? Your attempt to simplify current race relations with simple statistics is mind boggling. Racism is inherent in our system. I can’t even begin to cover it all, but I’ll try to do a relatively brief synopsis. Once the slaves were freed, do you think that the problem was solved? Former slaves became sharecroppers and were still pretty much owned and controlled by white people. Free people in name only. Those in the south had to live under Jim Crow laws and apartheid. Lynchings and the killing of black people were common, with no consequences to the murderers. Over the course of time, many “freed” slaves migrated to urban centers in the north but still suffered from discrimination in jobs and housing, among many other things. The fact that the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1965 should tell you something. Even that important piece of legislation did not magically solve the problem. Drug laws were passed in the 1990’s that were also discriminatory to blacks. (Much harsher sentences for crack cocaine than cocaine and heroin, because, guess why? Black drug users were poorer than your average drug user and crack was much cheaper.) Only now, decades later is the justice system trying to alleviate that inequity. The legal system is slanted against people of color. It’s inherent. When you add this to rampant poverty and unemployment, yes you will have a much higher percentage of prisoners of color. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rates among all developed countries, yet crime rates have been steadily decreasing. Jails have been increasingly privatized and have become very profitable. Please Google “school to prison pipeline” if you are unaware of that term. I am not even going to get into the profiling and harassment that people of color live with on a daily basis. You seem to think that we live in a vacuum, where there is no discrimination or racism in this country. There are a lot of factors that have had an effect on our current situation. I’m only scratching the surface.

        By the way, Africa was raped by colonialism for centuries. There are some countries that have emerged and some, like the ones you mentioned, not so much. There is always a cause and effect. I could go on and on, (actually, I did!) but hopefully, I have made my point.

      2. >>When 4% of the U.S. population (black adult males) are responsible for over 50% of violent crime/rape/murder in America, it’s simply adorable that we should be concerned about some angry non colored folks.

        Wtf kind of racist does one have to be to put forth that streaming pile of bulls*?

      3. Rev,

        you are an embarrassment, and you are the type of person who gives white’s in this country a bad name.

        Somewhere a long your lonely road you got stuck in a time warp. I will hope for our countries sake, that you find your way into the 21st century some day.

        1. You have every right to be offended at Colin’s protest, however, this post of yours is beneath those of us who frequent this blog.

  5. Colin is just flat out ignorant on this topic. He disparages our entire country and every single one of the 540,000 police officers in this country by refusing to be respectful while the National Anthem is played. In addition to disrespecting the USA, Colin doubled down on his ignorance by saying police officers are murderers and get paid leave when they murder someone. Over 50,000 police officers are assaulted on the job every year. About 50 police officers are killed in the line of duty every year. Police officers risk everything to protect the public on a daily basis. Sure there are a very small percentage of police officers who are bad people. Disrespecting every single one of the 540k men and women who serve and protect as a protest against the very few bad officers makes zero sense. Instead of becoming a huge distraction to his teammates, coaches, and 49er organization Colin Kaepernick should donate a large sum of money to the widows and orphans of the 5 police officers killed in Dallas as they were protecting BLM protesters:
    Lorne Ahrens
    Michael Krol
    Michael J. Smith
    Brent Thompson
    Patrick Zamarripa

    I’m done with Colin Kaepernick. I’ve been a fan of this team since the early 70’s. I will have a tough time continuing to root for this team if he is a member of it.

    1. Not sure what time-zone you are but in 2016 I believe we already used up the ” very few bad cops” talking points…..

      and give the disrespecting good cops a rest, you sound dumber than #7

      Most Americans know there is an issue with how we recruit and train law enforcement.

      Less than 2 months ago the Justice Department issued a scathing review of the Baltimore Police Department, detailing years of racial discrimination in its law enforcement practices.

      you can imagine what it must be like in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, etc….

      1. LOL.

        Not sure what time zone you’re in you’re dredging up the “all cops are bad” talking point sound like you have an issue with following the law, something many of us don’t have an issue with. You’re definitely not going to win over any law-abiding citizens. Time to expand your view outside a narrow and dishonest agenda.

        Blacklivesmatter is based entirely on lies. They’re a hate group doing everything they can to keep blacks addicted to race-hustling and living on the government plantation. “Hands up, don’t shoot” was a lie. Alton Sterling wasn’t executed by police simply for selling CDs.

        There’s a major cultural issue in many black communities and BLM is doing nothing about it. We’re watching the next generation of welfare recipients prepare for a life of blame, dependency and bitterness and they don’t have a single leader willing to step out and empower their community.

        Instead we have a divisive failure of a QB that has been a constant source of distraction and disappointment pouting like a child on the bench.

        The symbolism of the black community it shows is hard to ignore.

        “I could have worked hard. I could have succeeded.
        I could have inspired others to be accountable, dedicated and take my life/career to the next level. Nope. I’m going to underperform, pout, play victim and blame the failures of my culture on cops.”

        There is going to be a HUGE group of angry black millennials that may never work or join society thanks to this attitude. So many cultures are using this era to work/study hard, raise their families and pass them by. Should be interesting to see where this all ends up.

        I think war zones like Detroit are only going to get worse, law-abiding whites/Asians/POCs are going to create more gated communities to separate themselves from the criminal element. The only interesting thing is going to see how the country evolves and cities change as blacks destroy them.

        The richest of the rich aren’t going to let those opportunities to grab cheap real estate pass them by! Gonna be a great way to continuously create cheap property for new neighborhoods…

          1. oneniner, this guy Rev clearly has an agenda.

            No matter how anyone feels about Colin’s protest, the ignorance Rev is spewing doesn’t even belong as part of the conversation.

            I don’t agree with the way Colin went about his protest even though I think the issue he is bringing awareness to is a real issue that needs confronting.

            But this guy Rev has taken this conversation to a very ignorant, dark place and the best thing we can do at this point is simply ignore his ignorance.

      2. And the DOJ recognized Baltimore as a model police department for it’s implementation of the Community Oriented Police Services program just last year. This latest DOJ report was for the sole purpose of giving Ignorant blowhards something to throw out without having the slightest clue whats actually in the report. Congratulations. If there is a racial bias in policing in Baltimore then why is over 60% of the police force minorities? Why is the mayor, and police chief black? 11 of the 15 city councilman in Baltimore are black. The majority of the leadership positions in the police department are filled by minorities.

        The issues with police in Baltimore are much more complex than race. Baltimore is a very dangerous city if you haven’t been lately. Claiming the problems are due to racial discrimination when the majority of the police force are minorities is absurd on it’s face.

        1. Typical dismissal of fact……read the report you sound like an ignorant blowhards

          we can’t have a constructive discussion about this problem if you are suggesting there isn’t a problem with how law enforcement services are applied to certain groups of the population

          1. I did read the report. I also read the report on Ferguson. The absurdity of both reports must have been lost on you. DOJ found fault with the Baltimore PD for actually chasing subjects on foot that ran from them. They criticized BPD for arresting a man who refused to leave the front of a store he was asked to leave and then cursing out cops when they asked him to leave. They literally criticized the BPD for enforcing the law even though DOJ recognized the people they arrested did break the law. DOJ called their practices a zero tolerance policy. How dare they enforce the law. The DOJ reports are political ploys by the most dishonest and politically driven DOJ in the history of our country.

            I refuse to support a man who’s net worth will be pushing $75M as he complains about oppression in America in a stadium where the public has taken out $950M in construction loans so people of all colors can worship him. I refuse to support a man who says he is doing the right thing by disrespecting our country. What are all his teammates doing when they stand – the wrong thing? I refuse to support a man so selfish that he created a huge distraction that will impact every single person in the organization.

            1. Houston,
              I’m curious, would you support any man who took this stand or is it just CK?

              1. Been a huge CK supporter from day 1. I’ve been critical of some technical aspects of his play but I loved him as a player. Also loved the work he’s done with children’s charities and I love his success story with his adoptive parents and his focus on his education. Pretty much loved everything about the guy until he revealed himself as unpatriotic to a country that has given him so much opportunity. I agree 100% with Lowell Cohn’s article on this subject. This entire thing feels like a staged event designed to get attention for Colin Kaepernick. There are so many ways CK could have gone about this that wasn’t disrespectful to our country. He could have written BLM on his shoes or worn a black band with BLM on it. I wouldn’t have a problem with that in the least. He’d be fined for it but at least he could get the same message across without disrespecting our entire country or every person who puts on a uniform to protect us. I also think about the impact to the organization. The entire team is now in meetings that have nothing to do with football and the organization is in a media firestorm because of the way he did this. It’s completely selfish on CK’s part to make himself the center of attention. Everything about his refusal to stand is nauseating to me.

            2. Yah, it’s one big conspiracy Houston, right along side the conspiracy that is the climate change hoax! lol

              Houston is using the time tested tradition of blaming the messenger when you don’t like the message. It’s the oldest trick in the book Houston, and I highly doubt you’re fooling as many people as you might think you are!

              1. Conspiracy? WTH r u talking about? Colin really did sit during the National Anthem. Colin really did call police officers murderers. Colin really did say cosmetologists are better trained than police officers. There’s no conspiracy here. All of it is on film. I have huge problems with people disrespecting a country that is FULL of opportunities for everyone. His opinion is based on absolute ignorance and lies but my problem isn’t Colin’s idiot opinion. My problem is his disrespect for America and for the distraction he made to the team in his effort to make himself the center of attention. You’re an imbecile. Go away.

              2. I’m talking about your post above that Houston. The post where you imply we don’t have a problem with systemic racial bias and a problem with police brutality towards African Americans. That it’s not a problem, rather it’s simply a political ploy, by the most dishonest and politically driven DOJ in the history of our country.

              3. I didn’t imply anything of the sort. I said what I meant. The Civil Rights division of the DOJ beginning with Tomas Perez and now with Vanita Gupta are wildly politicized. You can’t read that report and come away with any objective understanding of the issues. They assign motive to the BPD based on statistics without any consideration for very obvious factors that impact the statistics. For example, the DOJ blasted the police in Baltimore for enforcing loitering/trespassing laws in certain locations without any recognition of the public plea for police to help clear 2 separate jurisdictions of high crime/gang activity. The DOJ report is absurd on it’s face. That doesn’t mean problems don’t exist. It does mean the DOJ report is the last place to look for truth and honesty.

            3. Yah, it’s one big conspiracy Houston, right along side the conspiracy that is the climate change hoax! lol

              1. And by the way Houston, I have thousands of pages of FACTS, including personal testimony and signed testimony under oath, to support my claim that both the Ferguson Police Department and Ferguson Court System, were biased against minorities.

                What do you have to support your argument that, there was actually no systemic racial bias in Ferguson, and that the DOJ’s report was essentially one big liberal conspiracy?

    2. You’d think the vast majority of those 540k would want the criminals among them behind bars rather than on paid leave though, right?

    3. Well said and I agree with your sentiments about remaining a Niner fan/season ticket holder, as do many other Niner fans I have talked to.

  6. I agree with his stance that there’s a problem. His issue in college didn’t sound like the police but with the neighbors. I would hope the police would show up to my house if they suspected someone was robbing me.

    Him blaming the police and not giving direction to solving the problem is irresponsible. Shortly after the video he posted is when our country went crazy. It’s not right to make a blanket statement that the police officers in general are the problem.

    I’ve worked in predominately black neighborhoods and have been profiled. This is the world we live in and police need to do their jobs. However, let’s not shout there’s a problem and openly say to fight the police.

    I haven’t seen him show any respect at all to police. He has only spoken in a blanket sense that all police are bad. I have seen this from police and it’s true, but there are great police as well.

    I agree police are protected in ways they shouldn’t. Maybe stand on that soap box. But let’s not shout from the roof tops that we have problems and have been thinking it over for so long of a time without ideas of what to do about it. Maybe he should set up a foundation to give incentives for minorities to become cops. Maybe a foundation to give continual training. Oh wait, police do receive continual training.

    I’m proud that he’s making a stand but at least have a focus for a solution. Do you not think Obama would listen or other government officials after what’s gone on if they had any idea of what could be done?

    Lets not keep stating the obvious, let’s focus on what we can do positive about the issues.

  7. I like Kap more than I ever have. He’s clearly a better person than most football fans.

    1. Grimey ..

      Agree with you .. It takes guts to stand
      up for injustice .. and the flack he’s getting
      is understandable … but otoh ..
      Houston, also, has a point … and he has
      illustrated the proverbial “other side of that coin” …

      I wasn’t offended when athletes raised a closed
      fist during the National Anthem at the Olympics
      (back in the ’60s) .. because .. I felt they
      had a good point to make …

      I feel the same.. now … no difference, here

      1. The crux of Houston’s point is flawed MWNiner. Houston is arguing that the DOJ’s Furguson and Baltimore reports are simply politically motivated, and therefore implying that a problem didn’t exist.

        We know for a fact that there was a systemic problem with racial bias in both departments, and Houston’s denial shouldn’t be written off as a legitimate “point”.

        So ……. unless you believe in grand conspiracy theories that defy logic, Houston9er, in fact, does not have a legitimate point! Let’s be clear about that.

        1. The crux of my point is Colin Kaepernick is an ignorant and disrespectful jerk. Whether or not I disagree with the DOJ’s BS report is beside the point.

          And what are you doing with “thousands of pages of FACTS, including personal testimony and signed testimony under oath, to support my claim that both the Ferguson Police Department and Ferguson Court System, were biased against minorities.”

          You are a lunatic.

          1. It’s public record moron. Maybe you should un-bury your head from the sand and actually do some research if you are going to argue that this problem doesn’t exist?

            After all Houston, aren’t you arguing that the DOJ’s report is a bunch of political hackery and that the problem Colin is trying to shed a light on doesn’t even really exist in the first place?

  8. I’ve tried to stay clear of this topic but I guess it isn’t going away any time soon.

    My two cents – he lives in a country where he is afforded the right to free speech. He isn’t breaking any laws by not standing during the national anthem. He is making a statement about his beliefs regarding where the country is at, and his statement is that he won’t respect his country while something he believes to be wrong with the country is happening.

    We can agree or disagree with his belief. But it is his right to have that belief, and he shouldn’t be forced to stand and show respect for something he doesn’t respect at the moment.

    On a personal level, I think he is going about it the wrong way. I also think actions like this typically lead to a greater divide being created than actually solving the issue. But then again, sometimes you need to create that conflict before real change can occur.

    1. Scooter, I commend you on your two cents! I think you hit the nail on the head when you say,”you need to create conflict before real change can occur.”

    2. Scooter we share the same values from our common legal origin.

      It’s a shame that so many people react with hate and anger that in itself is detrimental to those values.

      There are racist cops. There are cops not properly trained, or given bad guidelines. There are police cover ups. It’s a crappy job that fewer people are willing to take.

      If everyone carries concealed weapons, as some want, how can the average officer go into any situation without feeling that his life is in danger?

      One of the problems is the training that results in officers yelling orders that some confused people can’t comply with fast enough. Recently a forty something father was driving a rental car on vacation heading toward the Grand Canyon with his seven year old daughter. Because of some mix up, the car he was driving was listed as stolen.

      The officer pulled him over thinking that he was dealing with a stolen rental car.

      I don’t remember the exact order of events, but the encounter involved the officer pointing his gun at the man’s daughter, ordering the man to lower the window or he would blow his brains out, and total terror by the father trying to follow orders in a strange car with no lights.

      The officer’s superiors released a statement that the officer followed their protocol in a satisfactory manor.

      Imagine a black man or black couple in that same rental car. The chance of a very bad outcome would have certainly been higher.

      1. Ht, thats some scary stuff. When it gets to the point that turning a gun on someone as a police officer is standard procedure if they don’t immediately comply, something is broken.

        And before anyone defends the police for this, I don’t mean it is wholly the police’s fault. It doesn’t get to that point without there being a lot of issues that need to be dealt with. No doubt the police are being taught this in part due to their own safety concerns, too.

        Lets just say, it is things like that which make me glad I live in Australia.

    3. Once again, another poignant post Scooter.

      You have a very natural way of cutting through all of the clutter, and expressing a point with clarity.

  9. Sounds like an angry confused 9 year old. Jesus, how do these guys make it to work in the morning?

  10. Trump a racist? If that’s true how come Dr. Martin Luther King niece is supporting him and Dr. Ben Carson a surgeon is supporting him. How come the majority of the smart black people support him? I can answer those questions I bet Kaep can’t. Take your 11 million and run, you don’t respect us we don’t respect you and that’s just how it goes.

    1. A majority of smart black people support Trump? Ha Ha. Ben carson famously tried to convince us the Egyptian pyramids were used to store grain.

      Check the polls. Trump is losing with every demographic except low income uneducated people. # Embarrassment

      1. I am not a Trump supporter call a spade a spade call a heart a heart and sick of the lies on both sides of the political spectrum. You liberals and the conservative have messed this country up and I for one will do whatever it takes to take our country back from both parties. Carson is a brain surgeon his smarts far out weigh your intelligence and mine and certainly Kaep’s.

        1. It’s just that the good Dr. Carson has some really bazaar ideas that make it impossible to take him seriously. Here is a list of thirteen of them that he presented during his campaign to be president.

          Women who get abortions are like slaveholders.
          Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery.
          ‘Hitler’ could happen in the U.S. today.
          Jews could have prevented the Holocaust if they had guns.
          College campuses should be monitored for liberal political speech.
          Muslims should be disqualified from the presidency.
          There’s a war on ‘what’s inside of women’,
          Being gay is a choice because prison turns people gay.
          There’s no such thing as a war crime.
          Obama is depressing the economy to keep people on welfare.
          Obama signed immigration reform to bring in government-dependent voters.
          Congress should be able to remove judges for voting for marriage equality.
          Anarchy could cancel the 2016 election. (If Carson’s prediction proved to be true, he said, Obama could declare martial law and the 2016 election would not occur.)

          1. Well, Ben is right about one thing. Hitler can happen in the U.S. in 2016. The Donald’s faces and gestures remind me of the film clips that I have seen of Mussolini, though.

        2. Carson is a brain surgeon therefore his smarts far outweigh your intelligence and mine, and certainly Kaep’s?

          Uh, this is a guy who famously called Putin a “one-horse country”

          Speak for yourself undercenter.

          If you think being a brain surgeon means you are inherently smarter about everything, than someone who isn’t a brain surgeon, well, then you are a moron.

          I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Carson believed that martians built Mount Everest to get closer to heaven, lol.

          Ben Carson has been mocked mercilessly on twitter, and for good reason! The outrageously ignorant things he has said like:

          Insisting that the Egyptian pyramids were actually built by Old Testament figure Joseph, in order to store grain.

          Ben Carson said that some terrorist would probably pay a million dollars for a container of ebola URINE.

          Ben Carson, said running for president is sort of like being a soldier storming the beach at Normandy on D-DAY. Shameful! Tens of thousands of Allied soldiers were killed on D-DAY!

          Dr. Ben Carson thinks that prison rape can “turn” men into HOMOSEXUALS.

          If Ben Carson is smarter than Colin Kaepernick, he sure has America fooled!

    2. You’re a bit off subject by bringing Trump into this BUT, he is losing the overall black vote by 91% to 1% (8% undecided or another party). Just because a few Black or Hispanic or Muslims endorse Trump doesn’t mean that he isn’t a racist. Ben Carson? Please! He’s a Republican and I think I read somewhere that Trump has already promised him a job if he gets elected. Maybe Surgeon General?

      1. I meant that Ben Carson is a Republican and he would endorse Satan if he was a Republican.

    3. Undercenter,
      “The majority of smart black people support him?” I’m curious where does that statistic come from?

      1. Old Coach – I wasn’t going to comment further as my anger is great but I have respect for you so I will say this, I misspoke it should read, I believe most smart blacks support Trump…

        “”The bottom line – no matter how he hurts your feelings – is he’s right,” said Miller, a professional joke writer. “We have voted for the Democrats for 50 years and most of us are still poor. We still have heavy crime in our neighborhoods. Most of us go to really bad schools and we’re still being shot down in the streets.”

        Sounds smart to me!! There is lots out there you just have to look for it. The liberal media won’t do it for you. In other post I have stated I have zero use for either party so I don’t have horse in the race. I just support what I believe to be right and Kaep is not right in the way he is supporting his cause. There are many avenues he could of used.

        http://articles.philly.com/2016-08-23/news/75113703_1_trump-tower-donald-trump-mar-a-lago

        1. Ye old “liberal media bias”, blah, blah, blah

          Sorry to burst your bubble undercenter, but you’re losing this argument all around the country.

          Donald Trump is a fraud, and you’re falling for it, which makes you a fool.

          Just saying!

          1. Is it better to be a sheep then a fool. From a black man To Kaep Allen West speaks.

            ” First of all, let me clarify to you sir, you are a multi-millionaire “one-percenter” just because you can throw a ball and kiss your biceps. Men like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Oscar Robertson, Ernie Davis, and Bernard King and Condredge Halloway of my alma mater were athletes who knew of oppression. You sir may certainly have the right to sit upon your “fourth point of contact” when the National Anthem is played but never forget, you live in a nation that has provided you the privilege to have that right.”

          2. Liberal media BS, right now I am being censored and unable to validate my points. I have posted the Black Panther leader in Houston supporting Trump, censored, I tried to post Allen West comments and the Press democrat won’t allow it. So 49reasons tell me about the blah blah liberal bulls–t. Shout me down punch me out you will never shut me up call me a fool, I am a man and can take it with a smile knowing who it came from. You 49reasons have a great day and enjoy being herded you deserve it.

            1. I’ve been hearing about this grand, “liberal media bias” or “mainstream liberal bias” forever. It’s the oldest trick in the book. It’s the same “if you don’t like the message, attack the messenger” tactic that’s been used for centuries.

              At least you could come up with something a little more original.

              By the way, Fox News is the number one rated cable news outlet, and talk radio is dominated by conservatives, yet there is a liberal bias in this country, when it comes to news?

              Yah, when pigs fly!

  11. Kaep has a problem with social media and it’s derailed his career. I believe it’s way too hard to focus and be a great quarterback when you have such constant distractions. As far as his stance, watching a few videos online and making judgments about people’s trainings, etc. does not make you an expert. There is a huge amount of right and wrong in depth to both sides on this issue. And as a society -yes it is an issue we have to deal with through our churches & in our government. However as a 49er fan it is sad to me that the guy with all the talent in the world does everything to distract and take away from the team and his ability to play probably the hardest position in sports. Unfortunately I do not see the 49ers being able to do anything but cut Kaep. Not because of this issue, but because he is not in shape ( dude is so skinny)and his game the other night was an embarrassment.

    1. I think it’s awesome he’s taken a stand when so many won’t. However, him getting guaranteed money is part of all of this. He’s content with where his career has gone and I think it’s why he timed his surgeries for when he did.

      I think he knows he has reached his limit so he’s riding it as long as he can. Even if he gets cut he will still get paid. However, his teammates claim he is the hardest working.

  12. Great Role Model for our children. All I can say is ” if he acted this way in The Soviet Union he would be in Siberia yesterday”.

  13. Just feel like there are 1000 different ways he could have tried to make a positive change. This just feels selfish, let’s make everything about me.
    Puts chip in a weird spot too with people calling him a racist too.

  14. Kap needs to go because he is not a good QB. He has been afforded every opportunity and it has not panned. out. His roster spot needs to go to a young developmental player.

    He is definitely taking the wrong approach with the National Anthem. It is a symbol of honor and freedom and his actions are very disrespectful.

    He does have a good point and he should find a better different platform to make that point.

  15. What a distraction. Now we’re talking about the Rosa Parks of Gatorade coolers, and not his abysmal quarterback play. Nice job Colin. He’s reinventing himself when irrelevance closes in.

    Was it conscious? I doubt it. But it serves as a brilliant re-direct. I wish we were talking about his great play on Friday night, even along with his refusal to stand, but instead, we’re focusing solely on his social justice stand, versus his last stand as a starting QB in the NFL.

  16. What I find humorous are Trump supporters who are lighting CK up for disrespecting the USA, when their candidate does that every time he speaks. Seriously, he is constantly talking about how screwed up our country is right now. Why is it ok for Trump to disparage and disrespect this great country of ours, but CK is a terrible person for doing the same thing (different message, yes, but both have ripped the USA).

    1. Ex I am not a Trump supporter nor am I a Clinton supporter, I think both are screwed up as they come. Trump is constantly attacked and deservedly so, he put his life in that position. Kaep has done the same thing he put his believes out for the public and like I do with Trump and Clinton and others I will speak up against them. I am an American who believes in the constitution of the US. and sick and tired of both parties ripping this once great country apart. My attitude is not very nice toward the liberals and conservatives – they suck big time and I have become quite cynical of the one party system with two screwed up factions that have screwed this country big time. Like I said I believe in the constitution and Kaep better not be punished for applying his right, if so I will stand on Kaep’s side for his right to spew his nonsensical BS but respect nope, he doesn’t get mine. I feel he disrespected me personally and I have no further use for him at any level in life.

      I think I will not respond to anymore of this as I get quite angry and that does no one any good. The temperament of the country is vile to say the least.

    2. Because he is woefully uninformed on the subject and has a superficial grasp of the overall situation.

  17. I didn’t read the article because I don’t care what the idiot thinks.

    Until he actually addresses the gorilla in the room; black-on-black, black-on-white, black-on-cop, black-on-poc crime/rape/murder, adults are not going to take the little social justice failure seriously.

    Then again, a rich little kid like him, who is where he is thanks to some loving white parents, teachers and coaches, would get absolutely demolished on blacktwitter for ever even suggesting that we have a serious black crime/culture problem in America.

    This “blame the cops”, “blame whites”, “blame the system” crap isn’t going to do anything but keep them living their lives as unaccountable victims, stuck living on the government plantation.

    Blacks need leadership. DESPERATELY. I feel bad, the rest of the country is quickly leaving them behind and they’re busy focusing on creating hashtags and race-hustling instead of taking responsibility and making something of their culture.

    1. So, you’re saying until there are no black people perpetrating crime on other black people or white people or police, there can be no discussion of police abuses against blacks?

    2. Sounds like a person upset that Blacks have freedom to do anything. You won’t be until you are able to hang n***ers in your back yard!

  18. All Kaepernick wants is more attention. Time to let go of this below-average QB who is trying to stay in the news. Enough is enough.

  19. “Cops are being given paid leave for killing people.”

    This is because in America we have a thing called right to due process. Those officers are being paid while the investigation is ongoing, just like people in many other walks of life. Should the evidence show their actions were inappropriate and they deserve to be charged with the crime than that pay will go away immediately.

    If we just throw everyone in jail that’s also a violation of our civil rights.

    1. he his pointing out that cops are never punished for this type of injustice….

      According to the Wall Street Journal, 2015 saw the highest number of police officers being charged for deadly, on-duty shootings in a decade: 12 as of September 2015. Still, in a year when approximately 1,200 people were killed by police, zero officers were convicted of murder or manslaughter, painting the picture that officers involved in killing another person will not be held accountable for their actions.

      In the first half of 2016, police have killed 532 people — many of whom were unarmed, mentally ill, and people of color.

      This number comes from The Guardian’s police killings database, but the Killed by Police database counts 580 people who have died at the hands of police so far this year. The Washington Post also reports that 488 people have been shot and killed by cops.

      Going by the Guardian’s count, 261 white people were killed by police — the highest total out of any racial group. But data also shows that black people and Native Americans are being killed at higher rates than any other group.

      February and March were the deadliest months this year, with 99 people killed by police in each month. In June, the police killed 86 people, all of whom were fatally shot.

        1. #7 said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust, people aren’t being held accountable for, that’s something that needs to change.

          sounds very clear, I would say…..

          the mistake most are making including yourself is pretending not to know what he his talking about, instead trying to make it into another issue…..

          1. Well, it was a direct quote from him, and he’s said it on more than one occasion so obviously the paid leave is an issue for him.

            Yes, there is a problem. No, paying the officers while the investigation is ongoing is not one of them.

            1. That people or #7 are outrage that cops are getting paid while on investigation. I would move that into the myth section…

              just like….

              the fact that most people on welfare are white but that most Americans think the majority of welfare recipients are black.

              or

              the myth that black fathers are more absent than most when recent findings actually show that black fathers are more involved with their kids than any other race in the US.

              Although black fathers are more likely to live separately from their children — the statistic that’s usually trotted out to prove the parenting “crisis” — many of them remain just as involved in their kids’ lives. Pew estimates that 67 percent of black dads who don’t live with their kids see them at least once a month, compared to 59 percent of white dads and just 32 percent of Hispanic dads.

              1. The myth section? He obviously has an issue with it, and on that issue he’s wrong.

                Here’s the one issue that I have with what he said today, there’s really no depth to it and in so many ways it sounds like he is parroting what we keep seeing on Twitter.

                The direct quote from him that I used at the start of this thread is one that I saw on Twitter and other forms of media numerous times starting with the officer involved shooting in Louisiana that kinda sparked this most recent round of unrest.

                The problem is, as you stated it is a myth. And when people decide to take it as truth and take matters into their own hands we have things like Dallas or the Louisiana shootings that followed happen.

                Yes there are issues, but this paid leave thing is incorrect and something he should move away from.

    2. “This is because in America we have a thing called right to due process. ”

      With the exception of unarmed African Americans shot dead in the street by the police.

      1. True, that is a terrible thing.

        It still does not change the policies that are in place nor should it when it comes to paid leave during the investigation.

        That does not mean that they are getting away with murder.

    3. I’d like to add this part of Colin’s comments to my original comment, “There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. Cops are being given paid leave for killing people.”

      I agree with the first part, some of these killings are unjust. To say that those who pulled the trigger, etc are not being held accountable because they are on paid leave during the investigation is inaccurate, plain and simple.

      1. The problem isn’t administrative leave during the investigation. The problem is these “investigations” rarely result in any punishment or change in policy.

  20. The fact that Kap is willing to accept any negative fall-out from this event is enough for me to respect his stance even though I may not totally be in agreement.

    Now, I have absolute respect for our police officers and my only hope in all this is that Kap is not condemning all officers for the offence of some bad apples. And yes, there are some bad apples (police) out there that salivate at the opportunity to use force and abuse their power.
    I would like for CK to point out the huge divide between good and bad cops when addressing this topic.

    As I said yesterday, getting rid of Kap will not make the issue go away. If anything, it will likely bring support from Afro-American’s from the sports world to stand with him.
    So whether people choose to condemn CK or support him, from this time forward, it will be a topic that can no longer be neglected.

    1. There are probably not as many salivating sadist, as there are officers that react badly under stress. But then there are the officers that shoot a fleeing man thinking that he’s the parole violator that they have come to pick up. Only it wasn’t. It was some other parole violator who didn’t want to talk to the police. Does that make is a clean kill?

  21. Grant, when Kap addressed the team, did any of the players advocate for the fans who’ve had to bury family and friends who sacrificed their lives for this country? Did any of the players assert that this is a workplace, and workers don’t get to mouth off and piss off paying customers without losing their jobs? This isn’t a legal matter. This is a matter of business, and as a paying customer, I’m not buying a team with this POS on it.

    1. Kaepernick also addressed one of the frequent criticisms of his stand by saying that his decision to sit during the anthem is not a sign of disrespect for those that have served the United States in the military.

      “I have great respect for our men and women that fought for this country,” Kaepernick said. “I have family, I have friends that have fought for this country. And they fight for freedom. They fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. And that’s not happening. I mean, people are dying in vain because this country is not holding its end of the bargain up as far as giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody. It’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos, I’ve seen circumstances, where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for. On our land. That’s not right.”

      Kaepernick’s meeting with the media came after 49ers players held a meeting that saw Kaepernick address his teammates. Center Daniel Kilgore said he “took offense” to Kaepernick’s actions before Friday’s game, but after listening to his teammate said “I do stand with Kap when he says enough is enough against crime, violence, discrimination and racism.”

    2. Grant wasn’t there. It was a team meeting. If anyone addressed your issues, they didn’t take the opportunity to speak to the press about it.

  22. Ironically, my post above was censored by the moderator on Maiocco’s board. So much for free speech.

    1. That is because of the third to the last word. Refrain from expletives and they usually will not censor.

      1. No kidding.

        “Don’t you know people fought and died for your right to protest?”

        “Yes.”

        “Well, good, but don’t you dare even think about actually using that right.”

      2. Rib,

        No kidding.

        “Don’t you know people fought and died for your right to protest?”

        “Yes.”

        “Well, good, but don’t you dare even think about actually using that right.”

  23. Normally try to stay out of these polemical debates as they tend to divide, incite anger and marginalize everyone.

    Many have already made very good points amid the dim which are these boards. We have grave problems in this country which need to be addressed. Finger pointing and name calling have only seemed to worsen the division. So what is the solution? Respect and caring (dare I say civility).

    The tactics and mentality of police officers of us vs. them needs to change. I have been in other countries, some with militarized police and many treat citizens with greater courteousness and civility than they do here. This, of course, is a two way street and civility and curteous behavior is also expected of the citizenry. There is an air of entitlement in all quarters of society which needs to change. How we treat one another, even on anonymous boards, matters.
    My heart grieves when I hear/see the suffering daughters/mothers/fathers/brothers of those who have perished because of poor police training (which is what I attribute it to) or senseless violence which seems to permeate too much of this great nation.

    Kap chose to make a stand by sitting down and while I may find his methodology less than perfect, it has highlighted something we need to discourse openly, frankly and without rancor.

    I don’t know what bona fides one has to have in order to speak on this subject as all citizens are affected. Nevertheless we should be careful to listen to those who have to deal with the effects of certain activities because we must walk a mile in someone’s shoes. My daughter an American citizen was able to see first hand how foreigners are sometimes treated at border control, she was shocked and angry. I am a foreign national, full disclosure. I understand the necessity of security and the unfortunate association that goes on with certain surnames. I take the hassle and treatment in stride. But it still doesn’t mean we can’t do better, or ought to do better.

    Each of us needs to see how we can look at our brothers and sisters and reach out and give everyone the dignity and respect they deserve as part of their humanity. I think this is the only solution to our woes.

    1. 3 stages of the problem

      1. telling yourself “stay out” – what you are doing is staying silent to something ALL consider a wrong

      2. Distorting or confusing the message/issue

      3. Convincing yourself you really can’t do anything

      1. Not sure if I understand your points oneniner? Was this in reference to my post or something else, because if it is my post I don’t see how any of your points are cogent.

    2. Kaep should attack the root of the problem, which is poverty. He should help establish more minority businesses, something he can effectively do with his millions.

        1. If people are not poor, they do not need to commit crimes to survive. Cops do not usually kill rich people.

          1. Your statement is way off base. Those that were killed was not commiting a crime? They were unarmed citizens killed for no reasons to justify the actions.

            1. Yes, that does happen, just like the police kill armed suspects in a shootout. Police do not go out on patrol looking to execute innocent people. They have itchy trigger fingers because many times, they are out gunned. Of course, there are bad apples in every barrel, but one should not vilify all competent and law abiding cops over the actions of a few rogue cops.

  24. The problem I have with this situation is that CK has used the 49ers organization and the NFL to springboard his message. Wether he is right or wrong it was unfair to use that forum to get his message across.
    Leave the team out of it. Why present a unnecessary distraction.

    1. Because it reaches more people Prime. And football fans represent the majority in this country and the exact audience that needs to hear Kap’s message the most. Even if(especially because) they don’t want to.

  25. I’ll bet a lot of people outraged with CK’s statements, and by BLM, wouldn’t have any problem, at all, with a white lives matter movement. Just saying…

    1. All lives matter. This includes the: Caucasian; African American; Native American; Latino; Jew; Muslim; and many other ethnic backgrounds.

      1. Of course all lives matter. Who says otherwise?

        Certainly not the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter Network advocates for dignity, justice, and respect for all races. BLM is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of oppression.

        There are many people who want to distort that message, and convince people that the Black Lives Matter movement is putting the value of Black Lives above those of other races, which is simply not a true representation of what Black Lives Matter is all about!

        1. Good post 49reasons, but my response to Ex was in regards to his snarky comment poorly assuming most would not have a problem if it was a white lives matter movement.

      1. Yep. I’ve got no problem with people disagreeing, strongly disagreeing, if they must, but some of the dialogue is just thinly veiled racism.

        Marcus Thompson wrote a great, great article today, in which he asked the question: “How much are you doing for veterans, so many of whom are jobless and homeless? Or even how much are you doing for anyone?”

        He went on to say (I’m paraphrasing): It turns out that Americans devote, on average, less than ten minutes a day to helping others. Perhaps the anger people are feeling stems from the fact that standing during the anthem represents the only thing they really do for veterans.

        Very thoughtful article, worth reading.

  26. Kaepernick incompetent and is trying to change the subject. There is no argument left to let him continue to “compete”. Time to cut our losses. Criticize me all you want but the guy is now radioactive.

  27. I have a lot of respect for Kaepernick and his stand I respect him for his choice. I spent nearly 3 years in the Marine Corps I am a disabled vet , But yet I have been unjustly treated not only by law-enforcement but in different communities throughout our country. I’m not mad at anyone although I am not happy with the situation that goes on in America. When we have greatest tried being made about homosexual rights but other than that no changes I’m not gay bashing I feel that they have their right to choice but at the same time they’ve come a lot further than people of color not just black people have come in America and more than 200 years. I have been one who haven’t stood for the national anthem because it doesn’t embrace everyone equally Justice needs to take the blinders off and see what is really happening. If I didn’t love where out where I am I would’ve left but I feel there is a chance still. God bless America

  28. I don’t get this, it has nothing to do with his cause, it has everything to do with his disrespectfulness towards the one thing that gives him the right to do what he did. That is what the issue is. His cause so be it, its nothing new unless you have had your head in a hole the past few years. Yes there are injustices and hopefully as a people we can rectify the problems but when disrespect is present then it raises emotions such as anger which fulfills the requirement for energy that is needed for destruction of society. That’s where the problem is, respect, if you can’t respect the right to protest then I have no use for you, he didn’t respect that right. He would of been better off walking down the middle of 101 during rush hour holding a sign stating his cause, I would of called him stupid for that but would respect his attempt to bring attention to a problem. When you disrespect that hand that feeds you then you deserve the ramifications that come with that. Dog gone it I said I was leaving this alone. I need to get off the computer for awhile and let this blow over.

    1. Give me a break. Your argument makes no sense undercenter. You have it all backwards.

      Colin didn’t desecrate the flag.

      He simply chose not to stand and salute it during the national anthem. That’s what his right to protest is all about. You not respecting that, as being his right, is your own personal problem.

      And I find it interesting that now, all of the sudden, you acknowledge there are injustices in this country, when you denied there was an injustice when it came to this issue, in your posts above.

      You are all over the place dude, and I get the feeling you’re absolutely confused when it comes to the subject Colin was protesting, SOCIAL INJUSTICE, specifically systemic racism within some of our police departments, and it’s simply a subject you know very little about.

      1. I’d advise you to stick to a subject you know a little more about, undercenter!

        This subject of police brutality and systemic racial discrimination within a police department, seems to be over your head bro. Stick to football.

      2. 49reasons is your reading comprehension on the low side.

        “This subject of police brutality and systemic racial discrimination within a police department, seems to be over your head bro. Stick to football”

        Where did I say anything about the cause? If you can not understand the simple concept of what I said I just don’t know what to tell ya.

  29. Predicated on Kaep’s 2016 logic, his signing a million dollar contract was undoubtedly a Faustian bargain because he surely compromised his racial beliefs in order to achieve football fame and riches.

  30. I have a lot of respect for Kaepernick and his stand I respect him for his choice. I spent nearly 3 years in the Marine Corps I am a disabled vet , But yet I have been unjustly treated not only by law-enforcement but in different communities throughout our country. I’m not mad at anyone although I am not happy with the situation that goes on in America. When we have greatest tried being made about homosexual rights but other than that no changes I’m not gay bashing I feel that they have their right to choice but at the same time they’ve come a lot further than people of color not just black people have come in America and more than 200 years. I have been one who haven’t stood for the national anthem because it doesn’t embrace everyone equally Justice needs to take the blinders off and see what is really happening. If I didn’t love where out where I am I would’ve left but I feel there is a chance still. God bless America. By the way I am not happy with Kaepernick and I wish we would’ve traded him

  31. Great every previous starting and now backup or 3rd string and declining QB in the NFL is now going to be the nation’s social conscious as they attempt to find some way to regain the spotlight.

    I guess Ponder will burn a flag mid-field next.

  32. What I love seeing is some of you anti-‘PC’ people who have surely laughed at “safe spaces” at college essentially getting all blue in your pasty faces over Colin doing something that is at most, a minor politically incorrect act. Oh no, he didn’t stand for a song?! *clutches pearls* Absolutely hilarious to see you in here essentially demand that ALL of sport be your own little “safe space” free of any politics that you disagree with. The irony is oh so delicious.

    1. Funny, I do not see how his harmless (to you) protest is going to help his team win. How is he showing leadership by giving a dactylion directive (kudos to East)?

      Delicious? No, gag me with a spoon.

      1. The fact that you are still viewing his act through the lens of “how does this help the team win?” is part of the problem.

        1. Gosh, Kaep IS a football player. He should be playing football, or is the NFL now a offshoot of the BLM movement?

          1. “Gosh, Muhammad Ali IS a boxer. He should be boxing, or is boxing now a offshoot of the Civil Rights movement?”

            -seb 1964

            1. Ali went to jail for his convictions. He was protesting the Vietnam War, not fighting for civil rights.

              Another straw man argument.

              1. Lol if you don’t think Ali was involved in the Civil Rights movement you need to read up. While you’re at it, read up on what a “straw man argument” actually is, because you’re using it wrong.

              2. Ali went to jail because he refused to serve in the military. He was not fighting for civil rights, though he did a lot to promote civil rights later.

                Straw man is a bait and switch tactic. Mentioning civil rights over a draft dodger incident is classic bait and switch, hence straw man.

              3. It is not a “classic” straw man, because it isn’t even a straw man. And I find it funny how you made my point for me on the Ali thing, and still think your post was somehow a refutation.

              4. TK, I have debated many times, and you did use a straw man argument because you misrepresented what I was trying to say, and inserted something that was tangential to the argument.

    2. Same old spew in another format. You guys utterly refuse to come up with new material.

  33. Kaep is using a straw man argument. White cops are killing black people so I need to disrespect the flag, even though it does nothing but engender lots of anger. Bad publicity is not effective, it is just bad, and wastes an opportunity to affect meaningful reforms.

    Kaep is profiling. He says white cops are killing blacks, but by numbers, they kill twice as many whites as they do blacks. Proportionally, more blacks by percentage are killed, but they are also from high crime areas, so it is understandable and expected. However, some are not justified, and that is what is fueling this debate.

    Kaep ignores the plight of the common decent cops. He accuses all cops of being bad, when in reality, they are a tiny minority. 99.9 % of cops have no accusations of killing minorities. However, on average, between 1990 and 2010, 164 cops died in the line of duty. Out of 700, 000 cops, that is small, but significant. On average, over 950 people die at the hands of cops, but out of a population of 318 million, the percentage is a lot less, and those include shootouts and death by cop semi suicides. Only several dozen are questionable. These are rough figures and were hastily compiled, so they may be different if one looks at the different statistical sites.

    Kaep needs to stop grandstanding, grow up, and act in a rational manner. Protesting by insulting millions of Americans is obtuse and counter productive. He may have a bully pulpit, but he is wasting his opportunity if all he does is finger point and divide. He is demonstrating anything but leadership.

    Kaep should be better informed. No, a hairdresser does not have more training than a gun carrying police officer. Cops have extensive training, and yearly follow up training. Parroting something he erroneously heard destroys his message. He needs to be accurate to be effective.

    Kaep is a distraction, and is dividing the team. He is not being a team leader, because he is using his opportunity to hurt the team. No wonder they did not block well for him, because Kaep would rather promote social justice than try to win games.

    Kaep needs to learn that the root of the problem is not hate, it is poverty. If he works hard to eliminate poverty, many problems would solve themselves, and crime will go down. People will still hate, but they will be powerless to stop progress.

    So Kaep, in his misguided belief that by insulting millions, that will stop violence, will vow to keep protesting, and ignore the backlash of criticism. He is trying to attack just a symptom, but he is not targeting the right people, or symbol. Ali accepted the consequences of his actions, I hope Kaep does too.

    1. Yes, Sebnynah… Poverty is an underlying issue. Poor Americans are getting squeezed by higher prices that the Labor Dept repudiates with its corrupt Consumer Price Index. The so-called economic recovery has been nothing more than widening inequality generated on purpose by the Federal Reserve Bank. The “money printing” (aka dollar devaluation) has jacked up stock prices and home prices, but poor people don’t own such assets.

      The cost of doing business is driven up by dollar devaluation and over-regulation. Good paying full-time jobs are thus replaced by low-paying part-time jobs, so that lower-income bread winners have to work 3 part-time jobs. This is passed off as “job creation”; lower unemployment. The Labor Dept doesn’t count jobless people who run out of 26-week benefits. The biggest drop in unemployment was created by reducing unemployment benefit length from 99 weeks to 26 weeks. This happened in 2012.

      The squeeze on lower income people is driving up the number of homeless people. There are housing programs for the homeless being pushed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. These programs are destined to be overwhelmed.

      Why? Because the Fed cannot stop “printing money,” lest interest rates rise, forcing the federal government to default on the National Debt. Prices are going to keep rising. Subsidies for the poor drive prices up even faster. Remember the Wage-Price Spiral of the early 1970’s?

      This means that America is entering a dangerous time where life for most of us is going to get harder. The Fed’s abuse of the dollar shall ultimately result in foreign countries turning away from using the dollar for international trade. Once the dollar loses its exclusive world reserve currency status, it’ll have much less purchasing power than it does, today.

      This means more rioting, a lot more homeless people, a skateboarding society, and no money to buy a ticket to see the 49ers.

      Kaepernick has no idea what the problems really are or what it would take to fix the problem.

      1. Kaep lambastes Hillary, but Clinton was the last president to balance the budget, and even had surpluses that would have paid off the debt in 15 years if Al Gore had been elected. Instead, Bush stole the election incurred 911, invaded Iraq which destabilized the whole region, busted the budget, and now we have debt up the wazoo.

        1. Don’t do it, Seb! Don’t go to politics, even though CK did. Bad move on his part. Avoid that;,offered respectfully.

          1. Seb’s reputation is bullet proof. He can go anywhere he wants and his reputation will not be changed.

      2. I’m pretty sure printing money is inflationary, and, therefore, would push interest rates higher, rather than depress them.

    2. Seb: Agreed 100%. Kaepernick needs to find a different venue to express his frustration.

      However, we do need police reform. I am not smart enough to know the exact solution, but I do know that burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the issue by saying 99.999% of policeman are good people is not enough. Try telling this to the mother of Philando Castille who was killed in Minnesota even though he did nothing wrong. Better still, try putting yourself in the place of Castille’s mother and then ask yourself if statistics about the relative number of good and bad cops will ease your pain at losing your son.

      Nevertheless, insulting a symbol of our country which millions hold dear is not the way to go. It is a distraction to the team, and it takes away from the issue Kaep is trying to raise.

      Chip Kelly, Jed, and Trent need to sit down with Kaepernick and get him to see that his actions will not lead to the results he wants, and will be a big distraction on top of it. I hope Kaepernick will see the error of his ways and agree to put the team first. If he refuses, then I think he should be released even though it will mean the team will have to eat his salary.

      I continue to believe Gabbert is garbage and we are a 3 win team with him at QB. I am still holding out hope that Chip Kelly can get Kaepernick back to his 2013 form. But, If Kaepernick refuses to be a team player, then it might have to be the case of the surgeon’s knife. Bear the pain in the short term for a pain free future.

      1. Rick when a teenager was killed in Sonoma County by a deputy who unloaded his pistol from a range of 3 feet in the 90s, I advocated a single shot protocol. The deputy should fire only a single shot, then assess the situation. Instead, he unloaded 9 shots, and 5 of them would have been fatal alone. I also advocated back then that they should equip cameras as standard equipment, to protect not only the general public, but also the law enforcement too.

        I agree 100% that we need police reforms. I also think that they need training in de-escalating possible violent situations, and non lethal methods of confronting suspects.

  34. Before leaving this topic, I can’t help saying that those who state their unequivocal support of the way Kaepernick expressed his “First Amendment Rights” ignores the fact the he said it while clearly representing himself as an NFL professional football player. The fact is that in the real world, while we all know our rights to express our political views and seek to change things politically, it is very rare that we are allowed to do so while working for our employer. Of course those who are inclined to defend him will dismiss my remarks,but how many of you who support him can say honestly that you could do so while working and being compensated by your employer? Seriously, I want to hear from those of you who support him tell me that you can be at work, under contract to perform the services you are required to perform and can do what he did. With no disrespect to those who write to support him, you are living in a fictional world where, like BroT wrote about recently, John Wayne and Tom Cruise dodge fake bullets. You mouth off like he did while at work and you will be on the street before you know it. What Kaep did is over the line simply because the NFL is in the business of providing us fans with professional football entertainment which does not include lecturing us on their political views.. (I have written previously about the fact that during the course of my career as a CPA I had NFL players as clients and guess what they put down for their occupation? – Entertainer) Whatever positive I have said about Kaep is hereby retracted. He is a professional idiot. Those who are inclined to conspiracies and such might say that he is now just posturing for a lawsuit for when he is cut, at which time he will claim it is for his political views instead of the fact that he is a terrible quarterback. I watch the 49ers because I love football and they’r are my team for over 60 years. The last thing I want is to hear a lecture about politics. In my mind this is a true test of Jed York as to whether or not he is just way over his head. The $12 Mil is gone – get over it and let this guy go to where the fans will appreciate his political views. This is America for Kaep and and ME TOO. When I go to a good steakhouse, I don’t want to hear that they are only serving fish tonight. I don’t see any reason why I can’t expect the same from the NFL. There’s an old saying that: Sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you get what you deserve.” No offense but when reading the comments about this issue I wonder if those who support Kaepernick aren’t getting what they deserve.

    1. WHEW! Hahaha!
      It seems, we have a lot to still work out.
      I really don’t like this stuff, but we are getting it out in the light of day.
      Damn. The 60s were a bumpy ride, but I thought we were accomplishing more than it turns out we were. Severe disappointment for this old codger.
      We ‘Mericans have misplaced our spirit of cooperative, collaborative compromise, and it cripples us. It’s the stuff that representative democracy requires.
      Om

      1. Only a traitor compromises on any issue – at least that’s the mantra of congress over the past eight year or probably longer. Compromise and you’re out of “The Party of Lincoln.”

        1. That is the motto of government period. Neither side of the political base is willing to compromise.

          1. +1.

            The problem is that compromise is an important part of governing. And if you are unwilling to compromise, then you shouldn’t be in congress.

            The Tea Party doesn’t believe in compromise, and that’s the reason they are so bad for this country, IMO. The Tea Party, and the unlimited amounts of money in politics (Citizens United), are the biggest reasons our government is broken. That doesn’t mean you can’t have principles, it simply means that governing means you need to be able to find common ground.

            But that’s entirely a political argument and probably doesn’t belong on a sports blog! So my bad!

  35. He capitalized on the opportunity given to him in this great country. Two outstanding white people adopted his sorry ass and provided a good home for him. Will be nice to watch a linebacker put that piece of krapernick in a wheelchair.

  36. He still can’t hit his first read on time and the second and third reads might as well not bother running routes.

    Cut him and let him take his talents and activism elsewhere.

  37. Kaep is only about Kaep in this whole so-called crusade. What has he actually done to change the situation? Don’t say sitting out changes anything. He is raising awareness about Kaep, not any issue. He’s flailing now, he’s seeing the spotlight fading fast and he’s in full panic mode, and he needs to go. I agree with Lowell in that he may not even know why he is doing this. His conscious mind is talking, but his sub-conscious is driving this bus.

    1. His Delilah is manipulating him like a puppet on a string. She is feeding him erroneous facts to regurgitate and parrot to the press.

      Kaep need to start learning the facts and think for himself.

        1. Rib, it is just my opinion, but for years previous, Kaep always stood. There have been police shootings for years, but he never sat before, but she is a BLM activist, and Kaep is being led down her personal pathway.

            1. So, you do not think he was parroting the hairdresser training comment that came straight from the BLM notes?

  38. Grant, I think you should get a better class of followers. The disrespect and open bigotry for one’s action only prove what Kaep is saying. Kaep’s action is the same action some Americans did that made America an independent nation.

    1. Maybe you should learn more. Those ‘Freedom Fighters’ were labelled terrorists by the other side because they committed act of terrorism.

      Kaep will not effect meaningful change by insulting millions of Americans.

      Labeling me a bigot is like calling the revolutionaries terrorists.

    1. A thorough and fair takedown. Kaep is self destructing and using a social hot button to shift focus from his declining ability as a QB. His fall is unfortunate but his behavior is extremely disrespectful, selfish, immature and hypocritical. He’s full of sh#%.

    2. I agree with the both of you. Lowell Cohn absolutely nailed it with his article.

  39. The bottom line is kap is the bastard son of a crack whore that was put up for adoption. No matter how much money he makes or how many times he disrespects our great country, he is reminded of that fact every time he looks in the mirror.

  40. Kap is just pissed because he knows his football career is over. So he applied to be a grenade thrower for ISIS and they rejected him, saying “your accuracy issues might wind up sending your friends to meet 71 virgins before their missions are complete.”

      1. What’s your point HT? Kaepernick has the unfettered right to speak his mind when he’s at work representing his employer but those who disagree vehemently with him must just grin and bear it? I don’t believe that one of his detractors did not acknowledge that he raised an issue worth discussion and has a legal right to do so. The bone to pick is how and where it was done. No one has suggested jailing him. I did serve in combat and I did fight for the right to speak MY piece – and my piece is Kaepernick is a loser and the sooner he is gone the better. Anyone who does not know that disrespecting the flag is going to piss off a lot of people should stay inside. And when good men are pissed off, sometimes they say and do things that are regrettable. If you’re going to hand out the snark, try to keep that in mind. Kaep should have learned long ago, if you want to have a conversation, don’t start out by saying “Did your mother have any children who lived?”

  41. Politics aside if CK doesn’t show great improvement this week, I don’t believe he will be able to fill the role of #2 qb. The #2 qb is one play away from being the starter for the rest of the year. So if we don’t see great improvement we might not be talking about his politics anymore.

  42. Colin,

    Come on down to Los Angeles and I ask my watch commander to allow you to do a ride a long with my partner and I. Maybe you’ll change your narrow minded views about comparing a police officer to a cosmetologist.

    Sincerely,

    Bling Bling

  43. What a bunch of politically correct pablum on KNBR! Are these guys told to only take a politically correct stance on controversial issues? Do they have free speech on their jobs? Or are they really that moronic that they think this is a first amendment issue and nothing more?

    Like half the people here, the simpletons at KNBR are completely missing the point that the first amendment doesn’t trump what your employer says you can and cannot say on the job and in representation of your employer. Jed York has every legal right to say to his team, “Do not make controversial political stands or divisive remarks at games, in your 49er uniform. You are a highly paid employee, thanks to ALL of our fans, and part of your job is to be a positive brand ambassador to ALL of our fans. Not just the fans that happen to agree with your opinions. This is a business that is about uniting, not dividing our fans.”

    1. Exactly. Maybe they should tell him to stay in the locker room until after the National anthem. Sure, he can sit all he wants in there, but out on the field, he should honor the flag who so many have died and sacrificed for.

    2. Most Americans, even those who have run for the highest offices in the land (I’m looking directly at you Sarah Palin), have no idea what 1st Amendment “freedom of speech” entails.

    3. But Jed never said that Allan. It seems even he respects Colin’s right to express himself more than you do. Maybe Jed even has some sympathy to Colin’s cause, which you seem to have not even considered.

    4. This is exactly right, and if the 49ers wanted to take action, they would be well within the law. Unfortunately, many of the folks saying that he should be compelled to stand for the National Anthem are not being that nuanced in their criticism.

  44. Well gang it has been revealing.
    In the years to come I hope that many of you will go back and remember/read what you have said about Colin and his right to speak his mind.
    For a few ,it will be with pride that you undertook the tough choise and stood by his right to speak.
    And for the rest of you…regret stays with you to the grave.

    1. Sorry, but I take pride in this country, and the flag is a symbol of that pride. Besmirching that flag will haunt him to his grave, and his hyperbolic statements about how untrained white cops are killing unarmed blacks with impunity will haunt him, too.

      My only regret is supporting him before he went brain dead.

        1. TY. It truly pains me to see such self immolation.

          Coach, I wish we were talking about football, instead of being distracted by this controversy.

    2. Hack
      There are two different kinds of complaints here, and I only see a few that would censor Kap. Others just don’t like it, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. The folks from the Westboro Baptist Church exercise their 1st Amendment rights and are miserable hate mongers. I’m not ashamed to oppose their protected speech since I don’t impede it. Colin said what he thinks in a public way. Others can disagree publicly; that’s not censorship.

    3. Revealing in deed. I now know much more about some of the individuals on this forum than I wanted to.

  45. Cut him now, disgraced in 49ers jersey, can’t run, can’t pass, can’t read defense, can’t read receiver, can’t answer questions to the media, and now he want to become an activist. Please cut the crap with the distraction, the fact is you can’t play, take off the jersey and return the salary and become an activist and see if anyone care. Go downtown to the most ghetto part of the city at night and preach your social change, you will get rob and please don’t call the police because you hate them.

  46. Grant your father wrote a good article about CK. Although the young man certainly has the right (and some might say an obligation) to sit out the Anthem in protest one suspects that what is going on here is more complex than an expression of personal belief, perhaps more convoluted than Colin himself is aware of or clear about. What seems self evident is that he is at a crisis point in his career ,unless his play improves dramatically his foray into the spotlight will dim quickly .If he confuses the affect of his “moral” stance with the consequences of poor play for a waning career it will be a disservice to himself and his associates.What this all adds up to be ,sadly, is another chapter in a dysfunctional relationship (not entirely Colin’s fault ) , sometimes it is best just to say goodbye.

  47. I think Kaep is taking his Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine albums a little too seriously. #collegebs

  48. “Love it or leave it!”
    “Fix it or lose it!”
    Forty eight years later, here we are. I guess our smart phones didn’t make us any smarter.

  49. I think it takes guts to stick your neck out publicly, especially against the ones that are supposed to protect you. I’m not against cops, but I’m against cops that lie, steal, falsify reports or murder. I’m against cops that abuse their power to rape women and intimidate law abiding citizens. I’m against cops that beat up prisoners whether they do it alone or take turns in their cowardly attacks. This is not something that is just happening now. No the only difference now is that we have evidence/videos of what really is happening.

    Every dishonest cop and the blue front that protects them with their silence is an affront to civility and what the the national anthem stands for!

    1. We have come a long way. 50 years ago, in the south, a black man was lynched for kissing a white woman. Police were much more brutal against minorities, but it was not videoed or documented back then.

      Police corruption was institutionalized back then, and there were very few black or women cops. Nowadays, the police force is more integrated, and with technology, the bad apples are being exposed.

      Sports has been leading in the fight for equality. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. From being lily white, basketball teams now have an unwritten rule to include a token white. The NFL has a predominance of black players.

      Back then there were laws against interracial marriages. Nowadays, it is much more accepted. However, even though I have biracial children, they still were subject to racial taunts and discrimination. We have come a long way, but we have far to go.

      Bad cops will exist in the future, but to paint every cop as racist and corrupt, does a grave disservice to all the good cops.

      Dishonoring the flag will not bring back another lost life, and may be counter productive in the long run, because it divides us all. Kaep should channel his energies into better, more effective ways to promote change.

  50. I do not respect the flag of the United States of America as a thing, but as a symbol for the grand ideas of the Enlightenment that informed the founding of this nation, a set a principles that transcend nationalism and tyranny, even the tyranny of the majority, in favor of individual liberties afforded not by fiat of government, but by virtue of our existence as human beings. I do not respect the National Anthem of the United States of America as a song, but as the expression of the indomitable will that drove people of privilege to risk that privilege for ideas that ran counter not only to the views of their countrymen, but also to the laws of the government under which they lived. I do not respect the government of the United States of America because I am governed by it, but because it is an entity constituted in such a way that its laws protect those liberties to which all human beings are entitled, not because those liberties have been given to them, but because such liberties are our inherent rights as human beings.

    If the flag of the United States of America does not represent the equal application of our inherent rights as human beings, and the equal application of the laws designed to protect those rights, then to uncritically respect the symbol is to disrespect the ideas of which it is a symbol. If the National Anthem of the United States of America no longer stands for the will to defy tyranny and injustice , but rather for the banal charge of unquestioned patriotism, then it fails to represent “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” and becomes naught but a mindlessly mouthed tune of the tyranny of public perception and the injustice of ignorance and intolerance. If the government of the United States of America fails in its primary function, to protect the inherent liberties of its citizens, then it is the responsibility of those citizens, who themselves form the government, to strive to return it to its proper function, even if in so doing they must toil in the unpopular task of transforming the will of the majority.

    I respect the flag of the United States of America, and by choice I pledge my allegiance to it, and more importantly, “to the Republic for which it stands,” but I recognize that the Republic must constantly strive to protect the liberties of all human beings who live under it, even those who question and protest that Republic. I stand for the National Anthem of the United States because I believe that this Republic still protects the ideas on which it was founded, but I acknowledge that it does so imperfectly and that protest, even of a kind that makes the majority uncomfortable, or maybe especially those that are of a kind that make the majority uncomfortable, are a mechanism for moving the Republic toward better protecting the individual liberties of those who live under it. I support the government of the Republic, but as we quickly approach the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America (in 2018), I am cognizant that one of the promises of that amendment, that no state shall, “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” is a promise that a significant number of citizens of the Republic, irrespective of their race, creed or religion, believe has been broken in a way that evinces a systemic bias in the equal protection and application of the laws of the Republic.

    I respect the men and women of the armed forces who have fought and died to protect the Republic that protects our liberties, but I disagree with those who would claim that a lawful manifestation of that liberty, even one that many may see as disrespectful, is an affront to sacrifices made to protect said liberty. Enforcing patriotism against the will of the individual is not an act of liberty, but of tyranny; further, it is counter to the very principles for which so many have sacrificed their time, health and even lives. Or put another way, lawful protest is in fact one of the liberties for which those sacrifices were made.

    I respect the many people who have taken issue with Colin Kaepernick’s action, both on account of the action itself and the reasoning behind that action, by discussing the appropriateness of his action and the issues in which he believes. This is a dialogue we need to have, and the uncomfortableness of his action has helped impel that dialogue forward. And I respect those who find his action disrespectful but do not advocate any government or societal measure to force him to conform to action deemed respectful by that society.

    I do not respect those who believe that Kaepernick’s actions are “un-American” or that any person should be forced by society or the government to express a patriotism or allegiance not true to that person. Indeed, I find the idea that a nation built on liberty should enforce an overt manifestation of patriotism in its citizens repugnant on its face. Further, I find the insipid claim that individual opinions are sacrosanct and should be able to be expressed without criticism to be on the same order of ignorance as those who would try to enforce others to have the same opinion as their own. Both situations impinge of the free exchange of ideas protected by the principles embodied in this Republic. Thus, I will always strongly advocate for and strive to protect the liberty of people to express differing views, even those I may personally find wrongheaded and/or disrespectful, as well as the right of others to criticize and disagree with those views.

    Finally, I respect Colin Kaepernick for believing in something and taking a risk to act, in a very personal way, on that belief. Further, I respect him for articulating his position when asked about it, rather than trying to avoid the ramifications his action and the beliefs behind it. And while I would not have chosen the same action, and while Colin Kaepernick and I might not agree fully agree on some of the particulars of his position, I feel that he has proceeded a manner that is “American” in a way that resonates with the principles on which this Republic was founded.

    1. Well,,ya know JPN, if you had put any actual thought into your statement……..
      Just kidding. Well said.

    2. A voice of reason as usual JPN001, but I see the stance of Kaepernick as nothing more than an attempt to garner more media attention sincee he was no longer in the spotlight. I also think he could do a lot more if this is actually his stance because he is in a position that few find themselves in which allows them to do something.

    3. Reasoned and thoughtful, JPN, but no match for chest-thumping, self-righteous faux patriotism.

    4. JPN, you’re only addressing what he DID, not what he SAID which is sad because it has now turned into a FOS issue rather than a right to be free of gov interference!

    5. JPN, thanks for your well reasoned and at times passionate post. I wonder, though, about Kaepernick’s real motivation behind this. It seems self-serving IMHO.

    6. He couldn’t beat out Blaine Gabbert, so it’s a career change for Colin Kaepernick. I can respect a man that recognizes when it’s time to retire. I wish him luck as a community activist, and extend my sincere gratitude for his service as a 49er, as well as some great memories. I think we’re all done here, so I will board the Gabbert Express and get my ticket punched just like The Polar Express. It reads Foo****

      1. Welcome do the blaine train my friend. I too have just arrived. I know it must have been hard for you Razor as it was for me, but we must move on.

        You think we see Driskel at some point this season?

      2. Razor, who woulda thunk it would end this way. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

        Too bad Kaep admitted that his social activism is more important than playing football.

        Next man up. Gabbert seems like he can lead, and I wish him well.

        1. Surprising and disappointing, Seb. But, when your heart is no longer in the game, it’s time for the #7torm to dissipate….

    7. Do you draw a distinction between expressing controversial views in a 49er uniform, while being paid, vs expressing these views on one’s own free time? Or should we all be free to speak our convictions in the workplace on issues that may be divisive and distracting to the task at hand?

      1. My comment was directed at those who see Kaepernick’s action and words as being ‘un-American’ or ‘disrespectful’ in such a way that we should not allow him (or by extension, others) to act in that way. I am especially troubled by the minority that seem to advocate that the government should compel people to stand for the National Anthem. My comment does not address what his employer could or not compel him to do because, to date, that is a non-issue.

        If the 49ers or the NFL have an issue, that is separate from the type of enforced patriotism that many seem to be advocating. An employer can restrict speech/expression on work time, and in some instances even outside of work. For example, if I were to openly express a criticism of the judicial branch in my state, given the role I play in the context of providing educational programs to the members of that branch, I would likely be terminated even if the comment was made on my free time.

        In the same vein, if the 49ers and/or the NFL do not take issue with his action, that is their right as well. Whether it is distracting or not is a matter for the parties involved to discuss and work out. That people outside find it distracting or problematic is immaterial to the positions of the parties involved.

        Further, the workplace speech issue is a red herring unless/until the 49ers or the NFL take some action. A hypothetical situation in which one might be restricted or compelled in the manner people are desiring is just that – a hypothetical. It distracts from the more central issue, that people believe that ‘someone’ should compel another person to act and believe in a manner that they find acceptable. That his employer could do what people want ‘someone’ to do is immaterial to the discussion if that employer is not taking such action.

        1. Great point. I appreciate your thoughtfulness on this key aspect I keep trying to raise, to no avail other than your response. No doubt, the 49ers have yet to make a business decision to keep the workplace a controversy-free zone. I think it’s myopic not to do so.

          By not implementing that simple rule, the organization will have to decide when it agrees and when it disagrees with a controversial statement a player makes. In the past, it has condemned Chris Culliver and Garrison Hearst for offending gays. I’m with them there. But if they’re not going to condemn a player for offending people who have lost loved ones on battlefields defending our freedoms, I think it alienates a constituency they must believe will remain loyal regardless.

          I wonder if they’re weighing this risk against whatever the benefit of this media coverage will turn out to be. I believe it’s a poor business decision that will cost them some paying customers in the future. Maybe that’s worth less than all the publicity they’re getting now, but I can’t fathom how that can be so.

          1. But if they’re not going to condemn a player for offending people who have lost loved ones on battlefields defending our freedoms, I think it alienates a constituency they must believe will remain loyal regardless

            This is your misinterpretation or willful ignorance, and it’s already been debunked by Kap himself. The team hasn’t condemned him because there is nothing to condemn. You want to be offended and lash out at him, so you ignore the fact he has clearly stated he is not doing this as a protest against the military or anyone who fought for rights and freedoms.

            If you disagree with sitting during the anthem fine, but don’t sit on your high horse criticizing something that isn’t even accurate.

            1. So Kaepernick can do something that offends people and then “debunk” their reasons for feeling offended.

              I’m Jewish. That’s kind of like someone wearing a swastika, claiming that he wasn’t wearing it as an anti-semetic statement, and then you claiming that the neo nazi just debunked the idea of a swastika being offensive to Jews.

              You’re a moron.

              1. Thanks for providing a great example of the type of citizen who shouldn’t be influencing decisions Alan. Comparing a peaceful, non violent protest to promoting hatred is asinine in itself, but then you also want to stifle the man’s right to do it. You like this country’s ideals as long as they fit with your myopic opinions and if they don’t, you want action taken such as the team punishing Kap to appease the blind, ignorant and intolerant group that you are obviously a member of. I take great pride in the fact you called me that name because if you disagree with me that strongly, I know I’m going in the right direction.

        2. JPN, I do not know if your comment was directed at me, but here is my perspective.

          When the announcer says- ‘Please rise for the singing of the National Anthem’, he says please, and I consider that a voluntary rejoinder, not a command. Forced patriotism is fascistic, and not commendable, but many like myself are happy to help honor the flag, and all it stands for.

          Like you said, you stand because you want to, and I have never said that Kaep does not have the right to sit. However, in any protest movement, they stipulate that there will be ramifications, so every protester should accept the consequences to his actions.

          Kaep will soon understand the reaction to his actions, and I hope he is prepared for the storm of boos that will rain down on him. He better be prepared for them to blitz him like crazy, because they will want to grind him into the turf.

          1. Seb,

            The NFL, coaches and GM’s (who are a pretty white group, btw) might want to “teach him a lesson”, but I think you might be surprised how many players agree with CK. I’m not saying they’ll sit for the NA with him, but that they agree with his message.

  51. You got your hits Grant congratulations puppet Master. Now can we move back to football because last time I checked, Kaepernick was not a starter in SF and I would much rather enjoy the game and reading about individuals who will have an impact on Sunday.

    1. Matt ..

      I commend Grant for sticking his neck out
      by the topic of this thread .. and .. yeah ..
      while it was guaranteed to garner the hits ..
      doncha see what’s happened ?

      He has shown a huge spotlight on an issue
      which has been in the darkness for far too long ..!

      While I can disagree with some of the posters (here) ..
      I once wore the uniform to help protect their rights.. to have..
      as well as express their opinions …

      Isn’t this what a free society is supposed to be about ?

      To Grant .. and all the regulars, here ..

      Thank you

    2. Matt, Grant may have engendered 200 posts, but NN has totaled over a thousand. This is topical, and germane.

      However, I, too, would rather talk football.

    1. I love it when people who do nothing, criticize others who are trying to do something…

      1. Sitting on your duff during the national anthem is not doing something. It is an inaction that merely draws attention to the person and nothing more.

          1. Like when he told 49er fans who expressed their displeasure of him wearing a Dolphins cap that they were bored?
            The reality is all he has done is draw attention to himself, just like he has done in the past. If Kaepernick is serious about this, then he should attend peaceful protests, show that he has donated money to aid in the cause, or get involved with a group or organization for the cause. That is action. Sitting on your is only drawing attention to yourself. It made sense when Rosa Parks sat on a whites-only bus, and when African Americans were sitting in a whites-only business because they were actually oppressed. But that oppression does not exist today, so actual action makes more sense.

        1. Mid,
          Colin has sat during the NA for the last 3 games without anyone even noticing (except for Friday night). He never made a prior announcement or advertised his intentions to sit.

          I don’t believe that he was looking for this type of attention, but at least he is prepared to face the fall-out that comes from it, and has made it clear why he is protesting in this manner.
          I for one, give him kudos for taking such a passionate stance even if it means losing his job.

          Ray Ratto just said on CSN BayArea that this may be just the crest of what may become a larger movement by more athletes of color. A player for the Eagles just said that he will join the Kap’ statement by also sitting while the NA is played.
          Don’t be surprised if CK’ protest becomes the next movement to bring about change.

          Sure, we don’t want to see our sports figures become anything other than entertainers on the field of play. And when they step out of that sphere we get uncomfortable. But at some point someone (whether athlete or not) needs to make a stance that starts a firestorm that can’t help but get attention.

          Whether we approve of it or not, it has forced us to do something here that otherwise would not happen; and that is to at the very least face the elephant in the room by having a conversation of the matter in which Kap holds passionately.

    1. I just cannot be diplomatic or eloquent or any of those things about this subject. But Phil Taylor is all that and more. Everybody should read the article at the above link which I provided.

      1. Thanks Grimey!
        Even JPN avoids the issues in favor of allowing Kaep to speak and sounding like FOS is even an issue.

        1. I will disagree that I am avoiding any issue. The issue I wanted to address was the claims that (a) how he chose to protest was wrong and (b) that such somehow impacts what he has to say. These are problematic claims on a variety of levels, and those making them are doing so from what I find to be a misguided understanding of the values of this country as well as from a desire to obsfucate Kaepernick’s position through ad hominem denouncements and a variety of false equivalences.

          I very much agree with Phil Taylor’s article, and I believe what Kaepernick is doing reflects the values on which the Republic was founded. He is raising awareness of injustice, he is helping to bring forward a conversation that needs to be moved to the forefront, and he is doing so in a way that takes resolve and courage.

          1. I will agree that he has shown courage, but just wish he would choose his battles wisely.

    2. Very good article. This point really stood out to me:

      Beware of anyone who wants to tell you why someone else shouldn’t speak. Be even more wary of those who want to decide what patriotism is supposed to look like.

    3. Great article, Grimey.

      Have you read MT2’s article on the subject? It’s excellent, as well.

  52. How about a poll question. Will CK be cut? Not should he be but will he. I say he will be released by game 3.

  53. So he has the right to sit and not stand. And we have the right to let him know how we feel about that. When he comes on the field in this weeks game, those who oppose his actions should boo like never before. New name after that: Boopernick.

  54. In my personal opinion, Kap did not do this to get attention. He did it for two games previous and nobody noticed. He didn’t say a word until a picture was taken the other night and Steve Wyche asked him about it. He’s also well aware that this could make him toxic when looking for a place to continue his career. There is no upside for him personally and many repercussions. What is happening imo, is people who don’t like the message, and/or are offended by the action, are finding ways to criticize by making up their own reasons for why he’s doing it. Meanwhile he has clearly said the following:

    – He’s trying to raise awareness over the the way many people of color are treated on a daily basis
    – He’s trying to raise awareness over the continued lack of disciplinary action taken against Police Officers who kill unarmed suspects and the link their lack of training may have towards it

    He has also clearly stated that this has nothing to do with the Military and that he respects them, yet we have continued statements about his lack of respect for the Military. That’s just complete ignorance and an attempt to manipulate the message into something more sinister. Don’t like the fact he’s sitting down, so make up any story to deviate from the real intentions. We get the attention whore accusations, the why doesn’t he put his money where is mouth is retorts and yet if you really listen to what he’s saying, there is no reason for the criticism. I get that some of you viewed sitting during the anthem as an attack on the sacrifices made to achieve the freedom and liberties we all enjoy, and yes you have the right to voice your opposition to it. However, he has clearly said that is not what the protest is about, so if you continue to base your opinion on that premise, you are purposely ignoring the message so you can be offended.

    A few weeks ago Michael Bennett made a statement about how NFL players are not standing up and speaking their minds on the injustices happening in the Country. Kap responded in his own way and is now being criticized for it. The fact this has become a huge story that has gone beyond the sports world is really a testament to how divided this country really is. One symbolic gesture has brought awareness to his cause and whether they agree or disagree, people are talking about it. That is the first step in achieving change. Well done Kap.

    1. When Kaep sat before the first and second games, he was not in uniform. Last game, he was in uniform. To me, that is a big difference.

      1. Also, I think Kaep s being manipulated as a publicity stunt, but is counter productive because now I have less interest in supporting their cause. Are they asking ALL players to sit in protest?

        1. Seb,

          I’d like to see every black player in the league sit for a week, just so that you cannot watch football.

              1. If I could not, so would you. Sounds like you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.

                Football is bigger than some grandstanding puppet, who tilts at windmills in a misguided and empty gesture that will insult millions.

              2. Football is just a game. Kaepernick is trying to raise awareness of an issue that involves life and death for some. Clearly you do not understand that.

              3. Kaep can protest all he wants, but grandstanding during the national anthem will not help his team win. In fact, it will give the other team more motivation to defeat him and is a huge distraction that does not help team chemistry.

                Kaep, during his spare time, should protest all he wants. Heck, he should wake up and stand on a corner waving signs all day. Knock himself out. That would cause less harm than infuriating millions on national TV.

                Football should be about football, not promoting a social agenda. Hope you have volunteered to work for BLM. I will not waste a nanosecond helping them if they are advocating burning flags.

              4. Football is just a game. You making this all about football just makes it clear how little you care for the players as actual people.

              5. You do not know my stance on concussions? I am all for the health and safety of the players, and want the league to use the bye week to schedule 2 games within 3 weeks so they have 10 days between games. 3 days between games is too short a period to let the body heal and recover.

                You, on the other hand, would rather the NFL be a forum to advocate for social justice, it seems, which has nothing to do with football. SMH.

          1. So, how many players, black and white, plan to sit with Kaep as a symbol of solidarity? Name one.

      1. Aside from remaining anonymous, one cannot protest without drawing awareness or attention to oneself. I am sure JPN can give some Latin phrase for this logic.

      2. No Grant, the media including you makes it about him and that a song is more important than people’s lives.
        If he wanted the attention he could have said something before.

        1. People are talking about him, not the issues. Listen to the radio. Watch the television.

          1. Therein lies the problem. All this has done is bring attention upon Kaepernick and not the cause.

            1. If you acknowledge this, and still discuss Kaepernick and not the cause, that is on you, not Colin.

              1. Nope, it is on Kaepernick. He chose the wrong form of protest, illogical take on oppression, and past antics.

          2. Sure they are Grant, but in the weeks and months to come I predict that the message (not CK) will begin to be the clear focus.

            All Kap did was pull the bandage off of a large social (wound) issue that has been neglected for some time. The sore under the bandage needs more attention then many of are willing to admit.
            Kap’ statement may prove to be just the tip of the iceberg when all is said and done.

    2. Rocket,

      I was going to write something like you did, and I think you put it better. There are multiple issues here that are often conveniently conflated to assign beliefs to Kap that he has explicitly refuted.

      Considering Kaepernick scored one point higher on his Wonderlich than Andrew Luck, I’m would guess he’s a lot smarter than most of the people calling him names and ranting on social media. I have always thought him to be a sincere young man who, not unlike many in his age group, is somewhat immature and emotional. I thought the wording he employed in his interview recently could have better.

      Kap is using this public platform to draw attention to what he feels is gross injustice. Clearly, his actions are not intended to further his career in the NFL. He is going to lose a lot of potential income because of his stance. So I don’t quite understand the arguments of his critics.

      1. Mood,

        He isn’t always the most eloquent when expressing himself, but I agree that he is a smart guy, and I think there is something more to it along the lines of what the writer of the article Grimey posted pointed out. He doesn’t seem to care about the repercussions which means he may have plans beyond football that he’s passionate about and ready to pursue.

        1. I think Kap knows the writing is on the wall when it comes to his football career. He’s using the platform while he has it. Smart because most would simply ignore him if he made these statements after his career is over.

          1. I said from the beginning, if he couldn’t beat out Gabbert, he should retire. After watching him play, it was clear to me he no longer has a passion for the game….

  55. Pretty sad that Seb does not even know why his own uncle fought in a war. Seb, in case you’re not aware, the article below states that active military vetrans support Kap’s right to protest. And I believe your uncle would want you to know that this is America, the country he fought for so we could have that right to protest….TomD

    sebnynah

    August 29, 2016 at 8:31 am

    Fine, he can protest, but do not whine about the repercussions.

    I
    Active Military Members and Veterans Express Support for Kaepernick’s Right to Protest – See more at: http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/96834-active-military-members-veterans-express-support-kaepernicks-protest/#sthash.TUKnZX6i.dpuf

    II

    More power to 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick for taking a stand against social injustice
    By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports 8:23 p.m. EDT August 28, 2016

    1. TrollD, Kaep has the right to protest, but that does not mean he has to demean the flag.

      Do not ever tell me what my uncle meant, because you did not know him.

      My uncle was a hard working honorable man, and would never crawl in the gutter with you.

      1. Seb,

        What is the line between demeaning the flag and not,during the National Anthem?

        Not putting your hand over your heart? Talking? Laughing? Not singing along? Looking away from the flag? Plenty of players do these things.

        Or is the bright white line for demeaning the flag sitting during the national anthem?

        1. An Olympian was ripped unmercifully just for not putting her hand over her heart. I was content for her to stand at attention while facing the flag. Others thought differently.

          Kaep is allowed to protest all he wants, but he should accept the consequences. Yes, sitting down is the line, especially while in uniform. If he is in the stands, I could care less.

          1. Gabby Douglass was criticized because she’s black. Michael Phelps was laughing and joking with his competitors during the anthem and nobody said a word.

            1. Yep. No question that’s the case. The men’s eight crew weren’t paying attention the podium, either. Nobody says a word.

    2. Of course they support “his right” to do it. That doesn’t mean they agree with it. Kaepernick also has the right to protest jail time for child molesters. So freaking what. He is showing profound disrespect and deserves all of the condemnation he’s getting. Not to mention, he’s full of crap anyway. If you think he truly cares about this “cause”, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. This is all about CK7 feeding his narcissistic tendencies. Gotta tip your cap, he’s pulling it off.

  56. hope Chip looks him in the eye and says- Kaep you have the right to sit as a common citizen, but if you put on a 49er uniform, you are representing the 49ers, and this action brings dishonor to the 49ers, the flag, and all that it represents. If you persist in your actions

    No, Seb. You’re dishonorable for not respecting our rights to protest under the Constitution of the United States of America.

    1. sebnynah

      August 28, 2016 at 6:37 pm

      I hope Chip looks him in the eye and says- Kaep you have the right to sit as a common citizen, but if you put on a 49er uniform, you are representing the 49ers, and this action brings dishonor to the 49ers, the flag, and all that it represents.

    1. TrollD, I see you are doubling down about breaking into gun safes and creating nightmares. You turn my stomach.

      1. Seb,

        You want American to turn into the Scarlet Letter Citizenry, where a religious zealot can be shipwrecked for 7 years on an uncharted island, everyone thinks he’s dead, then he comes back, and because he’s also dishonorable but has Christian status, can accuse anyone of anything–including Demi Moore of witchery—resulting in captol punishment.

        I have faith that most Americans do not honor inanimate objects like a mindless automaton, however (unlike Seb) believe their should be be real humanitarian meaning and democratic value in that which is honored …Your uncle would believe in these values I believe.

        1. TrollD, do not tell me what my uncle would do or say. You did not know him, and he had more integrity in his nail clipping than you have in your whole body.

        2. Then there were the Salem witch trials, Seb, where a wife’s husband would die and the adjacent farmer took that opportunity to call her a witch, while also putting in a claim for her land after the guilty verdict.

          I have read many of those trials. This went on for hundreds of years Seb.

          Do you want an American, where, one, claiming to be more patriotic than the other can throw you in jail without due process….Well, that’s where this is headed for w/o people watering the tree of liberty with bloodshed, now and again to retain, as the world calls us, our experiment in democracy.

          Or, as Ben Franklin stated, They have a democracy if they can keep it.

          1. TrollD, factually wrong and delusional as ever.

            I have never said that Kaep cannot protest, but he must accept the consequences of his actions.

  57. Here in Indiana, I got harassed by the cops routinely just because I had hair down to my @ss. The only way to equalize their police power is with cams that are always turned on. Supposed to operate as if someone is watching all the time, and now we have that capability….

  58. Kaepernick might as well walk up to a wounded vet in a wheel chair and flip him the bird. Refusing to stand during the National Anthem is profoundly disrespectful to the men and women who serve and have served in the military. We are lucky to be in peace time right now where this kind of foolery gets praise, but god forbid we experience another 911 or worse – people like Colin Kaepernick would be standing and saluting so quick your head would spin.

        1. “To me, this is a freedom that we’re allowed in this country. And going back to the military thing, it’s a freedom that men and women that have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by the contributions they have made.”

          I’d say that you’re being disrespectful, simply by not listening.

          1. Grimey ..

            as a vet .. I find it difficult to condemn Kaep
            for not standing during the Anthem .. as ..
            he does have the right not to ..

            I don’t believe he’s denigrating this country..
            nor the flag by doing so … just (silently)
            protesting what .. (in his view) are some
            injustices …

            The only (valid) argument, against him, that
            I can see … is the distraction he has become
            from the team … for which he seems ready
            and willing to take any consequences which
            may arise …

            1. To me there is no valid argument against standing up against racism. To everybody that wants to say, “he should do it a better way” or “this is not the time or place”, I ask, how should he do it? What is the “time and place”?

              I think these are just excuses made by people who don’t want to hear it.

              I appreciate and respect you very much MWN.

            2. None of the vets I know are upset or feel disrespected by CK’s actions.

              How many of those on here losing their minds are actually vets, or are they projecting?

          2. Grimey,
            Just because he has the freedom to do something doesn’t mean it’s not disrespectful. Many people find his actions disrespectful.

    1. So, so, so very good. Bomani Jones is a brilliant man and never fails to hit the mark.

      “America’s remarkable stability is the product of a structural resistance to fundamental change and its history is interwoven with racism that was once self-evident but now operates with winks and nods that few in power are willing to fight. To oppose racism is righteous. To deny its existence, no matter the reason, is cowardice. To treat a peaceful protest like an act of war against whiteness or America — notions used interchangeably in this debate, which is problematic — is hypocrisy.”

      1. It’s also hypocritical and cowardly to not stand for anything until your career has gone up in flames and the financial ramifications have been removed from the equation.

        1. The less cynical would say he is evolving his stance on the issue. He was still in line to make more millions in his career before this.

          1. Big P,

            It would only be hypocritical and cowardly if he held the desire to do and say the things he has, but willfully withheld taking such actions and making such statements in order to further his career / brand. The problem is, neither you, nor anyone else on here, has any idea if that’s what he’s done.

            In fact, if that’s what he did, you could throw cynical on the pile, for good measure, but it just doesn’t seem that that’s the case. It’s not impossible, but, IMO, it’s very doubtful.

        2. Big P,

          By what age are we supposed to be finished products as human beings? 25, 26? Is that the rule that CK violated? Or is it the He’s-Got-Money-So-He-Needs-To-Shut-Up rule?

          At what age did you stop refining and developing your way of thinking and being?

          I see no reason to criticize CK for speaking “too late in his career” or “now that he has money”.

          CK reached the point he’s at, at the point he’s at, just like everyone else.

      2. One should also acknowledge the huge strides that have been taken over the years. 150 years ago, slavery was legal. 100 years ago, the Jim Crow laws were in effect. 50 years ago, a black man was lynched for kissing a white woman in the south. At around the same time, they finally signed the Voting Rights act and sports were integrated.

        Up until recently, there were laws on the books to ban interracial marriages. Red lining still exists, but have been weakened. discriminatory covenants were finally declared illegal.

        There has been progress, but it moves slowly. Kaep ignored the problem until last May. the good news is that the old ways of thinking are dying out when the older population passes away. Younger folk are more tolerant and progressive.

        Someday, MLK’s words will ring true, and we will all be free at last.

        Hope Kaep directs his activism into better, more effective ways that will truly help all peoples, rich and poor.

            1. Which one? The where he gets cut, traded or relegated to the pine?
              I mean do you think he can win the starters job after all this and the way he’s played? Get serious!
              I’ll keep asking till you get it right? 16 weeks Seb of .
              Get your popcorn ready!

            2. Against 2nd and 3rd stringers? That’s not a storm, it’s a weak system that is moving on….

              1. Something I said many years ago. But all I heard was Chip was gonna blow us away with how he could utilize CK.
                How this was the best fit for both parties.
                Har Har, hardy Har Har!

              2. Razor do you think that this protest has anything to do with CK diminishing the opportunity for the 49ers to trade him?

  59. Just a theory…. his mediocre disappointing career is coming to a close and he did that so when he is cut, he can cry racism. This is about kap, not this country. Funny thing is he’s not even black. He is Iranian.

    1. If he sees injustice and makes a statement over it, he could be from Mars for all I care

    1. Using a quote from a guy who got it right about only 32% of the time doesn’t make sense.

    2. Grimey,

      Covering up a problem, instead of admitting fault and correcting it as early on as possible, is a sure recipe for a problem compounding to a point that it’s out of control (e.g., the Catholic Church institutional protection of pedifile priests)

  60. How about you start with the number 1 killer of black people kap!
    You know , their OWN!!!!

    1. MD,

      So, you’re saying we should only try to cure the deadliest cancer, and none of the others? Then, once the worst cancer is cured, and only then, go after the next cancer on the list?

      BTW, the use of the term “their own” implies an us and them approach. Aren’t we all Americans? Aren’t we all people?

      Don’t you think everyone wants the same things out of life?

      “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike…”

      1. Apples and oranges ex…
        They as in the African American BLM movement are choosing to segregate themselves with rioting and beating up white people. The lives they chose to use for protest are questionable! There was one death that they have used that was a legitimate problem. The man who was selling cigarettes and told the punk cop he couldn’t breath died in vein. The others were thugs with guns especially Michael brown the case that started this whole joke of a group known as BLM! I am all for social justice and cops being exposed for overstepping their duties. Believe me. But the name of the hate group on segregates them from the rest of the country. With that said how on earth can black lives matter when they are a danger to themselves far larger than any other “group?” Statistically more white people are killed by cops than anyone else. The black race is no longer suppressed without self infliction. They have the right and ability to do anything anyone else can do. This movement is a hoax and a reason to loot and riot and frankly be angry! How can any rational person respect a movement that totally ignores the real threat and points to a very small % when that real threat is caused by their own?

        Is and them??? That’s where they put themselves and yes we are all Americans but burning flags, threatening violence and rioting in the name of thugs who were killed by cops isn’t me, and it isn’t American. If you’re implying it’s a racist thing I’m saying it’s not. I grew up with black folks in a predominantly black neighborhood. And most that I still talk to today grew up and woke up like me. This goes way beyond black vs white. It’s about slavery for all of us. In our minds and how they train is to think. Trust me, I’d love for all of us to unite and fight the real fight. This divide and conquer tactic is scary and the book 1984 that most would shake off as a conspiracy theory way of thinking is happening.
        I won’t go into how deep it goes, but cmon man this movement isn’t American, patriotic, or just!

        To each thier own I guess. That’s what makes this country great.

        1. Respecting good police work means being willing to speak out against civil-liberties-breaking thugs who shrug their shoulders after brutalizing citizens.

          2014 in Staten Island, an asthmatic 43-year-old father of six, Eric Garner, died after a group of policemen descended on him, placing him in a chokehold while attempting to arrest him for allegedly selling cigarettes. A bystander managed to capture video in which Garner clearly cries out, “I can’t breathe!”

          Even after releasing the chokehold (chokeholds, incidentally, are prohibited by NYPD protocol), the same officer then proceeds to shove and hold Garner’s face against the ground, applying his body weight and pressure on Garner, ignoring Garner’s pleas that he cannot breathe. Worse yet, new video shows at least eight officers standing around Garner’s lifeless, unconscious body.

          Who can defend this? – ninermd

        2. ninermd –

          Police officers are people. Their lives have inherent value. This movement is not an anti-people movement; therefore it is not an anti-police-officer movement. Most police officers are just everyday people who want to do their jobs, make a living for their families, and come home safely at the end of their shift.

          This does not mean, however, that police are not implicated in a system that criminalizes black people, that demands that they view black people as unsafe and dangerous, that trains them to be more aggressive and less accommodating with black citizens, and that does not stress that we are taxpayers who deserve to be protected and served just like everyone else.

          Thus the Black Lives Matter movement is not trying to make the world more unsafe for police officers; it hopes to make police officers less of a threat to communities of color. Thus, we reject the idea that asking officers questions about why one is being stopped or arrested, about what one is being charged with, constitutes either disrespect or resistance. We reject the use of military-grade weapons as appropriate policing mechanisms for any American community. We reject the faulty idea that disrespect is a crime, that black people should be nice or civil when they are being hassled or arrested on trumped-up charges. And we question the idea that police officers should be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to policing black communities. Increasingly, the presence of police makes black people feel less rather than more safe. And that has everything to do with the antagonistic and power-laden ways in which police interact with citizens more generally and black citizens in particular.

          Therefore, police officers must rebuild trust with the communities they police. Not the other way around.

            1. What NinerMD is stalking about is the incredible amount of violence that takes place in black communities. Black on black crime. Ray Lewis commented on the need for blacks in Baltimore to stop blaming whites for their problems and to simply stop killing each other after the riots. He talked about the insane level of violence he witnessed over the years perpetuated by blacks against other blacks. The Washington D.C. BLM leader responded by saying that black on black crime was a ‘myth’.

              The murder rate in black neighborhoods skyrocketed in Baltimore due to the vacuum created by the unwilling police presence. Chicago is a war zone with gangs of execution squads that commit mass murder for drug territory. Detroit is the poster child for urban decay. The drug dealers and gansters are celebrities in their communities. They are heroes to many black youth. They rap about and glorify the horrific violence. Half of the Bay Area rappers I listened to growing up were murdered after glorifying and monetizing the behavior on their rap albums.

              Many people see the BLM as cherry picking an argument against violence from police while ignoring the horrific violence that permeates many black communities. When black people are overwhelmingly losing their lives to other black people and it’s being glorified or ignored by large portions of the black community, it’s hard for many non blacks to see BLM as a valid movement for change.

              Copying and pasting isn’t educating anybody, it’s merely regurgitating the propaganda that one organization is feeding you. It doesn’t make you right or better. It makes you lazy and part of the problem.

              1. @bigp

                Black people who kill black people go to jail. White people who are policemen who kill black people do not go to jail.

                America is very segregated, and its criminality conforms to that fact. So the victims of most crimes are the same race as those who commit them. Eighty-four percent of white people who are killed every year are killed by white people. White people who buy illegal drugs are most likely to buy them from white people.

                Far from being extraordinary, the fact that black criminals are most likely to commit crimes against black people makes them just like everybody else. A more honest term than “black-on-black crime” would be, simply, ‘crime.

                Focusing on black-on-black crime distracts from the current news that is worthy of discussion and analysis. Worse, it randomly zooms in on one phenomenon that sometimes black people kill people who are also black while ignoring the issues that go hand in hand with it. And that’s a lot to ignore.

                The policy of America has been, for most of its history, white supremacy. The high rates of violence in black neighborhoods do not exist outside of these facts, they evidence them

              2. Maybe the best way to stop the violence is to decriminalize pot, so people are less likely to commit crimes and have less financial incentives to establish drug gangs.

                When drunk or whacked out on meth, people can be dangerous. When high on pot, most are placid and cool.

              3. >>Chicago is a war zone

                I’m betting many residents of Chicago would take exception to this blanket statement

                >>Detroit is the poster child for urban decay…

                …due to the collapse of a single industry economy (had to fix that for you)

                Hard drug addiction, family break-ups, crime rates are skyrocketing in lower income white communities as well. Why? They are now facing the very limited economic opportunities that black communities have been struggling with for decades. Or maybe it’s because they have been listening to white heavy metal acts and their nihilistic lyrics.

              4. Ribico,

                Chicago:
                Murders are up by over ~80% this year, with shooting up by almost 90%. These increases are shocking because they are following two years of in which murders and shootings rose by double digits. The mayor has had to call on the National Guard to help with the violence. It’s residents refer to it as Chiraq, as in Chi-Iraq, a war zone.

                “I’m betting many residents of Chicago would take exception to this blanket statement.”

                I’m betting many wouldn’t. I’m betting many would agree with the leader of the city. I’m betting many would agree with the reality that the city is extremely dangerous and are horrified by the violence. I’m guessing that’s why the residents call it Chiraq.

                Detroit: Needs $2 billion just to tear down the old building that are decayed. Did Pittsburgh tear itself to pieces when the steel industry pulled out? No. Detroit is a failed city that has been under black leadership for over 40 years with terrible results. That is a fact.

                Measure twice and cut once.

            2. Oneniner,
              I’m not focusing on black on black crime. I’m just not ignoring it and making excuses for it because it’s a big part of the argument. Your statement was full of errors. Do some research. Read the annual FBI crime reports. “Black people who kill black people go to jail.” Do you even know how many unresolved murder cases involving black victims and black aggressors go unresolved? Referring to black on black crime simply as crime is dishonest because it’s shifting the focus away from the facts and the realities of the victims and the aggressors involved. You’re doing the same thing for blacks that rednecks do for bad cops. You’re making excuses and justifying murder and violent crime, which is why this crap continues.

              1. >> Detroit is a failed city that has been under black leadership for over 40 years with terrible results.

                I’ll give you one thing BigP. You have a lot in common with the author of our national anthem.

                “a distinct and inferior race of people, which all experience proves to be the greatest evil that afflicts a community.” — Francois Scott Key

              2. Ribico,
                I’m not married to a white woman and I’m white. I’ve never even dated a white woman. I’ve stated facts. You haven’t. Now you’re hiding behind some quote because your argument got ripped to pieces in the face of facts. You just inferred that I was racist because I didn’t agree with your false statements while providing information to back mine. You’re trying to bully someone with the race card and you’re showing your true ignorance in the process. That makes you part of the problem.

              3. BigP, you conveniently omitted a slew of FACTS. You make it appear the only difference between a city like Pittsburgh and Detroit is the color of the cities leadership. How about factoring in the makeup of larger the entities at play such as a Republican-dominated state legislature, not to mention the white urban flight going back many many decades, leaving a city with an impoverished taxbase. A better example is Flint, a black enclave that got the political short end of the stick while surrounded by walls of gerrymandered red and having their budget needs cut by a Republican state legislature.

                If you want a list of uniquely Detroit reasons why Detroit is in the shape it is now, take a gander here

                http://www.urbanophile.com/2012/02/21/the-reasons-behind-detroits-decline-by-pete-saunders/

                Nowhere is mentioned “black leadership”.

                And consider:

                “What are the most important factors that contributed to Detroit’s current mess?

                The first is long-term disinvestment from the city, meaning the flight of capital and jobs from Detroit beginning in the 1950s. It is employers and employees that provide the bulk of the funds for a city’s tax base. Secondly, intense hostility between the city and the rest of the state, which has a very strong racial dimension. Detroit has a long and painful history of racial conflict in local and state politics. That has contributed to the third major factor: the collapse of state and federal support for the city, which was crucial to its survival – and indeed to other cities’ survival – for a lot of the difficult times from the 1950s on forward. As a quick aside, when New York went through its fiscal crisis in the 1970s, it was bailed out by the federal government. There’s no bailout in place for Detroit today.”

                I believe the 1950s saw no “black leadership” in Detroit. Then:

                “Who’s to blame here?

                There is policy and political blame aplenty to go around. That is, officials in Detroit kept a large city government that was not proportionate to the city’s shrinking population in place. The state cut funding for infrastructure, education and transit. And the federal government steadily withdrew urban support beginning in the 1980s. The folk wisdom in Detroit is, ‘Oh, it’s mismanagement in city hall that caused the city’s problems.’ City hall is a player for sure, but the causes of this were far deeper. It had to do with macroeconomic and macro-political problems that were well beyond the boundaries of the city.”

                A large city government? I don’t believe that starts and ends with “black leadership”.

                BigP, I only “bully” with the race card when someone first draws it from the deck.

              4. Ribico,
                Wasn’t the mayor of (who was black) Detroit charged and convicted of public corruption and sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for robbing the citizens of millions of dollars through criminal enterprises? Didn’t the leader of the city go to prison for funneling $127+ million in contracts to his buddy Bobby Ferguson, $76 million of which were obtained through extortion? His buddy was convicted and is in prison as well. They were stealing from the people of Detroit. They were stealing from their bankrupt community. With a black population of ~85%, that is the definition of a black community being destroyed by its black leadership.

        3. MD,

          A lone motorist gets stopped on a dark country road. He’s told to stay in his car, for some reason, he panics and runs away. The cop shoots him in the back and kills him.

          A social service worker is laying down with his hands up saying don’t shoot, while trying to help a patient, gets shot in the leg, asks the cop who shot him, “sir, why did you shoot me.” The response? “I don’t know.”

          Anquan Boldin’s cousin’s car breaks down, a off duty cop in an unmarked car stops to check out what he thought was an abandoned, the cop sees AB’s unarmed cousin (who was calling for roadside assistance) decides he’s a threat and shoots him dead.

          The Castile shooting in which the guy was reaching for his ID as he had been instructed, as he’s reaching, he tells the cop that he has a legal firearm, then in a panic the cop starts screaming for Castile to not reach for his wallet, Castile didn’t comply and was shot. He later died from his wounds.

          I’m not saying that every shooting by police is unjustified, but unjustified shootings happen way, way too often.

          Is there a lot of black on black crime? Sure, but I’m at a loss as to how that makes even one unjustified police shooting something that doesn’t need addressing.

    2. So the cop in Miami who shot the black physical therapist (and reportedly answered “I don’t know” when the injured man asked him why he shot him) may as well have answered: “Dude, not sure why I shot you but just imagine that you were shot by “one of your own” since that’s statistically much more probable”.

      Extra-judicial killings by cops is not just a black-white issue. I’m been disturbed by these casual shootings of mentally-disturbed people over the years. The first one that I still remember was the killing of a psychotic Vietnamese mother of two in her home who brandished a vegetable peeler.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Cau_Bich_Tran
      The cops explained that “things happened too fast” !!!

    1. It would be interesting to learn how many of these non-firearm “weapons” were pocket knives or sticks that startled our jumpy and nervous cops.

      1. One thing I don’t get is, why don’t they just do exactly what the cop is asking them to do?

        I know this is a simplistic question and doesn’t mean that the incident wouldn’t have escalated but it’s something I just don’t understand.

        Second, it seems like some of these forces have good plans in place that are working, Vegas is an example this report gives. We need to start using things like this as an example for best practices and adopt them throughout the country.

  61. Largely word salad. Don’t worry Kaep we will fill in the information gaps . Alas, Harbaugh’s revenge.

  62. Good context to bring up my favorite quote of Voltaire.

    “John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens’ coach, defended Kaepernick’s right to protest. “Voltaire so eloquently stated, ‘I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend it until death your right to say it,'” Harbaugh told ESPN.com. “That’s a principle that our country is founded on. I don’t think you can deny someone the right to speak out or mock or make fun or belittle anybody else’s opinion.” “

  63. “There seems to be no objective argument that makes Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the anthem — which will continue, he says — wrong, even if one doesn’t think it was right. Just as one can oppose the war in Afghanistan and respect Pat Tillman’s decision to fight there, one can respect Kaepernick’s much smaller sacrifice. The only way one can’t is if one sees no nobility in his cause. And if someone struggles to see the merit in standing for the black and brown people who have been continually mistreated in this country, perhaps it is that person’s patriotism that should be questioned, not the man willing to stand before his country and take whatever comes next.”

  64. Any one of you liberal geniuses know why the nfl won’t allow Dallas to have Dallas PD stickers on their helmets?

    1. Probably the same reason they wouldn’t allow a BLM insignia on a helmet, had they been asked. Even conservative geniuses can figure that one out.

  65. Kaep should choose his battles wisely. He should not borrow trouble.

    Kaep said he would sit down until change occurs. Well, the debate is raging and Trump managed to insult him, which was golden.

    Kaep should declare victory, he did establish a dialogue. He made people confront their stereotypes. He should invite vets who have suffered at the hands of police, to stand next to him. He should tell everyone that he made his point, and now he will explore new ways to stop the violence like sane gun regulations. He should declare a war on the root cause of the violence- poverty. He should work in small communities to create jobs and businesses. If everyone has a job, they will not need to steal, and be too busy to cause trouble.

    Kaep should declare victory, and stop from making a huge mistake. He should make us proud that he is a San Francisco 49er. If he sits, he will be asking to be benched, because he is showing that his causes are more important than his team. He has put Chip in an awkward position.

    Kaep needs to focus on football. He needs to stop being distracted, or causing distractions to the team. They are wasting valuable time. He needs to be a leader of a football team, not an activist for a cause

    Kaep should declare victory, because he has affected change, stand up, and be respectful. Then all the drama will melt away, and he will not be boo’d as unmercifully than if he sat. If he does sit, I hope he expects to be blitzed like crazy.

  66. Chicago is on track for over 500 murders this year. The experts say the violence is increasing dramatically, in part because the police are not stopping people as often as they used to, because of the protests. The police kill about 15 people per year, 4/5 black. I assume the great majority are justified. So several police unjustified killings per year, vs 500 citizen on citizen murders, 3/4 black victims and perps. Does anyone really think that police shootings are the big problem?

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