Harbaugh on Kaepernick: “It’s his method of action that I take exception to.”

SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh was asked Monday morning about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem.

Here’s what Harbaugh said: “I acknowledge his right to do it, but I don’t respect the motivation or the action.”

What do you think of Harbaugh’s statement? What do you think he meant by “motivation?” And what do you think Harbaugh’s motivation was to say that?

UPDATE: Harbaugh has clarified his statement.

This article has 152 Comments

  1. Bosa signs with Chargers. I was kinda hoping he’d hold out all season and re-enter the draft. That would not have been $ wise though.

  2. Hard to know what he meant by motivation. He really has no idea what another man’s motivation is or how anyone thinks. Just Jimbo trying to confuse the press again?

  3. I’m guessing Harbaugh is not liking Kaep’s answer to his rhetorical “who’s got it better than us?”

      1. This…+1000…can we just get on with football? It’s like proud parents paying to much attention to a very pouty and very spoiled child…23 years of service, two wars, a broken family, and too many deployments…so I get it.

        Ignore him and it all fades away…he needs to take Lebron James as his mentor if his beliefs are really this strong.

        I’m to the point where I’m not going to watch a 49ner game as long as he is on the team.

  4. Harbs loves authority figures (hence his attendance on Judge Judy and praise for Ronald Reagan). I’m guessing it’s Harbs affection for police as motivation for what he said.

    Seasoned public figures understand the math of alienation, and would not have made the hairdresser comparison because it would have angered a segment of the population sympathetic to the issue (minority law enforcement, people that respect the hard job police do but also understand racial bias permeates our society and so on).

    Ratto is right. CK has no idea what he got himself into.

    1. Alienation math is fascinating stuff. The more detail, annalogies and comparisons one makes, the greater the chance of angering people.

      There was nothing to gain from the absurd hairdresser comment, but he had alot to lose.

      1. How many football players have you ever heard use analogies effectively? He would have been better off to just make the point directly that most new police officers do not get enough training in crisis situations. They also don’t get enough on the job counseling in how to deflate a crisis before it’s out of control.

        Not that it matters but Colin is never going to be a skilled politician.

    2. Ratto might be right that Colin doesn’t understand what he’s got himself into. John Harbaugh said it better than Jim, but that’s not a surprise. Colin might have put himself into a box, and could have taken a slower path that might have gotten better results in the long run.

      Life is a bunch of mights.

    3. I haven’t read Ratto’s piece as I am not a big fan of his.

      However, I have read Grant’s father’s piece, and I came away impressed with Lowell Cohn, the columnist and sportswriter. He has a way of making a nuanced point while showing a understanding of the subject matter, without coming across as if he is pushing his point of view upon the reader.

      IMO, Lowell Cohn is a very talented writer! Jim Harbaugh could take a lesson or 2 from him, lol.

        1. lol. What do they say about genetics? It often skips a generation?

          I’m just playing Grant. While you’re not at your father’s level just yet, there are signs of hope. lol

          All kidding aside, your father is a very good sports writer, that’s for sure.

          1. I am proud of Grant. He writes like a dream and everyone in our family knows he’s smarter than I am.

              1. Is that dirt on your nose or sniffing things you shouldn’t be Seb?
                Storm watch 2016! Chip will use CK in ways unknown to mankind!

  5. There was a wise man who once said, and I quote “I did it all for the nookie, C’mon, The nookie, C’mon”.

    His “motivation” is his girl. She’s in his head, she’s very much involved in that “movement”, and that’s why he’s doing this…why all of a sudden he’s rocking Malcolm X hats and quotes, and trying to be a social justice warrior.

      1. Nothing wrong with being in love, Seb. Just hope they treat each other with love and respect, kindness and understanding. If that happens, they should have a relationship that will endure a lifetime….

        1. I have said that she has given him bad advice, and that her cause is more important than his career. Is that love?

              1. Whitesnake, I really liked them back in the day. Saw them once with my marine buddy, Indian from the state of Washington, at the San Diego Sports Arena, on the Slide It In tour. They actually warmed up for Quiet Riot. I’ll never forget it because me and Alan Kayaaka were riding to the event in the back of a pick up. We were off the freeway and riding down a main street, when he stood up and started urinating off the tailgate. Plenty of traffic, and the car directly behind us was full of woman. I can almost see their faces, pointing and covering their mouths with a surprised looking smile and laughter. He was a cool cat….

  6. Coach Harbaugh
    ‏@CoachJim4UM
    I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin’s motivation. It’s his method of action that I take exception to

    1. “I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin’s motivation. It’s his method of action that I take exception to”

      I am glad Jim made that Clarification. I found his original statement a bit off base.

  7. Question for all the National anthem scholars… The lyrics reference a battle, but is The Star Spangled Banner specifically a mi!itary memorial song (as many of CK’s critics suggest), or a song that represents the sum of America (which certainly includes the great sacrifices our soldiers made)?

    1. Not sure, but I always preferred America The Beautiful over The Star Spangled Banner….

      1. God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood is my personal favorite.

    2. Francis Scott Key initially wrote it as a poem to commemorate the battle of Fort McHenry (1814), which Key had witnessed while detained on a British ship. Key then commissioned it to be converted to a song, using a well known tune to which an earlier poem of his had also been set (although the tune had existed before and independently of that poem as well). So, in that respect the poem/song commemorates a specific battle, although I would not classify it as a memorial poem/song (which would usually take the form of an elegy). So, my take is that the claim that “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a memorial song represents a misunderstanding of the purpose of the poem, which was to commemorate a battle, not memorialize the soldiers who fought in the battle.

      The song gained in popularity over the next 100 years (becoming a de facto national anthem), and it was proclaimed by Woodrow Wilson (via Executive Order) to be the official National Anthem in 1916. By this time, the popularity, and the impetus for naming it the National Anthem, likely had more to do with the values the song was believed to represent rather than its function to commemorate a particular battle of the War of 1812.

      1. JPN, thanks for the info. This makes the “disrespecting the troops” reactions somewhat odd. Almost like saying CK was disrespecting firefighters with his sit down demo.

        Ever hear the “5th verse” written during the civil war? I think CK would stand for that one.

  8. There is a time and a place for everything and this was neither the time nor the place.

        1. Funny thing is no one even cared the first two times he did it. Because he was out of uniform. No one will care what a back up QB does so he might as well get used to sitting cause there is no way he starts again for the 49ers.

  9. Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM)

    24 mins ago – View on Twitter

    I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin’s motivation. It’s his method of action that I take exception to

  10. Matt Maiocco
    ✔ ‎@MaioccoCSN

    List of reps from other teams at #49ers-#Packers game tonight. #Seahawks GM John Schneider is here.

    4:56 PM – 26 Aug 2016

  11. Hilarious situation developing?….The Niners unable to trade Kap to Elway, but Elway’s able to trade Sanchez to the 49ers??? Rumors.

    Denver Broncos name Trevor Siemian starting QB, trying to trade Mark Sanchez

    By David Fucillo  @davidfucillo on Aug 29, 2016, 10:20a 196

  12. Another Baake F/A Failing:

    49ers 5 Biggest Disappointments So Far in the Preseason

    by Robert Smith 1 hour ago

    5. Gerald Hodges-Inside Linebacker

    At 6-foot-2 inches and 236 pounds, linebacker Gerald Hodges has prototypical size for an inside linebacker. He checks all the boxes physically. But so far this preseason, he has been a disappointment.
    Michael Wilhoite, who started last season, has been unspectacular so far as well.

    1. Baalke is the problem

      Evan Silva Retweeted
      Dylan DeSimone ‏@DeSimone_80 3h3 hours ago
      Since 2012, the 49ers have gotten one NFL start out of eight ACL draft selections.
      26 retweets 47 likes
      Reply

  13. Ray-Ray Armstrong has actually been the most productive so far in his limited role.

    He has also missed other coverage assignments and, from the look of things, is a little thin (220 pounds) when compared to the heavier Hodges and Wilhoite. Taking on blocks near the line of scrimmage, shedding them, and making the tackle is a must.

  14. Not everyone believes Kaepernick’s antics are based in principle. He’s seeking attention for himself first and foremost. If he really cared about racial injustice he’d being doing more than just sitting on his butt. Besides, there are plenty of ways to make a point without giving the bird to the military, the Constitution and all the rights we hold dear.

    Colin Kaepernick is about Colin Kaepernick. Just ask Aldon Smith and the Houston flood victims.

    1. Was kaps protest violent? I posted Saturday that the flag represents all americans and that he unfairly stereotyped an entire nation. Dr. King spoke out against racial inequality while wanting to heal the divisions between black and white. That is my message as well.

      1. BLM has advocated violence and that’s why I remind people of what MLK believed….

        1. Razor, I may have misjudged the intent of your MLK post. We seem to agree that non violence is the way.

        2. I’ve heard their chants:

          What do we want? Dead cops.
          When do we want it? Now!

          Then the five cops in Dallas were murdered and they were all “we don’t believe in that.”

          Oh, really?

          How about “Pigs in a Blanket, Fry’em like Bacon.” Maybe they just want to teach the police the ins and outs of a culinary career.. My bad…

    2. Dr King was all about loving each other to drive out the hate that was the cause of the issues.

      We all need to be reminded of his words.

  15. This is just an observation. In the last few recent years I’ve watched George Zimmerman murder a young black teenager on the streets after disobeying police dispatch that told him to disengage.
    I saw the video of the kid who was cuffed and laying on the ground killed by a BART police officer. Earlier this year I saw video of Philando Castile shot with his young daughter sitting in the back seat by an officer who “panicked”. And the day before Alton Sterling shot in the chest while laying on the group. The only groups that seemed outraged predominantly are black people. No other group has stood up to say enough. I saw more universal outrage when Mike Vick killed dogs than I saw after these men were murdered by police.
    Maybe what Colin did was selfish. But in the big picture necessary.

    1. There’s nothing selfish about what Kap did. People just want to label him as such so they can ignore the real issue.

      1. I expect Colin will get an earful in San Diego, given MCRD is there, where I spent my boot camp. Lucked out not being sent to Camp Lajeune, where the mosquitos feast on you while at attention….

        1. And at least three Navy bases (San Diego, Coronado and Pt. Loma) with Camp Pendleton about 50 miles to the north.

          1. Good ole Camp Pendleton, Las Flores, my base. Last I heard, the 1st Marine Corps Division,1st Tank Battalion moved to 29 Palms….

        2. Razor, you aren’t kidding. Every time I go to Jacksonville I lose a few pounds to those nasties!!

          I do hope there can be change and healing. Our nation needs it. The sacrifice of all those who perished demands it. Our generation should work hard to ensure that the values we all cherish are shared equally.

  16. Prime, TomD, and now Jay Glazier (who agrees with us and knows more about football in his thumbnail, than Seb holds in his cranium:

    Time for you to realize that your talent evaluation about Kap was wrong, and apologize to everyone on this blog for your prolific Kap posts throughout the years Seb.

    You can start by declaring Prime and I the victors!

    49ers likely to cut Colin Kaepernick, and it has nothing to do with anti-U.S. stance

    Aug 29, 2016 8:50 AM

    Colin Kaepernick may be running out of opportunities to protest by sitting down during the national anthem…
    That’s because he will likely be cut from the 49ers roster before the end of the season, The move would have nothing to do with Kaepernick’s controversial public stance and everything to do with him not being very good at football, Glazer reported.

    http://sports.yahoo.com/news/49ers-likely-cut-colin-kaepernick-145010817.html

  17. Looks like giving up on a play is an easy way to get out of Cleveland. Smart business decision by Andy Lee.

      1. Rocket,

        Lee made zero effort to make a tackle on a punt return vs the Bucs Saturday night. He just kinda jogged and let the guy score a TD.

  18. Waiting to see if Kaep donates a large portion of his money to improving the daily lives of black Americans. He could build community centers in poor neighborhoods where young black men could go and learn job skills or just hang out to get off the streets or he could buy property and convert it into a community garden where residents could get fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. He could use his high profile to work with police departments and residents to help build bridges between the two. There are so many worthwhile things he could do WHILE still being respectful to flag and the positive things it represents but he chose to be divisive and incendiary instead. It’s exactly what we don’t need right now.

    1. Yes he could do those things, but what does any of it have to do with drawing awareness to the mistreatment and killing of people of color?

      1. Really? The media covers this topic 24/7. Whoever isn’t “aware” of the issues by this point is living under a rock and unreachable anyway.

        1. No they don’t, and it’s quickly forgotten after the coverage dies down, much like this protest will be. This is part of the problem. You are focusing on things that have nothing to do with what he is trying to convey with his protest.

          1. Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this. I don’t think he’s bringing awareness to anything other than the fact that he’s a washed-up QB looking for one last moment in the sun. I believe his motives are self-serving.

      2. Like that is any different from the mistreating and killing of non-colored people. And where do Asians, Indians, and Middle-Easterners fall is this argument?

        And what of the mistreatment and killing of people of color by other people of color (whom are more likely to kill or harm each other than any police officer)?

        No one life is more valuable than any other. Bad police exist, lets get them out of the system. Bad politicians exist, lets get them out of the system. Bad people exist, lets get them out of society. Doesn’t matter their skin color.

        1. So if I give money to support Children in a poor region of Africa, does that mean I don’t care about poor children anywhere else? If I give a few bucks to a homeless person does it mean I have to go out looking for more to give money to? I can’t speak for Kap but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t condone the killing of anyone. That has nothing to do with him speaking up about atrocities committed against people of color.

          1. Very well put rocket.

            And it’s hard for anyone to argue that Colin’s protest and ensuing public discourse hasn’t dominated the public spotlight since the story broke nationally.

            And it’s a conversation we should be having.

            I haven’t heard Colin arguing that the majority of individuals involved in law enforcement in this country aren’t good, selfless people who try to serve this country and their communities with dignity and respect.

            I’d be outraged if he did!

            However, where is the outrage that thorough, detailed investigations have uncovered a lack of accountability within our law enforcement communities, which has led to misconduct, including systemic racial bias and deliberate use of racially motivated excessive force?

            Where is the outrage that, even with all of the instances racial insensitivity, it ends up we put a higher priority in this country on the number of hours of training required that Cosmetologists in California are required to complete compared to police officers? Cosmetologists in California have a 1,600-hour training requirement before they can even take the test required to secure a license. Police officers in California, making life-and-death decisions regarding themselves and others in the heat of the moment, must only attend (either before being hired or upon hire) 888 hours (or nearly half) of Basic Training Police Academy, which requires roughly six months to complete?

            This is a conversation we need to have!

      3. There were over 11 million arrests in 2014 by 1.1 million cops

        Of these arrests, there were about a 1,000 people shot and killed by police. Of that 96% were armed and actively resisting arrest according to The Washington Post which is (a) liberal and (b) put a LOT of effort into understanding this problem. This has been backed up by a number of other studies. In police shootings, there is no racial bias. It is solely based on the criminal activity of ethnic groups.

        So the fact that 40% are black… Well, blacks commit 40% of the crime here in the US. Kind of makes sense. You commit crimes. You have police problems. You decide to resist and pull out a gun, you’re going to get shot.

        Anyway, then there’s the 4%. The unjustified. In the end, that works out to about 40 innocent people killed a year by non-justifiable shootings. Of which 16, or so, are black. Which is why people keep bringing up the same people all the time.

        (And did you notice that? It’s, pretty much, the same small group of cases. They don’t have enough grist for the mill, so they recycle. If it were truly the plague claimed, there’d be hundreds of new victims every year and you’d need a scorecard to keep up. But there aren’t. So they keep flogging the same ones.)

        Anyway, it’s not a plague. It’s not a pogrom. It’s a small number of personal and professional tragedies.

        But people who seek political power simply lie by commission and omission knowing that they can fool most of the people most of the time. Not because you’re stupid, but because you care. And they cynically exploit that caring.

        And you fall for it. You think they’re honest because you’re honest. And you can’t imagine they’d make a lie that big. But they do.

        And you don’t have to believe me. But look up the Annual FBI on crime — Table 43 breaks it all down by ethnic and gender groups. Criminals and victims.

        The Washington Post has a series on police shootings. Here’s the Harvard Profefssor (who is both black and liberal) paper on this: http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399 There are many other sources. Use them.

        Don’t be a mark. Don’t get played.

        And you don’t have to trust me. But those are the facts. If you want in world where facts don’t matter and demonizing people is the way to go… Well, not anything I can do about that.

        1. Moses – Now look what you’ve done. What are we going to argue about? Only a fool would believe that this problem lingers only because of lack of “awareness”. Kaep is clueless and he thinks he only needs to make us aware to solve the problem. Well, I’ve read a lot of words on the subject of his adventure and, aside from your cool headed review, all I have seen is a lot of people divided into two camps and pissing at each other. Razor, we could use your pissing buddy right now. It seems he would fit right in..

    1. Guess who was Canadian?

      Answer: it’s in the question. I’m pretty sure they didn’t have to worry about being called traitors to their country.

        1. Whine
          When I get paywall or ‘You’ve won an award!’ Pop-ups (only on PD) I can usually quit a couple of times to get past them. Annoying, but with persistence……

          1. Got it to work. Thanks again BroT. I missed reading Papa’s stuff, He is one of the best ever. Semper fi!

  19. Do people not see the hypocrisy in the debate.

    Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were Colin Kaepernick, yet no one complains about them.

    1. You must be toking the good stuff David Crosby gave to you…over here now, don’t be a bogart.

        1. Yup. I also loved the duo of Wilder and Pryor. See no evil, hear no evil is another classic.

              1. Gee.. Prime …

                When I was in skool .. (way back when) ..
                they taught us that Canada was part of ..
                North ..America !

                When did you guys move it ?

                eh ?

  20. Bosa ends the holdout, Chargers win. So far when it comes to negotiation the teams are still undefeated. When will the players learn that the Billionaires are the ones with the leverage. The teams aren’t losing money when a player doesn’t sign just the player, which is why they fold every time. Every time.

    Bosa should have listened to me a month ago when I was saying his best move was to simply sign, start playing football and go earn his big second contract with whichever team he wants. If Bosa ends up being a bust look for more teams to start adopting the Chargers way of writing contracts.

      1. He wont earn one penny more then if he had signed a month ago. Totally pointless, all he did was hurt himself.

        His teammates will play nice for now but if he struggles we’ll start to hear how they truly feel. How do you think every player on that team that signed the type of contract that the Chargers were asking Bosa to sign felt about him wanting to be different and special from everyone else? My guess is they didn’t love it and despite what’s being said publicly he has a hell of a lot to prove in that locker room.

    1. CFC,

      How did the Chargers win exactly? They had to guarantee a bonus next year for anything including NFI which they didn’t have to before. They also will not have their first round pick at a top level of performance for weeks, and that is if he doesn’t get injured due to not having a TC. Then there is the continued embarrassment surrounding their organizations business practices and cheapness.

      Owners do have more leverage and ultimately a player will likely sign, but it comes at a cost and the Chargers are going to pay it in a number of ways.

      1. Oh and in regards to his teammates, if you honestly think they will hold this against him and take the side of management, you are mistaken. Don’t confuse a couple of players telling him to get into camp with taking the organizations position. That is not the case.

      2. A critical development in closing the gap between the two sides was a switch of the agent who led Bosa’s negotiations, sources said. The change came after Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos went public Wednesday, saying the team had made its best offer and agent Brian Ayrault had turned it down. Spanos vowed the offer would only reduce from there. In the days that followed the hard-line stance, a transfer occurred from Ayrault to Todd France, who also works for CAA and co-represents Bosa. “Good cop, bad cop,” one source called it, referring to CAA’s tactic.

        From there, negotiations restarted to some degree.

        On Sunday morning, before the team kicked off against the Vikings at 10 a.m. PT, the Chargers and France agreed to a deal largely resembling the “best offer” from last week, a deal featuring 85 percent cash payout of Bosa’s $17-million signing bonus, or about $14.45 million, this calendar year, sources said. The rest will be deferred to March. Improved training camp roster-bonus language for Bosa was a notable difference, a source said, from last week’s offer. As long established, Bosa’s contract features offset language.

        http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/aug/29/chargers-sign-joey-bosa-contract/
        —————————-

        Like I’ve been saying. Bosa was listening to bad advice. Once that agent was replaced by someone more level headed the negotiations went forward with essentially the same deal the team has been offering all along and most notably with the off set language which was supposed to be the crux of this entire hold out. So if he signed the contract with the same amount of money and with the offset language then the Chargers won that negotiation. Since Bosa didn’t win his point and essentially signed the same deal he could have signed a month he is the one in eyes of those learned enough to understand negotiations that lost. He didn’t win anything meaningful and only hurt his image and ability to play by not participating in practice and preseason games which he could have done if he had just signed the contract, the same one essentially he just signed, a month ago.

        1. I’ve read all the stories including the ones that stated the Chargers compromised on cash flow in the remaining years of the deal, guaranteed next years roster bonus for a non football injury which had not been offered previously, and the fact they had already compromised from the original offer with the “final” offer they put on the table last week.

          Bosa wasn’t getting or listening to bad advice. The agents are from the same firm and France likely took over because both sides had become antagonistic. Bosa’s camp was willing to give up the offset language from the beginning if the Chargers had agreed to pay the whole bonus by December. They originally didn’t want to pay it until well into next season but compromised by offering to pay it by the start of the next league year which was the beginning of March. Now they are still doing that while also guaranteeing he will be paid if he suffers a non football injury. You are correct that Bosa’s side didn’t get everything they wanted, but neither did the Chargers, and the Chargers are left not getting the services of their first round pick to the fullest extent, along with yet another black mark on the organization for putting their penny pinching ahead of team performance.

          They did not win anything other than getting an extra couple of months to pay the bonus in full. Congrats to them.

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