San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will probably never stand up during the national anthem again.
Kaepernick, 28, sparked controversy when he sat through the national anthem at a preseason game this weekend.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people,” he said after the game.
The quarterback remained defiant amid the firestorm of criticism directed his way after the 49ers loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.
Kaepernick said nothing is going to change as long as there is injustice and police brutality toward black people in America.
“I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed,” said Kaepernick, who is biracial and was adopted by white parents.
“To me this is something that has to change. 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.”
Even though he risks being cut by the team for his stance, Kaepernick says the message he is sending is very necessary.
“No one’s tried to quiet me and, to be honest, it’s not something I’m going to be quiet about,” he said on Sunday. “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…”
Kaepernick criticized the lax hiring process for cops in America.
“You can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist,” Kaepernick said. “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.”
