Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem is “dumb and disrespectful.”
In an interview with Katie Couric published on Monday, Ginsburg called the decision by athletes not to stand for the anthem “really dumb of them.”
“Would I arrest them for doing it? No,” Ginsburg said. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.”
Kaepernick began to kneel during the national anthem at the beginning of the NFL season as a way to protest police brutality against minorities. A number of other NFL athletes have joined the protest by either kneeling or raising a fist.
Even other leagues have seen a form of protest. Some NBA teams have been huddling together during the anthem in preseason games.
