NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick plans to stay on his feet next season after taking a knee during the national anthem before every game last year to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
According to unnamed sources in an ESPN report, Kaepernick doesn’t want to risk damaging the positive impact he believes he made through the demonstration. He also reportedly believes his protest sparked a satisfactory level of national discourse and support from fellow athletes, some of whom also took a knee during the pre-game national anthem.
The protest was a controversial one. Though hailed as a success, critics saw the protest as an insult to the men and women who have served in the armed forces. As a candidate, President Trump took issue with Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the national anthem, calling it “terrible.”
Kaepernick explained the rationale behind his protest in an interview last August.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” the San Francisco 49ers quarterback told NFL Media. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Kaepernick also pledged in November to donate $100,000 per month for 10 months to charities dedicated to fighting social injustice, after he promised to give $1 million to communities in need.
Kaepernick will reportedly opt out of his contract with the 49ers and become a free agent next week.
