Colin Kaepernick was joined on Thursday night by San Francisco 49ers teammate Eric Reid during the singing of the national anthem.
#49ers S Eric Reid, not in uniform, kneeled next to Colin Kaepenrick during the national anthem. They hugged after it was over.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) September 2, 2016
Kaepernick had said he would be sitting through the national anthem from now until he sees meaningful change in terms of police mistreatment of minorities in America. He had made his stance very clear last Sunday during an 18-plus minute interview session with Bay Area media (watch here).
The embattled quarterback showed up on Thursday night at Qualcomm Stadium sporting quite a magnificent afro (pictures here).
In light of his recent civil rights stance, it could be argued that he wanted to pay homage to the African-American civil rights movement started in the 1960s when afros were prevalent.
There have been heartfelt arguments made by prominent Americans on both sides of this issue. Many, like Justin Pugh of the New York Giants — not to mention the White House — feel what Kaepernick is doing is disrespectful.
On the other hand, many others, like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, see it as an extension of his freedoms as an American.
It’s nice to know that Kaepernick does have support from his 49ers teammates. Whether Reid feels the same as Kaepernick or not, he showed tremendous heart towards Kap by sitting with him during the anthem.