No one can say that the San Francisco 49ers are not standing by their much-maligned backup quarterback.
According to ESPN NFL reporter Jim Trotter, the organization is donating $1 million to various Bay Area charities focused on combating social inequalities in the region.
BREAKING: The @49ers have pledged $1 million to a pair of Bay Area groups to address various social inequities. Story to come.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) September 8, 2016
It’s not about the money here. It’s about San Francisco acting as an organization that has the back of one of its players.
Kaepernick made news during the preseason for refusing to stand for the national anthem. It was in protest to what he perceives to be race-based social injustices in modern day America.
That an organization such as the 49ers would show solidarity with him on this hot-button topic tells us a story of a relationship that’s been salvaged.
Remember, it was just months ago that Kaepernick requested a trade from the team.
With the embattled signal caller now continuing to remain seated for the anthem, it’s going to be interesting to see what comes of this during the opening week of the regular season.
At the very least, he now knows he has a pretty strong supporter in his corner. Whether that changes anything remains to be seen.