An American major league football star has refused to stand for the US national anthem before games due to oppression of African Americans and other minorities in the country.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” said San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernickbe on Saturday as quoted in an AP report.
“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 sat on the team’s bench Friday night during the anthem before his team played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game. He later explained his reasoning in an interview with NFL Media .
According to the report, Kaepernick is biracial and was adopted and raised by white parents. He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the…