Colin Kaepernick plans to stand during the national anthem next season rather than continue to kneel in protest like he did last year, ESPN reported Thursday.
Sources told ESPN that Kaepernick said he doesn’t want his protest to detract from positive changes he has seen take place since last year. The sources did not elaborate on what the positive changes were, specifically, other than to say the amount of discussion on issues of social, racial, and economic justice had been important to him.
Critics pointed out that taking a less controversial stance might benefit Kaepernick as he leaves the San Francisco 49ers for free agency next week, with Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News pointedly calling the quarterback a “hypocrite.”
"So much for the cause he once called 'bigger than football,' and so much for the anger he once had toward a flag that 'oppresses black people and people of color,'" Samuels wrote. Samuels went on to say Kaepernick couldn’t handle the struggle and caved in order to get another team to sign him.
Michael David Smith of NBC News’ ProFootballTalk was a bit nicer, but said it was “hard not to be cynical” about Kaepernick’s choice to give up his protest.
As usual, Twitter users had plenty to say about it.