What they said: 49ers discuss Colin Kaepernick 
 
 There weren’t many football-related questions posed in the 49ers’ locker room today. 
 
 The topic, of course, was quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the national anthem during the 49ers’ first three preseason games. Kaepernick’s stance inspired a team meeting this morning in which Kaepernick and team leaders spoke. Based on what players said, the meeting prompted thoughtful discussion and provided a better understanding for some of what Kaepernick is attempting to accomplish. 
 
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 It’s probably safe to say many players don’t agree with Kaepernick’s anthem stance. That said, they respect his desire to highlight issues of police brutality and racial inequality, and his willingness to absorb the resulting avalanche of critcism. 
 
 Here is a sampling of what players said: 
 
 WR Torrey Smith 
 
 “I know he’s taking a lot of heat for it. And he understands that when you do something like that, it does offend a lot of people. When I think of the national anthem, I think of soldiers. Soldiers that have died for our rights, and a right that he exercised. So I get why people are mad. I’m not (as) focused on how he did it, but the message he’s trying to send is important. We have real issues in society that need to be addressed. That was his way of standing up for it. I respect his right. Again, whether I agree with what he did or not - that’s not something I would do, but he did it.” 
 
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 “When I think of the national anthem, I think of soldiers who have passed away for our freedom. So that’s not something that I would do. But I understand that Kap has absolutely nothing against soldiers. It’s about the state of where we are as a country. Standing up for that. I don’t think he meant to offend any soldiers. I don’t mean to speak for him, but just knowing him, and how he’s been with soldiers and the appreciation he’s shown for them, I’m sure that’s not what he meant by it.” 
 
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 “I think everyone has a right to stand up for what they believe in. I respect that, first and foremost, whether I agree with what he did and the way he did it, that’s not for me. He has that right. Solders will die for his right to do exactly what he did.” 
 
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 “Oftentimes people want athletes to take a stand. But when they do it, it’s like ‘Hey, ya’ll, shut up. Sit down.’ He did something, unfortunately, it’s the national anthem. I understand that as well … But it’s about the message he’s trying to send.” 
 
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 “It takes a strong individual to stand up for what they believe in like that. And that’s a right that we have, so you have to respect it.” 
 
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 “He took a stance. I’m not going to say I’m a big cheerleader of it, or whatever. He took a stance on something he believed in. I would have gone about it differently. That’s just me, personally. That has nothing to do with him. He stood up for what he believed in and it is something that is wrong and is a real issue in our society.” 
 
 C Daniel Kilgore 
 
 “When it came out, to be honest with you, I took offense to it. But after Kap stated his case today and seeing where he’s coming from, I do stand with Kap when he says enough is enough against crime, violence, discrimination and racism. I believe enough is enough. I do see where people think it’s bad with the national anthem and the military. For me, personally, I’m going to stand there every time. I’m going to think about and honor those who are fighting. Those who have fought: my family members, my friends. If Kap decides not to, that’s his decision.” 
 
 LB NaVorro Bowman 
 
 “Every guy on this team is entitled to his opinion and we’re all grown men. We play the ultimate team sport and we ask a lot of guys to come together, no matter what their beliefs are, or how they were brought up. We have one common goal. That’s to win football games. And anything outside of that is not really important to the team. Your prerogative is your prerogative, but the team comes first.” 
 
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 “We’re still going to support Colin and rally (with) Colin because he’s part of our team. That’s our goal here, is to stay as (close) as we can because things like this are what breaks teams apart. And we can’t allow that to happen.” 
 
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 “We’re always told our voice and use the stage that we’re on. I feel like, Colin, he made that choice to use his voice at this time of his career. And that’s his prerogative. My thing is, I wake up every day blessed and thankful to play in the NFL. And I don’t want to step into that box yet. I just want to focus on my career.” 
 
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 “We support Colin. We don’t think he’s a bad teammate because he decided to voice his opinion on such a strong topic. But we can’t allow this … to divide our team.” 
 
 TE Bruce Miller 
 
 “His approach is that he wants to be an active member of this football team and do what it takes to win football games. Obviously, life is happening around us in the midst of that, so as a group we wanted to get together and make sure the team goals were still understood. What we wanted to accomplish.” 
 
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 “I think we had a better understanding of what he was feeling. What he was trying to say. That way, we could approach this in our own way. But also be knowledgeable and understand where he was coming from … We’re a family in here and we’re going to support every guy.” 
 
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 “We’re supporting him having the right to do that. No matter what people think the message was, or wasn’t. Whether it was right or wrong. We’re supporting Colin.” 
 
 S Antoine Bethea 
 
 “We’re all grown men here. We’re all going to have different opinions. You might agree with what he did or what he didn’t do. The timing of it. Everyone might have their different opinion about it. But at the end of the day, he’s a 49er. He’s our brother and we’re going to move forward.” 
 
 “Kap is a very smart and intelligent. I know he thought about what he was going to do.” 
 
 G Anthony Davis 
 
 “I think it was beneficial. Kap talked to us about it and I think he made some valid points … That’s why I think the conversation is needed. I think the guys handled it well. We were open to each other’s opinions. It was impressive.” 
 
 Twitter: @Eric_Branch ||||| SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem in each of the team's three preseason games and said he plans to continue to do so until he sees real change when it comes to racial oppression in the United States. 
 
 "Yes, I'll continue to sit," Kaepernick said. "I'm going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change. When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll stand." 
 
 On Sunday afternoon, Kaepernick spent nearly 20 minutes addressing reporters for the first time since he was spotted sitting between two Gatorade jugs during the national anthem before Friday's game against the Green Bay Packers. 
 
 Clearly aware of the backlash he's received since his stance became public, Kaepernick made it a point to clarify that he has nothing against the military. 
 
 "I do think that the talk has been more about me, more about I know a lot of people's initial reactions thought it was bashing the military, which it wasn't," Kaepernick said. "That wasn't my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues." 
 
 During the extensive interview, Kaepernick covered a variety of subjects, ranging from his reasoning behind sitting to whether he'll fear for his safety on the road this year to the presidential election. 
 
 Kaepernick said his decision to make his stance has been a long time coming and was born of years of both witnessing and being a part of racial oppression. 
 
 "It's something that I've seen, I've felt, wasn't quite sure how to deal with originally," Kaepernick said. "And it is something that's evolved. It's something that as I've gained more knowledge about, what's gone on in this country in the past, what's going on currently. These aren't new situations. This isn't new ground. There are things that have gone on in this country for years and years and have never been addressed, and they need to be." 
 
 Asked to offer some specifics, Kaepernick cited police brutality in a number of cities that have resulted in the deaths of black men. 
 
 Kaepernick recounted a story of one of his college roommates moving out of their house, and because he and his roommates were the only black people in the neighborhood, the police came and drew guns on them. 
 
 "I do think that the talk has been more about me, more about I know a lot of people's initial reactions thought it was bashing the military, which it wasn't. That wasn't my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues." 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick 
 
 "I have experienced this," Kaepernick said. "People close to me have experienced this. This isn't something that's a one-off case here or a one-off case there. This has become habitual. This has become a habit. So this is something that needs to be addressed." 
 
 Kaepernick said his decision to sit also wasn't made spur of the moment. He cited conversations with other players and influential people, such as Dr. Harry Edwards, as taking place in the time before taking action. 
 
 Dr. Edwards, who was instrumental in the protest by U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, is a 49ers team consultant and shared a hug and brief conversation with Kaepernick before Sunday's practice. 
 
 Kaepernick also addressed the team at a players-only meeting that took place Sunday morning. 
 
 "They asked me to talk and just explain why I did what I did," Kaepernick said. "And why I felt the way I felt. I had an open conversation with them. I told them why I felt that way and looked at things the way I do. A lot of it has to do with the history of the country and where we're currently at. I opened it up to all my teammates. Come talk to me if you have any questions. If you want to understand what I'm thinking further, come talk to me. It shouldn't be something that should be hidden. These conversations need to happen and can bring everybody closer." 
 
 Kaepernick said he has no plans to try to get other players to join him in his protest, citing the attention that goes with making such a move. 
 
 "This isn't something I'm going to ask other people to put their necks out for what I'm doing," Kaepernick said. "If they agree with me and feel strongly about it, then by all means I hope they stand with me. But I'm not going to go and try to recruit people and be like 'Hey, come do this with me' because I know the consequences that come with that, and they need to make that decision for themselves." 
 
 As for the timing of the protest, Kaepernick said he didn't choose now simply because it's an election year, but he did voice his displeasure with the two presidential candidates. 
 
 "You have Hillary [Clinton], who has called black teens or black kids superpredators," Kaepernick said. "You have Donald Trump, who is openly racist. We have a presidential candidate [Clinton] who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn't make sense to me. If that was any other person, you'd be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?" 
 
 From a football perspective, Kaepernick said he wants the team focus to be on winning games, but that there's also a time to discuss social issues. Asked whether he thought he could be cut for taking this stance, Kaepernick didn't seem concerned. 
 
 "I don't know," Kaepernick said. "But if I do, I know I did what's right. And I can live with that at the end of the day." 
 
 Kaepernick also said he has no concerns about potential backlash when he plays in road games this year. 
 
 "At the end of the day, if something happens, that's only proving my point," Kaepernick said. 
 
 As to where he goes from here, while Kaepernick continues to sit during the anthem, he says there are also plans to do more than symbolically protest. 
 
 "There are things that I have in the works right now that I'm working on to put together in the future and have come to fruition soon," Kaepernick said. "Those are things that I'll talk about as we get closer to those days."
– Colin Kaepernick may have made himself America's least popular football player with his refusal to stand for the national anthem, but he isn't backing down, ESPN reports. The San Francisco 49er told reporters Sunday that he won't stand for the anthem until America stops oppressing black people. "When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll stand," said the quarterback, who cited recent police killings of black men and his own experiences of prejudice and oppression. He stressed, however, that he has nothing against the military. Asked if he thought he might be cut from the team, Kaepernick said, "I don't know. But if I do, I know I did what's right. And I can live with that at the end of the day." The San Francisco Chronicle spoke to his teammates and found that while some of them are offended by his stance, they respect his right to voice an opinion. "I think everyone has a right to stand up for what they believe in. I respect that, first and foremost, whether I agree with what he did and the way he did it, that's not for me," says wide receiver Torrey Smith. "He has that right. [Soldiers] will die for his right to do exactly what he did." (Some former fans are burning Kaepernick jerseys.)