Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The story kind of reads like something out of The Onion. In a game where the big headline was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's very rusty performance in his return to the field, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk went in another direction. He focused on something that the quarterback decided not to do while off the field.
Florio points out that Kaepernick decided against standing for the National Anthem prior to kickoff on Friday night. The team even went as far as to issue a statement to Pro Football Talk.
"The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony," the team said in the statement. "It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."
Pro Football Talk went on to point out that Kaepernick retweeted a Tweet on Thursday, accompanied by images of the American and Confederate flags, that said the following:
"The fact that you really believe that there is difference in these flags means that your [sic] ignoring history."
Yup. This is a story. And yes, we kind of just contributed to the problem. We offer our apologies. Here's to hoping that everyone kind of just gives Florio a thumbs up, says, "Cool story bro," and then moves on with their day.
Below is a photo originally posted via Twitter by Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The Tweet was later deleted. That is Kaepernick sitting in front of the Gatorade containers.
49ers' Kyle Shanahan shares blunt response when questioned about team party
By David Bonilla
Sep 6
On Saturday night, just hours after wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hosted his annual team party at his new home in Los Altos Hills. While some might question his decision to continue with the event, it would be foolish to...
Jerry Rice weighs in on Brandon Aiyuk's missed opportunity during 49ers-Jets
By David Bonilla
Sep 10
Following the San Francisco 49ers' 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday night, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk reflected on a missed opportunity—a perfectly thrown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy that slipped through his hands in the end zone just before halftime. The...
Schefter: 49ers gave Brandon Aiyuk an ultimatum during contract standoff
By David Bonilla
Sep 9
In the end, everything worked out for both sides. However, for a while, it seemed like the San Francisco 49ers might lose wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. In fact, they came very close to trading him, according to a Sunday report from FOX Sports' Jay Glazer.
On Monday, ESPN...
49ers Notebook: Players quickly overcome wild offseason; Nick Bosa raves about new teammates; Aaron Rodgers hopes to see 49ers again
By Kirk Larrabee
Sep 9
It's hard to find much to complain about from the 49ers' 32-19 win over the New York Jets, especially considering the road they traveled over the past several weeks to get there.
Sure, there were too many drives that ended in field goals instead of touchdowns. But given all...
