Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Bills fans mock Colin Kaepernick before and during game
Oct 16, 2016 at 9:44 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took the field during Sunday's matchup with the Buffalo Bills, the New Era Field (formerly Ralph Wilson Stadium) crowd showered him with boos. Moments earlier, when he kneeled for the national anthem, the New Era Field crowd showered him with boos. Even before that, when he exited the tunnel to join his teammates, the New Era Field crowd showered him with boos.
It's needless to say that Kaepernick did not receive a warm welcome from Bills fans on Sunday. The Kaepernick hate didn't wait until the quarterback was on the field either. Prior to the game, Bills fans showed their displeasure with the 49ers quarterback and his nation anthem protest against violence in America. One group of fans built their own representation of Kaepernick out of a freestanding punching bag and then yelled, "Tackle the Muslim," encouraging people to attack it.
Robert Klemko of
Sports Illustrated reported that one man passing the scene yelled out, "This just makes Buffalo look bad!"
Looking to make a quick buck out of the situation, parking lot merchants sold T-shirts that read, "Wanted," and had a picture of Kaepernick with crosshairs over it. Under the photo read, "Notorious Disgrace to America."
Another shirt read, "Shut up and stand up," with a depiction of Kaepernick kneeling just below. It is important to note that these were street merchants selling the shirts and they are in no way affiliated with the Bills organization or the NFL.
As Kaepernick exited the field at the end of the first half, a fan reportedly threw a beer bottle at the quarterback's head. "If they did, they don't have very good aim," said Kaepernick as he laughed when asked about it. "I had some Bills fans come up before the game to say they support me so I think it all depends on who the person is. But at the end of the day, I'm going to continue to fight for what I'm fighting for."
"To be honest, I was focused on football so I wasn't really listening to what was going on in the stands," Kaepernick continued during his postgame press conference.
Kaepernick was asked if his message holds more weight now that he is the team's starter. "I think the message carries weight because people realize what's happening and what's going on and that it is something that needs to be addressed," Kaepernick answered. "There's people's lives being taken and people's lives being affected by this on a daily basis. It is something that more and more conversations are happening that need to happen so ultimately we can address this issue and create change."
Head coach Chip Kelly would not commit to Kaepernick remaining the team's starter. "Yeah, we'll see," Kelly said when asked if Kaepernick would start next weekend's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While Kaepernick played well during the first half, earning a 144.1 passer rating, he faltered during the second half earning a 39.6 passer rating. "I thought he was okay," Kelly said regarding Kaepernick's performance against the Bills. "There are some positives that you can really build on with him that he did. I thought he extended some drives, keeping plays alive with his legs. He did a good job so it was a pretty good situation in terms of him running the football."
Kaepernick was asked how he responds to the pro-USA chants from the crowd just prior to kick off and the view that what he is could is un-American. "I don't understand what is un-American about fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality that this country says it stands for," Kaepernick answered. "To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to standards that it says it lives by."
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Christian McCaffrey can extend touchdown streak during 49ers vs. Cardinals
Running back Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL with 353 rushing yards entering Week 4. Since Week 13 of the 2022 season, McCaffrey has scored a touchdown in 12 straight games, including the postseason. With a touchdown by McCaffrey against Arizona on Sunday (1:25 PM PT, FOX), it will be the fourth time since 1990 that a player has recorded a touchdown in 13 consecutive games, including the postseason.
The players with the most consecutive games with a touchdown, including the postseason, since 1990:
Player
Team
Games (Dates)
Emmitt Smith
Dallas
14 (Oct. 8, 1995 – Jan. 28,
Kyle Shanahan reveals 49ers contract extensions were finalized before the season
Last week, the San Francisco 49ers announced they had signed head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to multi-year contract extensions, keeping the team's brain trust together for the foreseeable future. However, Shanahan revealed that the deals had been finalized for a while.
"We did it before the Pittsburgh game (Week 1), so I had already celebrated with my family and stuff like that, which is huge," Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. "I feel very grateful just being a coach anywhere for a long time. I know what that means, and I'm extremely grateful for that, to have that opportunity, and mainly for my family to be somewhere for so long, which is cool."
The extensions had nothing to do with the 49ers' 3-0 start to the 2023 season. That's
Giants at 49ers, Week 3 predictions: Fans confident Niners reach 3-0
The San Francisco 49ers are set to host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday, September 21, at 5:15 p.m. PT. Each week, the 49ers Webzone staff predicts the winner within its annual NFL Pick 'em contest. That includes writers and forum moderators.
This week, all seven participating staff members selected the 49ers to beat the Giants. San Francisco is currently a 10.5-point favorite.
As for all the fans taking part in our NFL Pick 'em contest, 99 percent have the 49ers winning the game, as of this post.
Of
Potential trap game? Talanoa Hufanga, 49ers not looking past Cardinals, Joshua Dobbs
Everyone is excited about the Week 5 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, two Super Bowl hopefuls in the NFC. However, the Niners have a game scheduled before that clash of conference titans.
San Francisco will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and there is no way head coach Kyle Shanahan or his players are looking past their next opponent. After all, the Cardinals are coming off a stunning 28-16 win over the Cowboys.
"If I told you we were looking ahead to Dallas, we'd be in a bad situation," safety Talanoa Hufanga said Tuesday morning on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "I got great people around me, great coaches that are prepping us for Arizona. It's a great team.
"They've beat Dallas. I know they lost to the Giants