Dilfer discussed the topic on Sunday NFL Countdown. He stated that if you wanted to be a "championship teammate," then you need to put your team above yourself. "No matter how passionate you are, no matter how much of a burden you have for a social issue, you don't let it get in the way of the team," said Dilfer on Sunday morning. "And the big thing that hit me through all of this was this is a backup quarterback whose job is to be quiet and sit in the shadows and get the starter ready to play Week 1. Yet, he chose a time when he became the center of attention. And it has disrupted that organization. It has caused friction and torn the fabric of the team.
"Although I respect what he's doing and I respect the passion and burden he has for this issue, a massive issue, I do not respect the fact that he put himself and his stance above the team because he's not the only one who's passionate about big social issues."
Colin Kaepernick, who has been relegated to the backup quarterback role with San Francisco, continues to be in the spotlight. During Sunday's games, a number of NFL teams were in headlines regarding players' actions during the national anthem. Kaepernick's controversial protest of the anthem has gained significant publicity from the media since it was first noticed following a preseason game on August 26.
"I'll continue to sit," said Kaepernick following that preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers. "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."
"Dilfer, who spent the final two years of his 14-year career with the 49ers and is a close friend of 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, lives in the Bay Area," says CSN Bay Area. "He said he has read at least 30 articles on the subject."
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