(KRON) —NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell disagrees with Colin Kaepernick’s choice to kneel during the national anthem, but recognizes the quarterback’s right to protest.
Asked by The Associated Press about Kaepernick’s decision not to stand before games when the national anthem is played, Goodell said Wednesday: “I don’t necessarily agree with what he is doing.”
“I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a perfect society,” Goodell added. “On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that.”
Goodell added that NFL players having a visible platform for their viewpoints. With that comes responsibility to use those platforms properly.
Wednesday morning Kaepernick posted to his Instagram account, thanking all of the supporters that are backing his protest.
“We have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great,” said Goodell, whose late father, Charles, was a U.S. senator.
“I think it’s important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement; and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.”
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback wouldn’t stand for the anthem at the team’s preseason games, with teammate Eric Reid and Seattle’s Jeremy Lane doing the same. Kaepernick has cited racial injustice and police brutality among the many reasons for his actions and said he plans to continue to not stand for the anthem during the regular season.
The 49ers open their season at home against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
Kaepernick was encouraged that President Barack Obama recently weighed in on his national anthem protest by praising him for generating conversation about social issues.
Obama said Monday that he had no doubt that the San Francisco 49ers quarterback is sincere and “cares about some real, legitimate issues.” He also said approvingly that Kaepernick has generated more national conversation about “issues that need to be talked about” since his refusal to stand for the anthem became public less than two weeks ago.
“He’s someone who also realizes there’s many issues that need to be addressed and need changing in this country,” Kaepernick said Wednesday. “I think a lot of the initial shock of what the protest was about and the kind of significance of that was lost in the action and the message wasn’t really addressed. I think that was great that he came out and supported the message that we do need to make changes in these areas.”
Kaepernick did not stand for the national anthem all preseason and his protest became public after he sat before a home game against Green Bay on Aug. 26. Kaepernick has cited racial injustice and police brutality among the many reasons for his actions and said he plans to continue to not stand for the anthem during the regular season.
Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem last Thursday in San Diego with teammate Eric Reid in a move meant to show more respect to some military members who had been critical of the protest. Seattle defensive back Jeremy Lane also joined in by sitting before his team’s game in Oakland last week. Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said Wednesday that he is considering joining the protest as well but wants “to get all my ducks in a row before I do so.”
“I think it’s something where there’s a lot of players that really feel the same way,” Kaepernick said. “They’re just nervous about consequences that come along with it. A lot of them have families to feed. I think that’s a tragic situation where players aren’t comfortable speaking what’s really on their mind and what’s right because they’re afraid of consequences that come along with it.”
Kaepernick plans to continue the protest when the regular season starts next Monday against the Los Angeles Rams. He said he would refuse to stand for the anthem even if the Niners opened the season like most teams on Sunday, which is the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.