Colin Kaepernick began his protest of the national anthem nearly two years ago and it is still one of the most heavily-discussed topics in the NFL. The quarterback has created a precedent for teams to follow, peacefully protesting for the rights of black Americans. When Colin Kaepernick first kneeled during the National Anthem, there were extreme reactions on both ends of the spectrum with some fully supporting his goal and others who found the act to be disrespectful and counterproductive. Everyone from the current President of the United States has voiced their opinion on Colin Kaepernick, and now O.J. Simpson has spoken out.
In an interview with The Buffalo News, the former football icon said that he believes that the flag deserves to be respected at all times, adding, "I really appreciate what [Kaepernick] was trying to say. I thought he made a bad choice in attacking the flag." Although O.J. claims that he respects the former 49er for standing up against injustice, he retains his stance that he will always stand for the National Anthem. O.J. said, "The flag shouldn't be disrespected because of what cops do. The flag represents what we want America to be."
TMZ picked up the story, writing that while Simpson used to be friendly with Donald Trump, even attending one of his weddings, he does not agree with his political stance. Kaepernick has been under fire since the protests as NFL teams appear to be afraid of signing him because of fans' mixed strong mixed opinions about him.