Report That Colin Kaepernick Would Stand For National Anthem Isn't True

Another Sunday in the NFL, another episode of the Colin Kaepernick kneeling saga. However, this wasn't just another somewhat tired rehash of what has been said about the embattled quarterback in the news already, but rather a curious report of Kaep's supposed about-face where his protesting approach is concerned.

Appearing earlier this afternoon on NFL on CBS, reporter Jason La Caforna was asked by host James Brown about a discussion that he reportedly has with Kaepernick on Saturday (October 7th). In his words, “Colin is all about changing the world, and the fact that more people seem to be aware of social injustice and doing things about it, he’s all in favor of,” La Canfora said. When pressed for info on the anthem kneeling, La Caforna had a hot take: “He’s not planning on kneeling. He’s gonna donate all his jersey sales, and he’s planning on standing for the anthem if given the opportunity.”

There's on indication on whether the framing of the segment was intentionally odd or not, but the larger implication was that Kaepernick would trade NFL employment for continuing to fight for the social justices that he and so many others believe are needed for every American citizen, no matter their background. Soon after the segment aired, multiple reports from the likes of the Associated Press and ABC News stated that Kaepernick would indeed stand for the anthem, which led to La Canfora going into damage control and clarifying his original statements.

“Standing for Anthem wasn’t something that I spoke to Colin about sat,” La Canfora tweeted in a thread that went up shortly after the segment aired.. “I relayed what had been reported about him standing in the future...” The discussion the two men had was supposedly centered squarely on Kaep's willingness to play in the NFL again. It's bizarre that someone of La Canfora's stature as a league insider, coupled with the fact that he was able to get some 1-on-1 time with arguably one of the most famous athletes in the world right now, would lead to the crux of his report being misinterpreted as wildly as it did. No response has been issued by Kaepernick.

Colin Kaepernick