The fourth NFL preseason game is always a waste of time, but Thursday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers was the rare exception. During a media-frenzied week, everyone imaginable weighed in on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem. What would happen a week later when Kaepernick vowed to sit again, on the road, on “Salute to the Military Night” in the military town of San Diego?
Kaepernick kept his word. As a naval officer sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the quarterback kneeled on the sideline.
This time he was joined by fourth-year 49ers safety Eric Reid, who had showed support for Kaepernick this week on social media. Back in July, Reid wrote passionately about the recent fatal shooting of Alton Sterling in his hometown of Baton Rouge.
There is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. It appears that some police are afraid of black people, whether it’s from their own prejudices or ill-conceived stereotypes. In turn, folks in the black community are afraid of police for the same reasons, as well as incidents such as those in Louisiana and Minnesota. Time and time again, this fear of one another has proven to escalate routine encounters into deadly ones.
Nate Boyer, a former NFL long snapper and Green Beret who wrote an open letter in support of the quarterback, stood next to the kneeling Kaepernick and Reid with his hand on his heart. After the anthem, Kaepernick got up and embraced both Reid and Boyer.
Kaepernick, who is battling for the 49ers’ starting quarterback spot, was booed by the San Diego crowd during pregame warmups, before and after the anthem, and as he took the field for the 49ers’ opening possession. On the team’s first drive of the game, he led San Francisco to a touchdown.
In Oakland, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also chose not to stand for the national anthem before his team’s preseason game against the Raiders. Lane, a Texas native, is in his fifth year in the league.
Update, Sept. 1, 2016: A mid-game report from ESPN’s Nick Wagoner:
The Chargers just played Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and showed various military standing on the JumboTron as fans cheered. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick joined the crowd in standing and applauding the military members and veterans.
