SAN FRANCISCO — From the White House to San Francisco police union headquarters and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Colin Kaepernick’s name came up Monday as his decision to sit down during the national anthem reached far beyond football.

And many aren’t thrilled with the San Francisco 49er quarterback’s strong words about why he is doing it: To instigate change and challenge authority when it comes to race relations and what he feels is police brutality.

Even his former coach, Jim Harbaugh, now at Michigan, disagreed.

“I acknowledge his right to do that but I don’t respect the motivation or the action,” Harbaugh said.

Kaepernick, who has sat through the anthem at all three exhibition games, is prepared to keep doing it, even alone.

“The fact that it has blown up like this, I think it’s a good thing. It brings awareness,” Kaepernick said Sunday. “Now, I think people are really talking about it. Having conversations about how to make change. What’s really going on in this country. And we can move forward. …

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“There is police brutality. People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it and they’re government officials. They’re put in place by the government. That’s something that this country has to change. There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher.”

Martin Halloran, the San Francisco Police Officers Association president, sent a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 49ers’ CEO, Jed York, denouncing Kaepernick’s “ill-advised” statements and a “naivete” and “total lack of sensitivity” toward police, along with an “incredible lack of knowledge” about officer-involved shootings.

The union invited Kaepernick or anyone from the league to visit the San Francisco police academy to build communication and understanding.

“I only wish Mr. Kaepernick could see the emotional and psychological challenges that our officers face following a fatal encounter,” Halloran wrote. “Some are so affected they never return to the streets. In short, Mr. Kaepernick has embarrassed himself, the 49er organization, and the NFL.”


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