Colin Kaepernick said comments he made about Fidel Castro, perceived as support for the controversial late Cuban president, were taken "completely out of context" in the lead-up to Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
Boos rained down on the San Francisco 49ers quarterback during pre-game introductions at Hard Rock Stadium, a common occurrence at road games in the aftermath of season-long national anthem protests. Afterward, Kaepernick was asked to clear the air about a tense exchange with a reporter Wednesday in which he spoke favorably of some Cuban policies under Castro's communist regime.
"What I said was I agree with the investment into education," he told reporters after a 31-24 loss to the Dolphins. "I also agree with the investment in free universal healthcare, as well as his involvement in helping to end apartheid in South Africa. I would hope that everybody agrees those things are good things.
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"Trying to push the false narrative that I was a supporter of the oppressive things that he did is just not true."
The reporter, Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero, challenged Kaepernick on a T-shirt he wore in August, depicting Malcolm X's 1960 meeting with Castro in Harlem and the words "Like Minds Think Alike." Kaepernick said he intended for the shirt to show his support Malcolm X's willingness to be "open-minded," not Castro.
Salguero, a Cuban exile under Castro, later penned a column explaining the hardships his family faced trying to leave the country for a better life, calling Kaepernick an "unrepentant hypocrite."
Castro, 90, died on Friday, an occasion celebrated by many Cuban families, some in South Florida, whose plight was similar to the Salgueros.
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Kaepernick, this time wearing a shirt displaying only Malcolm X, said the timing of his comments in relation to Castro's death were "very unique circumstances." He added that he empathizes for those oppressed under Castro's regime, "but for me, what I said was, that was a historic moment for Malcolm."
"I've worn many Malcolm X shirts," he said. "He was a great man, and he lived the life that he talked about. He was someone that truly walked the walk. He was a great leader for the African community, and someone that I admire. ... What I said was, that was a historic moment for Malcolm. I'm not gonna cut out pieces of Malcolm's life. You know, in 1960 when they met in Harlem, that was a historic moment and that was something that I will always be true to what Malcolm was, what he represented."
Asked to assess whether he feels his original cause has become diluted in the national conversation, Kaepernick added: "I don't worry about people losing track of what the message is, because I've been true to the message. I'm against systematic oppression, and voting is a part of that system. I've talked at length about why I believe that."
