49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick continued his national anthem protest Monday night with a kneel, and discussed certain aspects of it after the game. Specifically, he was asked about comments made by ESPN's Trent Dilfer who said, in part, "The big thing that hit me through all of this is that this is a backup quarterback, whose job is to be quiet, and sit in the shadows."
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Here's the transcript from Kaepernick's response after the game:
Q: Did you see Trent Dilfer’s comments about you yesterday and if you did, what did you think about them?
KAEPERNICK: I just heard briefly about it. But I think that’s one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve heard. The fact that you say, ‘You’re a backup quarterback, stay in your place’ … that’s an issue. To me, you’re telling me that my position as a backup quarterback and being quiet is more important than peoples’ lives. I would ask him to really have a conversation with the families of people that have been murdered and see if he still feels that way. Because I’d bet you he doesn’t. Just because he hasn’t experienced that type of oppression.
Q: Where do you think he’s coming from on this?
KAEPERNICK: I’m not sure. That’s something that I hope he goes home and really thinks about what he said and how it impacts not just me but how it impacts people whose lives are affected by these issues on a daily basis.
Q: Do you welcome the criticism you’ve gotten on this if it gets people talking?
KAEPERNICK: Yeah. Nothing’s ever been done without criticism. Every great change, every great … whether it’s revolution or evolution of things … there’s always criticism of it. And there’s always that, ‘I don’t like change’ kind of mentality. But you have to be able to take that and say you know what in the long run they’ll see what’s going on, they’ll see what’s right, and they’ll understand.
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For additional context, here is Dilfer's full quote from Sunday:
"No matter how passionate you are, no matter how much of a burden you have for a social issue, you don’t let it get in the way of the team. The big thing that hit me through all of this is that this is a backup quarterback, whose job is to be quiet, and sit in the shadows, and get the starter ready to play Week 1.
"Yet he chose a time where all of a sudden he became the center of attention, and it has disrupted that organization, it has caused friction, and it’s torn at the fabric of the team. Although I respect what he’s doing, and I respect that passion and burden that he has for this issue, a massive issue, I do not respect the fact that he put himself and his stance above his team.”
