49ers QB Colin Kaepernick yesterday started his first game of the season against the Bills at New Era Field, and he was "booed and hooted loudly, both before and after he knelt" for the national anthem, according to Mark Purdy of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Whenever he was tackled or hit during the game, fans chanted, "U-S-A, U-S-A." There was one report that a bottle of something "had been thrown at him." Kaepernick is "undeniably true to his cause, wearing a Muhammad Ali T-shirt beneath his sportcoat after the game in tribute to the late boxer’s human rights stances." He pointed out that before the game, some Bills fans "complimented his stance, while a few dozen others knelt outside the stadium during the anthem before entering the stadium." Kaepernick: "At the end of the day, I’m going to continue to fight for what I believe" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/17). Kaepernick added, "I don't understand what's un-American about fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality this country says it stands for. To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to the standards that it says it lives by." Kaepernick last month said he had "received death threats over his protest," but yesterday he said that those "aren't as frequent anymore." He said, "Those are rare occurrences now. I think for the most part people are realizing the impact and what's going on, and like I said from the beginning, I knew the consequences of what could come with this, and I was prepared for that" (ESPN.com, 10/16).
HOSTILE CROWD: The AP's John Wawrow noted one vendor outside the stadium was selling a T-shirt with a "picture of Kaepernick throwing a pass and a bullseye aimed at his chest" that carried the wording, "Wanted: Notorious Disgrace to America." Another shirt had a "drawing of a kneeling Kaepernick with the words, 'Shut Up and Stand Up!' printed" (AP, 10/16). The vendor selling the shirt with Kaepernick in the crosshairs was "not affiliated with the Bills organization" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/17). In Sacramento, Matt Barrows notes the "anti-Kaepernick sentiment began hours before kickoff in the parking lots around the stadium." Many Bills fans "dressed not in the red or blue jerseys of the home team but in red, white and blue flag-themed shirts, presumably touting their love for a country they believe Kaepernick is disrespecting" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/17).
THEY'VE GOT HIS BACK: In Buffalo, Nick Veronica notes a group of Bills fans before yesterday's game "led a march in support" of Kaepernick and "kneeled outside the stadium" while the national anthem played. Organizer Caitlin Blue said, "We’ve heard people say that he’s not a real American, that he’s unpatriotic, he needs to shut up. But we need people to realize this is one of the most patriotic things you can do, by raising awareness and bringing attention to injustices." Veronica notes the group, which numbered "roughly 50 people of various races," led a march "from the parking lot to the front of the stadium about 15 minutes before kickoff" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/17).
CAUSE OF CONFLICT? THE MMQB's Peter King writes there "has to be a certain amount of frustration inside the 49ers" with Kaepernick seeming "as interested in the social-justice aspect of his professional life right now as the football side." King: "I don’t begrudge Kaepernick for being politically active, and I didn’t see his post-game presser. But I read the transcript. He talked with more passion about the movement than about his first start of the year." King adds, "I don’t get why he’s more strident about this -- after the game -- than he is about the football game. If I’m [49ers coach] Chip Kelly, that would bug me" (MMQB.SI.com, 10/17). But NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted it appears that when Kaepernick "took his social stance and really ignited the conversation in the 49ers’ locker room," his teammates "took to him." Rapoport: "It created a new openness for the quarterback and for his teammates. He really is one of the guys now." NFL Network's Steve Wyche said Kaerpernick is "actually more liked by his teammates than he was a couple years ago." Wyche: "He’s liberated and much more open" ("NFL Gameday First,” NFL Network, 10/16).
CANDID CAMERA: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote it is "unclear when the protests will end, but the idea that they will last only as long as cameras are present to capture them," as CBS' Jim Nantz suggested on a hot mic during a "TNF" game last month, implies that the concerns "motivating the process aren’t real or genuine." This in turn suggests that anyone who believes this "hasn’t been paying attention -- or simply doesn’t accept as credible the concept that the players are protesting for any reason other than the glorification of themselves" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 10/14).
