Colin Kaepernick didn’t back down from his ongoing protest of the national anthem — and this time, he had company.
The 49ers quarterback refused to stand for the anthem for the fourth time in as many preseason games Thursday night in San Diego, taking a knee on the sidelines while teammate Eric Reid did the same as a soldier sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Kaepernick was loudly booed throughout the pregame activities at Qualcomm Stadium as his protest coincided with the Chargers’ 28th annual Salute to the Military ceremony, which featured 240 members of the armed forces unfurling a huge American flag during the anthem.
After the game, Kaepernick said that through his protest he “is not just talking about something,” but “being involved.” He also vowed to donate the first $1 million of his 2016 salary to organizations that believe as he does.
“I love America. I love people,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
Reid’s decision to join Kaepernick in support of the Black Lives Matter movement was not a total surprise. The fourth-year pro is a native of Baton Rouge, La., and wrote an emotional column for The MMQB in July of this year on Black Lives Matter after the police killing of Alton Sterling.
Also standing next to Kaepernick during the anthem was former Green Beret Nate Boyer, a one-time tryout at long snapper for the 49ers who had expressed his public support as a veteran for Kaepernick’s protest.
If anything, Kaepernick’s protest appears to be picking up steam. As well as Reid, Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also refused to stand during the anthem before Seattle’s preseason finale Thursday night against the Raiders in Oakland, Calif.
The boos certainly didn’t appear to affect Kaepernick’s play. Locked in a battle with Blaine Gabbert for the Niners’ starting job, Kaepernick completed 11 of 18 passes for 103 yards and rushed four times for 38 yards, looking healthier and sharper than he has since before he lost his No. 1 spot last season.
Kaepernick was greeted by hearty boos from the moment he came out for pregame warm-ups. One Chargers fan wearing a Philip Rivers jersey, Leo Uzcategui, screamed profanities and made obscene gestures to Kaepernick from field level.
“I was in the Navy and I saw men and women bleed and die for this flag,” Uzcategui, who said he was a 20-year veteran, told the Associated Press. “If he wants to do something, go to some outreach program where he can do some good. And I get it, his First Amendment right. But you don’t sit during the presenting of the colors, and you don’t sit during the national anthem. That is not the way to do it.”
Kaepernick also had some supporters in the crowd. Domenique Banks, a 23-year-old fan from nearby Oceanside, Calif., applauded the quarterback while getting a jersey signed during warm-ups.
“I told him I appreciate what he is standing up for,” Banks told the AP. “He said he appreciated it. Most of the people I talk to say the same thing. I don’t like that he is sitting during the national anthem, but I appreciate what he is standing for.”
Kaepernick’s latest protest came just hours after photos from early in training camp surfaced of him wearing socks with police officers portrayed as cartoon pigs.
Kaepernick also was caught by photographers sarcastically saluting a teammate on the bench before the anthem Thursday night.