NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and a few others in the sport have responded to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem before a preseason football game last weekend.
Kaepernick pointed to police brutality against people of color and said people are “not being held accountable” for their actions.
Kaepernick said he would continue to sit during the song.
He said: “There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust, people aren’t being held accountable for, that’s something that needs to change. That’s something, that, this country stands for liberty, freedom, justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now. … I’ll continue to sit. I’ll continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change, and when there’s significant change and I feel that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent and this country is representing people in the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.
“I have great respect for our men and women that fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have fought for this country. And they fight for freedom. They fight for liberty and justice for everyone. And that’s not happening. I mean, people are dying in vain because this country is not holding its end of the bargain up as far as giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody. It’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos, I’ve seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought for and have been murdered by the country they fought for. On our land. That’s not right.”
Stewart let his opinion of Kaepernick and Kaepernick’s actions be known Monday in a tweet:
For the record, I'm not saying our nation isn't messed up, just that police officers are not the root of the problem. They take the blame
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) August 30, 2016
Early in my career I had a Medal of Honor recipient ask that I stand correctly with my hand over my heart during Anthem. That's what I do!🇺🇸
— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) August 29, 2016
I stood proudly over 1,000 times @NASCAR races and saluted our flag. It's never been about me. It's about honoring those who've given all 🇺🇸
— Michael Waltrip (@MW55) August 28, 2016
Dude, what are you talking about?
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) August 30, 2016
Supporting the flag (national anthem) & minority rights aren't mutually exclusive https://t.co/Qhv5RMywSL