Tressa Glass

tglass@dmreg.com

In response to Colin Kaepernick's continued protest against racial inequality in the United States, U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa said: "This is activism that's sympathetic to ISIS."

Kaepernick first declined to stand for the national anthem during San Francisco's preseason games, and has since modified his protest by taking a knee during the anthem.

In an interview with Newsmax this week, King, a Republican from Kiron, said he doesn't feel Kaepernick has a right to protest the national anthem.

"Well, if somebody is working for me and they represent me, that's the same legal scenario they have on a football team," King said.

King used an example that if his employees told him that they were going to promote abortion, same-sex marriage or socialism in their spare time, they would be immediately fired and it wouldn't surprise them.

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"I think Colin Kaepernick is representing the San Francisco 49ers when he puts on that uniform. When he steps out on the stage, the world stage, he's taken advantage of that and is undermining patriotism," King told Newsmax. He said that if he was the coach, he would not allow Kaepernick to play until he took a knee and begged for forgiveness from the American people.

The 49ers issued a statement last month saying that it's the right of an individual to decline participation in the national anthem because of American principles such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression. In the NFL, players are encouraged but not required to stand for the anthem.

King said that Kaepernick's girlfriend, MTV's Nessa Diab, has affected Kapernick's views.

"I understand that he has an Islamic girlfriend, that is his fiancée, and that this has changed him and he's taken on some different political views along the way," King said. "This is activism that's sympathetic to ISIS."

Kaepernick is not Muslim, and he's blamed Islamaphobia for the rumors. “I have great respect for the religion, know a lot of people that are Muslim and are phenomenal people,’’ Kaepernick told USA TODAY. “But I think that (rumor of conversion) comes along with people’s fear of this protest..."

King is no stranger to controversy and sparked uproar earlier this year by questioning the cultural contributions of nonwhite people and displaying the Confederate flag on his desk.