San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick “should find a country that works better for him”, Donald Trump has said in response to the furor over the black footballer’s decision to sit during The Star-Spangled Banner because he believes the US oppresses African Americans and other minorities.



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“I have followed it and I think it’s personally not a good thing,” Trump told the Dori Monson Show, a conservative afternoon talk-radio program in the Seattle area, of the controversy. “I think it’s a terrible thing, and you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him. Let him try – it won’t happen.”

Kaepernick sat on the team’s bench on Friday night for the first time during the anthem before the 49ers played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said in an interview with NFL Media afterwards. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick has gone on to say that he will continue to sit out the anthem until he sees change in the way black people are treated in the US.

The 49ers issued a statement saying that Americans have the right to protest or support the anthem.

“The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony,” the team said. “It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”

Kaepernick’s stand has proved divisive within the NFL. His former coach at the 49ers, Jim Harbaugh, was critical of the decision. “I acknowledge his right to do that. I don’t respect the motivation or the action,” said Harbaugh, who is now head coach at Michigan. Harbaugh later said he had misspoken and said he supported the quarterback’s motivation but not his “method”.

Other NFL players believe that Kaepernick’s actions are disrespectful towards the military. “It’s hard for me, because my brother was a Marine, and he lost a lot of friends,” Kaepernick’s former team-mate Alex Boone told USA Today Sports. “That flag obviously gives [Kaepernick] the right to do whatever he wants. I understand it. At the same time, you should have some fucking respect for people who served, especially people that lost their life to protect our freedom.”

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The Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Myke Tavarres initially said he would follow Kaepernick’s lead before changing his mind on Monday afternoon. The Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, one of the most eloquent voices in the league, was broadly sympathetic to Kaepernick when he spoke to reporters on Monday. “There is some depth and some truth into what he was doing,” Sherman said. “I think he could have picked a better platform and a better way to do it, but every day they say athletes are so robotic and do everything by the book. And then when somebody takes a stand like that, he gets his head chopped off.”

Kaepernick’s future at the 49ers was under threat even before the events of the last few days. He lost his job as a starter last season, and has failed to kick on since establishing himself as one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league when he led his team to Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013.