NFL star Colin Kaepernick says he has received death threats after sitting down during the national anthem before a pre-season game.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was protesting against perceived racial oppression and police brutality in the US.

He says he was aware of a possible backlash but has received support from fellow NFL players and many others.

Speaking of the death threats, he said: "To me, if something like that was going to happen, you've proved my point.

"It would be loud and clear for everyone why it happened. That would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now.


"Granted, I don't want that to happen, but that's the realisation of what could happen."

Before the Niners past three games Kaepernick, 28, has kneeled to show respect for veterans.

Image: Kaepernick says he was expecting to be criticised over his protest

Despite the gesture he said he was the subject of racial slurs and other insults before last Sunday's game at Carolina.

"There's a lot of racism in this country disguised as patriotism and people want to take everything back to the flag," he said.

"But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about racial discrimination, inequalities and injustices that happen across the nation."

As an example he cited the police shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last week.

Forty-year-old Terence Crutcher was shot dead as he walked away from officers toward his SUV with his hands in the air.

"His car was broken down, he was looking for help and he got murdered," Kaepernick said. "That's a perfect example of what this is about."

To help the cause of equality, Kaepernick plans to donate $1m (£770,000) to organisations working in that field.

He has a team currently vetting potential charities and says he will launch a website listing his donations and how the money is spent.

"I want to make sure that not only am I transparent about what I'm doing but these organisations are transparent about where the money is going as well," he said.