ASSOCIATED PRESS Colin Kaepernick, pictured in a preseason game Friday, veered from explaining his refusal to stand for the national anthem to digs at both presidential candidates.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick went on the political offensive Sunday, throwing criticism at the presidential candidates after he refused to stand for the national anthem in a Friday preseason game.

Kaepernick, who says he has been protesting the nation’s oppression of people of color by not standing, was asked Sunday if the election year had anything to do with the timing of his demonstration.

“It wasn’t a timing thing, it wasn’t something that was planned,” he said, per The Big Lead. “But I think the two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the issues that we have in this country right now.”

Asked to elaborate, he answered, “You have Hillary, who has called black teens or black kids superpredators, you have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me because if that was any other person you’d be in prison. So, what is this country really standing for?”

The 49ers play their final preseason game at San Diego on Sept. 1 before opening the regular season Sept. 12 against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick had not played in an exhibition game until Friday against Green Bay, when he completed 2 of 6 passes for 14 yards and rushed four times for 18 yards.