Colin Kaepernick and Jerry Rice (Instagram/Twitter)
As San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick revealed he received death threats following his protest of the national anthem, Jerry Rice appears to have come around to the 49er’s protest.
Kaepernick shared he got “a few” threats to end his life from “a couple different avenues.”
One of those avenues included social media.
“To me, if something like that were to happen, you’ve proved my point and it’ll be loud and clear to everyone why it happened,” Kaepernick told reporters in comments obtained by CSN Bay Area. “And that would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now.”
“Granted, it’s not how I want it to happen,” he continued. “But that’s the realization of what could happen. I knew there were other things that came along with this when I first stood up and spoke about it. It’s not something I haven’t thought about.”
But it seems Kaepernick did not bring the threats to the attention of his team.
The 49ers told USA Today Sports they were unaware of the news until Kaepernick shared it with reporters in the locker room yesterday.
“The safety of our players, staff and those who visit our facilities are of the utmost importance,” team spokesperson Bob Lange said. “We investigate and evaluate any and all security threats and act accordingly.”
A spokesperson for the Santa Clara California Police Department also confirmed they did not receive any threats and are not investigating.
Regardless of the Niners’ and police knowledge of the threats, the online proof is there.
https://twitter.com/Barrrrrryy/status/774986384985710592
Though some NFL fans have turned their back on Kaepernick, Rice changed his mind about opposing the star. The legendary 49er previously tweeted he respected Kaepernick’s stance but demanded, “don’t disrespect the flag.”
https://twitter.com/JerryRice/status/770451825921105920
Nearly a month later, Rice voiced support for Kaepernick for “bringing awareness for injustice.”
https://twitter.com/JerryRice/status/778301857529606144
Rice did not detail whether or not he agreed with Kaepernick’s method of bringing attention to injustice against African-Americans. In August, he indicated he took issue with the current Niners quarterback’s lack of patriotism.
