The mixture of support and frustration over former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s recent Nike campaign continues to pour in. There’s been no shortage of opinions from the general public, professional athletes and everyone in between. Most recently, it was one of Kaepernick’s former teammates who addressed the topic.
As ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez revealed, he spoke with current Oakland Raiders defensive end Tank Carradine, who played with Kaepernick on the San Francisco 49ers from 2013-16. When asked about the Nike commercial, Carradine said he liked it and offered a strong opinion in the process.
“He sacrificed his career just so he can make a point,” Carradine told me. “So I feel like some people are just taking it the wrong way…we all get his message, he’s just standing up for something he believes in…do I agree with it? I agree with it, but at the same time I just feel like, when he did do it, I didn’t feel like it was a great time at the time he did do it. And it kind of offended a lot of people but, you know, I’m with him. He’s still my guy. I’m supporting everything he does.”
Carradine’s comments are about as brutally honest as we’ve seen to this point. It’s also interesting to hear directly from someone who was with the team during the start of Kaepernick’s protest. And while Carradine stated it wasn’t a “great time” to do it, he stuck with his support of the former NFL quarterback.
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Colin Kaepernick Receives Support From Former 49ers Teammate