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Colin Kaepernick set to start Sunday
So, that’s five more minutes of that game you’ll tune into than usual
5:15 PM Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers speaks to media during a press conference after a 31-21 preseason win over the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on Sept. 1, 2016, in San Diego. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) Harry How/Getty Images
Under normal circumstances, another 1 p.m. EST Sunday game between two teams with a collective record of 6-6 doesn’t exactly move the needle in the NFL. But now that San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly has announced that Colin Kaepernick will be starting the game, the San Francisco 49ers-Buffalo Bills tilt is one of the more intriguing matchups of the weekend.
Of course, not a day goes by in which someone doesn’t have something to say about the quarterback’s choice to kneel during the national anthem. To say that it’s become a global story is a drastic understatement, as his protest has sparked quite the movement across all of sports and elsewhere. If you haven’t been keeping up, the two latest people of import to drop in on the matter are boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Really.
In an interview with Tha Boxing Voice podcast, the noted critical thinker came in hot with his take. “I’m here to say all lives matter,” Mayweather noted. He went on to say that Kaepernick is an opportunist. “Kaepernick needs to try and get the starting job. Stand up and get the starting job. That’s what he needs to focus on.” Mind you, those comments were made two days ago, so we’ll cut him some slack.
As for The Notorious R.B.G., she found herself in this discussion courtesy of Katie Couric. Speaking to Yahoo, she said that she found the protests “really dumb” among other things. Not exactly what you’d expect to hear out of someone appointed to figure out where certain things lie along the line of constitutionality, but whatever.
Obviously, Kaepernick will be kneeling for the anthem. Unless he throws everyone a huge curveball and trolls his whole team by just saying that he was only doing it to get the starting job. In all seriousness though, it will be interesting to see if Kaepernick is any good at football anymore. He didn’t need to play another down for his legacy to be cemented in the NFL.
Long story short, outside of fantasy interests, that game Sunday in Orchard Park, New York, just went from afterthought to must-watch. At least until kickoff.