NFL legend Jim Brown said he disagrees with Colin Kaepernick's method of protesting racial injustice.
The Hall of Fame running back told ThePostGame he wants to support Kaepernick, but cannot stand behind disrespecting the American flag and national anthem.
"I'm an American. I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I'm not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I'm going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner," he said.
Brown said Kaepernick, who remains unsigned, must decide whether he wants to be an activist or a football player, emphasizing that the NFL is a business and each team's owner has rules they want players to follow.
"Football is commercial. You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if you're making that kind of money," said 81-year-old Brown.
On Thursday, civil rights groups led a protest outside NFL headquarters in New York. The hundreds who gathered believe the NFL's owners are refusing to sign Kaepernick because of his anthem protests.
However on Thursday, Buffalo Bills star LeSean McCoy said Kaepernick's presence on any team would be a "distraction" and that the former 49er isn't good enough for a team to deal with the "chaos."
"[The protest] may have something to do with it, but I think also it has a lot to do with his play. I'm sure a lot of teams wouldn't want him as their starting quarterback. That chaos that comes along with it, it's a lot," he told reporters.
Ainsley Earhardt agreed with Brown's message this morning, pointing out that "when a team owner is paying you millions of dollars, you have to represent the whole team."
Many other NFL players across the league have been showing support for Kaepernick during the current preseason by kneeling or sitting during the national anthem.
Earlier this week, a group of Cleveland Browns players knelt in a circle during the anthem.
Jim Brown to Kaepernick: Desecration of Flag and National Anthem Is Not the Way to Protest
The Hall of Fame running back told ThePostGame he wants to support Kaepernick, but cannot stand behind disrespecting the American flag and national anthem.
"I'm an American. I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I'm not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I'm going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner," he said.
Brown said Kaepernick, who remains unsigned, must decide whether he wants to be an activist or a football player, emphasizing that the NFL is a business and each team's owner has rules they want players to follow.
"Football is commercial. You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if you're making that kind of money," said 81-year-old Brown.
On Thursday, civil rights groups led a protest outside NFL headquarters in New York. The hundreds who gathered believe the NFL's owners are refusing to sign Kaepernick because of his anthem protests.
However on Thursday, Buffalo Bills star LeSean McCoy said Kaepernick's presence on any team would be a "distraction" and that the former 49er isn't good enough for a team to deal with the "chaos."
"[The protest] may have something to do with it, but I think also it has a lot to do with his play. I'm sure a lot of teams wouldn't want him as their starting quarterback. That chaos that comes along with it, it's a lot," he told reporters.
Ainsley Earhardt agreed with Brown's message this morning, pointing out that "when a team owner is paying you millions of dollars, you have to represent the whole team."
Many other NFL players across the league have been showing support for Kaepernick during the current preseason by kneeling or sitting during the national anthem.
Earlier this week, a group of Cleveland Browns players knelt in a circle during the anthem.
Jim Brown to Kaepernick: Desecration of Flag and National Anthem Is Not the Way to Protest
Jim can't be going out like this
. Dissapointing to see how people born before 1955 look at this.
Dont disrespect my flag" just tells me that we are still seen as foreigners, and we got brothas cosigning it too. Disgusting.
