Obama: Kaepernick opened necessary dialogue about 'legitimate issues'

President Barack Obama says San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the latest in a long history of sports figures who have used their constitutional right to make a statement.

The president was asked about Kaepernick's protest at a news conference in China on Monday.

Obama said he hasn't paid close attention to Kaepernick's protest and didn't endorse the quarterback's decision not to stand for the national anthem, suggesting it could be "tough" for men and women in uniform "to get past."

"But I don't doubt (Kaepernick's) sincerity," Obama added. "I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else, what he's done is generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about."

Obama commended Kaepernick for being an active citizen, even if that upsets some people.

"I'd rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all.

"My suspicion is over time he's going to refine how he's thinking about it, and maybe some of his critics will start seeing that he has a point around certain concerns about justice and equality. And that's how we move forward. Sometimes it's messy, but that's where democracy works."