Skip to content

Ditka: 'I don't see all the atrocities' Kaepernick is protesting

Jerry Lai / USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Fame coach Mike Ditka has waded into the debate surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's (and a growing list of players') decision to kneel for the national anthem in protest of the oppression of people of color in America.

"I think it's a problem," Ditka said Friday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas/Ft. Worth in regards to Kaepernick's protests. "Anybody who disrespects this country and the flag. If they don’t like the country they don't like our flag, get the hell out."

Kaepernick has repeatedly made it clear his protest isn't about disrespect for the flag, nor the troops.

"I have no respect for Colin Kaepernick," Ditka continued. "He probably has no respect for me, that's his choice. My choice is that I like this country, I respect our flag, and I don't see all the atrocities going on in this country that people say are going on."

Perhaps Ditka's inability to see what Kaepernick is protesting is his own failing. Only a week ago, Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, was killed by police in Tulsa, Okla. Days ago, Keith Scott, another black man, was fatally shot by police in Charlotte, N.C.

The merit of Kaepernick's protest is up for debate, but to suggest the issues Kaepernick wants to shed light on don't exist is certainly not up for debate in the eyes of most.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox