Shaq on Colin Kaepernick sitting during national anthem: 'I would never do that'

Count Shaquille O'Neal among the athletes that disagree with Colin Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem.

Count Shaquille O'Neal among the athletes that disagree with Colin Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem.

In an interview with Fox and Friends on Wednesday, O'Neal questioned the timing, and the method, of Kaepernick's public claims about racial discrimination.

"To each his own," Shaq said. "I don't really have a say on it, but I would never do that. My father was a military man, and you know, he protected this country. Uncles are in law enforcement, you know, they go out and work hard every day."

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIN8-NV8WdA]

Shaq added that he was curious why Kaepernick chose this time to speak out as opposed to last year, or his first year in the NFL.

"People like Muhammad Ali and Bill Russell, they were one way their whole career. You can't show us something, and then go to another just because of certain issues."

Kaepernick, the 49ers' backup quarterback, has been choosing not to stand for the national anthem this preseason, protesting what he believes is racial equality in America and police violence.​

O'Neal will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.