Colin Kaepernick: Would be hypocritical of me to vote
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says it would have been hypocritical to have voted in the 2016 election after his national anthem protest, he told reporters on Sunday.
Kaepernick believes that it did not matter to him who won, and he declined to vote.
“You know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote,” Kaepernick said. “I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I'm not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn't going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”
Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton to become the President-elect of the United States. Trump has voiced his disapproval of Kaepernick's decision to take a knee during the national anthem before games as Kaepernick hopes to raise awareness of racial injustice in America.
Kaepernick criticized both Trump and Clinton during the 2016 campaign, saying after the first presidential debate that the candidates were trying to "debate who's less racist."
• Election Day with Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins
“I think it’s personally not a good thing, I think it’s a terrible thing,” Trump said in August. “And, you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him. Let him try, it won’t happen.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans refused to stand for the national anthem on Sunday in protest of Trump winning the election.