Colin Kaepernick insists he will continue to boycott the US national anthem as a protest over the treatment of black people in America despite criticism from some who claim he is being disrespectful to the US military.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is refusing to stand while the Star-Spangled Banner is played ahead of pre-season games and while both the 49ers and the NFL have released statements encouraging people to stand, the 28-year-old is not expected to be disciplined.
"Yes, I'll continue to sit," he said ahead of San Francisco's final pre-season game in San Diego on Thursday. "I'm going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change.
"When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll stand."
Kaepernick said his decision comes after years of both witnessing and being a part of racial oppression.
"It's something that I've seen, I've felt," he said, adding he has no intention of disrespecting the US military.
"That wasn't my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues.
"It wasn't something I planned in terms of it blowing up. I just can't stand for what this represents right now, it's just not right. The fact it has blown up like this is a good thing. It brings awareness.
"Everybody knows what's going on and this sheds more light on it. Now I think everybody's talking about it, what's really going on, having conversations about how to make change in this country and then we can move forward.
"In our free time we have conversations about this and that's not something we should be ashamed of or shy away from. There's a social responsibility there to be educated about these things and talk about these things."