In an expansive and revealing interview published Wednesday in ESPN The Magazine, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he believes Colin Kaepernick's political stances and national anthem protests have cost him a job on an NFL roster.
Addressing the simmering controversy surrounding Kaepernick and a growing trend of NFL players protesting the anthem, Rodgers told reporter Mina Kimes it's not the quarterback's football ability that's keeping him unemployed.
"I think he should be on a roster right now. I think because of his protests, he's not," Rodgers says in the interview.
The interview was conducted in July. Just days before the NFL season starts, Kaepernick is still unsigned.
Though the future Hall of Fame quarterback said he's supportive of any fellow players who choose to protest the anthem, he doesn't plan on sitting or kneeling because "that's the way I feel about the flag."
Said Rodgers of his teammates, "they have a battle for racial equality. That's what they're trying to get a conversation started around...I know it's a real thing my black teammates have to deal with."
