STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Here's the Justification Colin Kaepernick Offered Disappointed Fans for Not Voting

Are you with him?

Colin Kaepernick couldn't care less about his critics — like Stephen A. Smith — ripping him for not voting.

The San Francisco 49ers' quarterback stood by his convictions during a conference call with the media Wednesday, telling reporters that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump would change a system that "oppresses people of color," so he didn't bother voting at all.

"I've been very disconnected from the systematic oppression as a whole," Kaepernick said, as reported by ESPN. "So, for me, it's another face that's going to be the face of that system of oppression. And to me, it didn't really matter who went in there. The system still remains intact that oppresses people of color."

His sentiments followed Smith dragging him for not voting, saying it takes away from Kaepernick's social activism, which has included him kneeling during the national anthem this season as a protest against racism and police brutality and launching his own Black Panther-inspired youth camp in Oakland.

"He absolutely betrayed his cause. As far as I'm concerned, Colin Kaepernick is absolutely irrelevant," Smith said on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday morning. "I don't want to see him again. I don't want to hear from him again. I don't want to hear a damn word about anything that he has to say about our nation, the issues that we have, racial injustices, needing change, etc, etc. He comes across as a flaming hypocrite. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not interested in a damn word that he has to say and quite frankly, I hope he goes away."

Back in September, Kaepernick had told a pool of reporters that Clinton and Trump are "proven liars," who are "trying to debate who's less racist."

As woke as Kaepernick has been about social activism, did he play himself by not voting?

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.