Colin Kaepernick Criticized for Socks Depicting Police as Pigs

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is taking heat for the second time in recent weeks after images surfaced of him during practice wearing socks that featured cartoon pigs in police hats.

He first made headlines when he refused to stand during the national anthem before a game on Friday in protest of the treatment of people of color in the United States, prompting intense debate around the country.

Then, the head of a national police organization blasted Kaepernick on Thursday for wearing the socks.

“It’s just ridiculous that the same league that prohibits the Dallas (Cowboys) football club from honoring the slain officers in their community with their uniforms stands silent when Kaepernick is dishonoring police officers with what he’s wearing on the field,” Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, told USA Today Sports on Thursday. “I expect more from the NFL.”

While Kaepernick sported the socks as early as Aug. 10, they went mostly unnoticed until this week. The quarterback responded on Instagram later Thursday, saying he did not want the socks to distract from his protest.