--- description: Colin Kaepernick said that his national anthem protest was 'misunderstood' and said he will donate $1 million to groups in need. title: Colin Kaepernick: "I Love America," Will Donate $1 Million image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06f7504da0533a1b/6988a3e02dce01ef059ea709/colin-kaepernick.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Football](/tag/football/) ## Football Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Colin Kaepernick Says He is Not Anti-American and Respects the Military  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 2, 2016 12:43 PM CUT  Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers watches from the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Sept. 27, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers watches from the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Sept. 27, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.Christian Petersen/Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 2, 2016 12:43 PM CUT San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said Thursday that his [national anthem protest](http://time.com/4469350/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") was misunderstood and said he will donate $1 million to groups in need. “The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-men-and-women of the military and that’s not the case at all,’’ Kaepernick said, [USA Today reports](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/49ers/2016/09/01/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest-police-socks/89743344/?csp=dailybriefing "undefined"). “I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech and my freedoms in this country and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee so I have the utmost respect for them.” **Read More:** [_Colin Kaepernick and a Brief History of Protest in Sports_](http://time.com/4470998/athletes-protest-colin-kaepernick/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") “Once again, I’m not anti-American,’’ he said again later that evening. “I love America.” Kaepernick said he will donate $1 million this year to help communities in need. He [sparked controversy](http://time.com/4470444/colin-kaepernick-49ers-national-anthem-protest/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined") last Friday after he refused to stand with his teammates during the national anthem, saying at the time, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4477383/colin-kaepernick-says-he-is-not-ant-american-and-respects-the-military/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4477383/colin-kaepernick-says-he-is-not-ant-american-and-respects-the-military/"},"headline":"Colin Kaepernick Says He is Not Anti-American and Respects the Military","datePublished":"2016-09-02T12:43:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:22:22.935Z","description":"The QB will donate $1 million to a range of charities","url":"https://time.com/4477383/colin-kaepernick-says-he-is-not-ant-american-and-respects-the-military/","keywords":["Football"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06f7504da0533a1b/6988a3e02dce01ef059ea709/colin-kaepernick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06f7504da0533a1b/6988a3e02dce01ef059ea709/colin-kaepernick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"San Francisco 49ers v Arizona Cardinals","caption":"San Francisco 49ers v Arizona Cardinals","creditText":"Christian Petersen/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/football/","name":"Football"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4477383/colin-kaepernick-says-he-is-not-ant-american-and-respects-the-military/","name":"Colin Kaepernick Says He is Not Anti-American and Respects the Military"}}]}] ```