Kaepernick's decision to sit through anthem scrutinized

Kaepernick’s decision to sit through anthem scrutinized

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick answers questions at a news conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. Green Bay won the game 21-10. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — From the White House to San Francisco police union headquarters and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Colin Kaepernick’s name came up Monday as his decision to sit down for the national anthem reached far beyond football.

And many aren’t thrilled with the quarterback’s strong words about why he is doing it: To instigate change and challenge authority when it comes to race relations and what he considers police brutality.

Even his former coach, outspoken Michigan leader Jim Harbaugh, chimed in from afar in disagreement.

Martin Halloran, the San Francisco Police Officers Association president, sent a letter Monday to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and 49ers CEO Jed York denouncing Kaepernick’s “ill-advised” statements and a naiveté “and total lack of sensitivity” toward police, along with an “incredible lack of knowledge” about officer-involved shootings.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was confident President Barack Obama is aware of Kaepernick’s actions but hadn’t spoken directly with the president about it.