Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest of sitting down during the singing of the national anthem has since taken on a life of its own. In choosing to not stand and sing so long as black and brown people die at the hands of police undisciplined, the San Francisco 49ers player has inspired others to also kneel during the anthem (like whole WNBA teams have done) and speak out about no longer tolerating police brutality (see: Seattle Seaharks Cornerback Richard Sherman).
His actions have also earned him not only a spot in the center of conversations from figureheads on both sides of the argument, but taking a knee on the October cover of TIME magazine alongside the caption, “The Perilous Fight,” an appropriate lyric selection from the very anthem he won’t stand for.
In the piece, (which you can only read in full digitally with a subscription), writer Sean Gregory chopped it up with several football players and athletes in different sports, such as New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and Cleveland Browns OG Jim Brown.
Look out for the new issue on stands.