#ImWithKap: Athletes, celebrities, regular people support Colin Kaepernick during Super Bowl
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Hours before the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams took the field for the Super Bowl on Sunday, the hashtag #ImWithKap started trending. And two days later, the sentiments for the player and his stance on racial justice are still reverberating across social media platforms.
Warriors guard Steph curry posted a photo on his couch, cradling his son while wearing a hoodie with the slogan, “I’m with Kap.”
Los Angeles Lakers' Lebron James and Warriors' Kevin Durant also wore Colin Kaepernick jerseys and posted the images to Twitter and Instagram. So did singer Harry Belafonte. And former Olympic track star John Carlos. The rapper, Common, posted a picture with activist Angela Davis, saying "You know where I stand.”
Kaepernicks’ supporters all declared their unwavering allegiance for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
And Kapernick was more than grateful. "I can’t explain how much it means to have the support of the Icon Angela Davis!," Kaepernick tweeted with a photo of the author and activist wearing his shirt. "She has laid the foundation for myself and many others to fight against anti-blackness, and has never wavered! We love and appreciate you! "
Many cited the NFL’s so called “racist treatment” of the athlete, now featured in Nike’s campaign, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Some vowed to boycott the Super Bowl.
Kaepernick has been unable to find a team willing to sign him since he became enveloped in controversy after kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice.
Kaepernick has been harshly rebuked by President Trump, polarized the country with his act of civil disobedience and filed a collusion grievance against the NFL alleging that team owners banded together to blacklist him in the wake of the protests.
The NFL has not hired Kaepernick back, but the league reached an agreement with its players to donate $89 million over a seven-year period, ESPN reported, to issues such as criminal justice reform, law enforcement and community relations, and education.