Colin Kaepernick announced on Instagram that he is putting his money where his mouth is.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s jersey has become the no. 1 seller in the NFL following his refusal to stand for the national anthem. Kaepernick said on Wednesday that he plans to donate his earnings from the jersey to “communities” he is protesting for. He hasn’t specified which charities or communities he will be giving back to.
“I want to thank everyone who has shown me love and support, it truly means a lot,” Kaepernick said in his post. “I wasn’t expecting my jersey sales to jump to number one because of this, but it shows the people’s belief that we can achieve justice and equality for all.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKDtK_igT3b/
Not all of the revenue related to Kaepernick’s shirt will actually be donated. All NFL jersey sales are put into a collective pool and then divided among the NFL players. Whatever Kaepernick makes off being a part of that pool is presumably what will get donated.
While Kaepernick’s jersey has been a fast seller online, not everyone is buying the jersey to wear it in solidarity. Videos have surfaced of 49ers fans setting his jersey on fire.
49ers fans burning Kaepernick's jersey to the National Anthem pic.twitter.com/MILA3AxNld
— BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) August 28, 2016
Other fans have shown solidarity with the athlete on Twitter and say they want to buy his jersey to support his cause.
https://twitter.com/MichaelHlebasko/status/770063085969244160
https://twitter.com/DirkZ1/status/770060463619145728
https://twitter.com/Wilgloryy/status/770056597515239424
Support surrounding Kaepernick’s protest has grown since he initially began to sit during the national anthem. His advocates now include fellow NFL players and military members.