New Minnesota Viking offensive lineman Alex Boone, who protected San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for the previous five seasons, is letting his former teammate have it for not standing during the national anthem before a preseason game over the weekend.
In an on-camera interview Sunday with ESPN, Boone said he and Kaepernick "probably would have had a problem on the sideline" if the two were still teammates when the quarterback refused to stand for the "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the 49ers' preseason loss to the visiting Green Bay Packers.
"You have to show some respect, especially in this position that we're in," said Boone, whose brother J.J. served in Iraq with the Marines. "We're playing a game for a living. ... You see all these pictures of these veterans that have no legs and they're standing up [from] their wheelchair. ... It's shameful."
In explaining his decision, Kaepernick said, "There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality." Kaepernick is biracial and his adoptive parents are white. "There's people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable."
Kaepernick said he won't stand again for the anthem until there is "significant change" in how "this country is representing people."
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482