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http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-kaepernick-kneel-boyer-20180916-story.html
Edit: I only quoted what I viewed as the most relevant parts of the article, you should read the whole thing and not just the snippets that posted.
He discussed why he turned to the military after the Sudan, embracing the motto of the Army Special Forces: De oppresso liber, Latin for “to free the oppressed.”
“I’m not judging you for standing up for what you believe in,” Boyer wrote. “It’s your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I’ve never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you’ve gone through is as ignorant as someone who’s never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it’s like to go to war.”
"It’s hard for a lot of people to get past the gesture because of when it’s happening. It’s during the anthem, and that’s a sacred time for a lot of people."
While making it clear he would not stand, Kaepernick asked Boyer if there was another way he could protest. Kneel rather than sit, he was told, that way you can be alongside your teammates.
That next game, Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, and Boyer, hand over his heart, stood alongside him on the sideline in street clothes.
“I was showing that I support his right to do that, I support the message behind what he’s demonstrating for,” Boyer said. “But I’m also standing with pride because I feel differently in a lot of ways too. But there’s nothing wrong with feeling differently and believing different things. We can still work together to make this place better.”
Two years after the protests began, he is frustrated because he feels their message and intent have been misinterpreted or intentionally hijacked.
From liberals: “‘Hey, don’t you know it was a Green Beret who told Colin to protest in the first place, told him to take a knee?’” Boyer lamented: “And I’m like, ‘I didn’t tell him to do anything. I definitely didn’t tell him to protest. What I did was meet with him, make suggestions on different ways to do it after he was already protesting. And worked with him to kind of come to a middle ground.’”
And from conservatives: “[They] put all veterans in this box and say, ‘You’re offending every veteran.’ That’s also ridiculous. Or, ‘He’s protesting the anthem.’ He’s not protesting the national anthem. It has become an anthem debate, but that’s not what the protest is about. It’s about racial inequality, police brutality.”
Whether people agree or disagree, Boyer wishes the message hadn’t been intercepted.
“It’s not fair to Colin, it’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to the cause,” he said. “And it’s not good for our country.”
TL;DR (You really should read the whole article though):
-Says he didn't tell Kapernick to do anything, just made suggestions
-Doesn't agree with everything Kaepernick has said and done
-Supports Kaepernick's message and right to protest
-Says he's just ignorant of dealing with racism because of the color of his skin as someone who's never been in a combat zone telling him they understand what it's like to go to war
-Doesn't like him and Kaepernick being mischaracterized
Edit: I only quoted what I viewed as the most relevant parts of the article, you should read the whole thing and not just the snippets that posted.
He discussed why he turned to the military after the Sudan, embracing the motto of the Army Special Forces: De oppresso liber, Latin for “to free the oppressed.”
“I’m not judging you for standing up for what you believe in,” Boyer wrote. “It’s your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I’ve never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you’ve gone through is as ignorant as someone who’s never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it’s like to go to war.”
"It’s hard for a lot of people to get past the gesture because of when it’s happening. It’s during the anthem, and that’s a sacred time for a lot of people."
While making it clear he would not stand, Kaepernick asked Boyer if there was another way he could protest. Kneel rather than sit, he was told, that way you can be alongside your teammates.
That next game, Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, and Boyer, hand over his heart, stood alongside him on the sideline in street clothes.
“I was showing that I support his right to do that, I support the message behind what he’s demonstrating for,” Boyer said. “But I’m also standing with pride because I feel differently in a lot of ways too. But there’s nothing wrong with feeling differently and believing different things. We can still work together to make this place better.”
Two years after the protests began, he is frustrated because he feels their message and intent have been misinterpreted or intentionally hijacked.
From liberals: “‘Hey, don’t you know it was a Green Beret who told Colin to protest in the first place, told him to take a knee?’” Boyer lamented: “And I’m like, ‘I didn’t tell him to do anything. I definitely didn’t tell him to protest. What I did was meet with him, make suggestions on different ways to do it after he was already protesting. And worked with him to kind of come to a middle ground.’”
And from conservatives: “[They] put all veterans in this box and say, ‘You’re offending every veteran.’ That’s also ridiculous. Or, ‘He’s protesting the anthem.’ He’s not protesting the national anthem. It has become an anthem debate, but that’s not what the protest is about. It’s about racial inequality, police brutality.”
Whether people agree or disagree, Boyer wishes the message hadn’t been intercepted.
“It’s not fair to Colin, it’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to the cause,” he said. “And it’s not good for our country.”
TL;DR (You really should read the whole article though):
-Says he didn't tell Kapernick to do anything, just made suggestions
-Doesn't agree with everything Kaepernick has said and done
-Supports Kaepernick's message and right to protest
-Says he's just ignorant of dealing with racism because of the color of his skin as someone who's never been in a combat zone telling him they understand what it's like to go to war
-Doesn't like him and Kaepernick being mischaracterized
