“There’s a Time and Place For It”: Former Teammate Vernon Davis Speaks Up On Colin Kaepernick’s Protest

Colin Kaepernick seemingly sacrificed his NFL career to protest against police brutality. It all started in 2016 when he took a knee during the national anthem, and things only escalated from there. Years later, his former teammate Vernon Davis says that while he appreciated Kaepernick’s sentiments, he thought the entire situation was a distraction to the 49ers. 

It’s hard to disagree with Davis. When Kaepernick was being upheld and smeared by the media for his kneeling during the anthem, it went completely viral. Other players from other sports began to join the cause. And ESPN and other sporting publications made it their mission to cover the topic daily. 

When Davis joined the All The Smoke podcast to talk about being teammates with Kaepernick, he shared some interesting stuff. The former tight end started by lauding Kaep for taking action against a bigger cause.

“I think it’s a great cause that he was supporting, for sure. I mean, everything he’s done has been bigger than him. He’s a major star for what he was doing, you know? He sacrificed a lot,” Davis expressed.

Like Davis said, he sacrificed a ton not just in terms of potential career earnings, but also in terms of being an NFL player. Many forget that Kaepernick led the 49ers to a Super Bowl after being given the starting QB job in the middle of the year. He was the dual-threat QB before they became popular. 

 

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However, at the same time, Davis admitted that even though Kaepernick’s protest was for a good cause, it became a distraction for those who wanted to win the Super Bowl. 

“It’s one of those things, though, where you know if you’ve got a career and you’re trying to become the best in the sport- you’re trying to win a championship. I think all of that stuff becomes a distraction,” Davis shared.

“It’s a great cause. It’s something we should all come together and see how we can make this better and bigger. But there’s a time and place for it. For me, I would probably want to get out of there and go to a team with the atmosphere of focusing on winning a championship,” he added.

By the time Kaep started protesting, Davis had already won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning, so he knew what a Super Bowl-winning locker room looked like. And with the perspective of an outsider looking in, Davis claimed that even though the intentions were genuine, it did come with a cost that his teammates were paying.