Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura: 'I Salute Colin Kaepernick'

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, never one to shy away from controversy, has voiced his support of Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel in protest during the national anthem.

"I salute Colin Kaepernick. I fully support him. Fully and completely," Ventura said in a new video published by Business Insider.

"That's why I served my county. So that you have the freedom to protest."

"If we don’t like protesting, what’s next?"

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"I don’t have to agree with him, but I’ll still respect his right to do it. And everyone should respect that. He shouldn’t be booed. And who’s he harming?"

Ventura went on to tell an anecdote from his time as the 38th governor of Minnesota.

"When I was governor of Minnesota, the Dems and Repubs tried to nail me. You know what they did? They passed a law requiring the Pledge of Allegiance for all public school children. I immediately vetoed it. You know why? Because governments should not mandate patriotism."

"Who mandated patriotism? The Germans in the 1930s."

Kaepernick, currently a backup quarterback for the 49ers, stirred national controversy last month when he remained seated in protest during the playing of the national anthem.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick later told NFL Media.

"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

President Obama said in a press conference earlier this month that Kaepernick has “a constitutional right to make a statement by remaining seated during the national anthem.

"I think there’s a long history of sports figures doing so. I think there are a lot of ways you can do it. As a general matter, when it comes to the flag, and the national anthem, and the meaning it holds for our men and women in uniform and those who fought for us, that is a tough thing for them to get past, to then hear what his deeper concerns are. But I don’t doubt his sincerity, based on what I’ve heard. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else, what he’s done is he’s generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about," Obama said.

Image via YouTube