Vikings' Carl Eller, Alex Boone Speak on Kaepernick, Anthem

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem, has a lot of people talking, including current and former Minnesota Vikings players.

"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 told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after Friday night's game.

"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."

Vikings guard Alex Boone told USA TODAY Sports his thoughts on the matter.

"It’s hard for me, because my brother was a Marine, and he lost a lot of friends over there," Boone said.

"That flag obviously gives (Kaepernick) the right to do whatever he wants. I understand it. At the same time, you should have some (expletive) respect for people who served, especially people that lost their life to protect our freedom."

Hall of Fame defensive end and former Viking Carl Eller also spoke out about the incident.

Eller gave Kaepernick credit for using his voice, but he said he disagreed with his decision to sit during the national anthem.

"Here's why it's important: In sports, it's the only place we hear the anthem," Eller told ESPN.

"They don't play it at concerts. They don't play it at movie theaters. They don't play it at church. Sports is the only place you show allegiance to the anthem. It's important for sports to maintain that tradition."

"With movements like Black Lives Matter, there's some recognition of what it was like (in the 1960s). There's a great burden and weight (as an athlete), and that's not a responsibility we should take lightly. We can play a crucial part in what's going on. But we should not confuse the two arenas. Make a stand — let's do that. But let's make sure we're all fighting for one America."

Read more at ESPN.

Image: Mike Morbeck via Flickr /Creative Commons