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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick?sat during the national anthem in each of the teams three preseason games and said he plans to continue to do so until he sees real change when it comes to racial oppression in the United States.Yes, Ill continue to sit, Kaepernick said. Im going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change. When theres significant change and I feel like that flag represents what its supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that its supposed to, Ill stand.On Sunday afternoon, Kaepernick spent nearly 20 minutes addressing reporters for the first time since he was spotted sitting between two Gatorade jugs during the national anthem before Fridays game against the Green Bay Packers.Clearly aware of the backlash hes received since his stance became public, Kaepernick made it a point to clarify that he has nothing against the military.I do think that the talk has been more about me, more about I know a lot of peoples initial reactions thought it was bashing the military, which it wasnt, Kaepernick said. That wasnt my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues.During the extensive interview, Kaepernick covered a variety of subjects, ranging from his reasoning behind sitting to whether hell fear for his safety on the road this year to the presidential election.Kaepernick said his decision to make his stance has been a long time coming and was born of years of both witnessing and being a part of racial oppression.Its something that Ive seen, Ive felt, wasnt quite sure how to deal with originally, Kaepernick said. And it is something thats evolved. Its something that as Ive gained more knowledge about, whats gone on in this country in the past, whats going on currently. These arent new situations. This isnt new ground. There are things that have gone on in this country for years and years and have never been addressed, and they need to be.Asked to offer some specifics, Kaepernick cited police brutality in a number of cities that have resulted in the deaths of black men.Kaepernick recounted a story of one of his college roommates moving out of their house, and because he and his roommates were the only black people in the neighborhood, the police came and drew guns on them.I have experienced this, Kaepernick said. People close to me have experienced this. This isnt something thats a one-off case here or a one-off case there. This has become habitual. This has become a habit. So this is something that needs to be addressed.Kaepernick said his decision to sit also wasnt made spur of the moment. He cited conversations with other players and influential people, such as Dr. Harry Edwards, as taking place in the time before taking action.Dr. Edwards, who was instrumental in the protest by U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, is a 49ers team consultant and shared a hug and brief conversation with Kaepernick before Sundays practice.Kaepernick also addressed the team at a players-only meeting that took place Sunday morning.They asked me to talk and just explain why I did what I did, Kaepernick said. And why I felt the way I felt. I had an open conversation with them. I told them why I felt that way and looked at things the way I do. A lot of it has to do with the history of the country and where were currently at. I opened it up to all my teammates. Come talk to me if you have any questions. If you want to understand what Im thinking further, come talk to me. It shouldnt be something that should be hidden. These conversations need to happen and can bring everybody closer.Kaepernick said he has no plans to try to get other players to join him in his protest, citing the attention that goes with making such a move.This isnt something Im going to ask other people to put their necks out for what Im doing, Kaepernick said. If they agree with me and feel strongly about it, then by all means I hope they stand with me. But Im not going to go and try to recruit people and be like Hey, come do this with me?because I know the consequences that come with that, and they need to make that decision for themselves.As for the timing of the protest, Kaepernick said he didnt choose now simply because its an election year, but he did voice his displeasure with the two presidential candidates.You have Hillary [Clinton], who has called black teens or black kids superpredators, Kaepernick said. You have Donald Trump, who is openly racist. We have a presidential candidate [Clinton] who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesnt make sense to me. If that was any other person, youd be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?From a football perspective, Kaepernick said he wants the team focus to be on winning games, but that theres also a time to discuss social issues. Asked whether he thought he could be cut for taking this stance, Kaepernick didnt seem concerned.I dont know, Kaepernick said. But if I do, I know I did whats right. And I can live with that at the end of the day.Kaepernick also said he has no concerns about potential backlash when he plays in road games this year.At the end of the day, if something happens, thats only proving my point, Kaepernick said.As to where he goes from here, while Kaepernick continues to sit during the anthem, he says there are also plans to do more than symbolically protest.There are things that I have in the works right now that Im working on to put together in the future and have come to fruition soon, Kaepernick said. Those are things that Ill talk about as we get closer to those days. Clearance LeBron James Shoes . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. LeBron James Shoes For Sale . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. https://www.cheapshoeslebronjames.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. LeBron James Shoes Free Shipping . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. LeBron James Shoes Deals . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. TOKYO -- Former champion Caroline Wozniacki outlasted fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals on Wednesday.Wozniacki won four of five break points in the nearly three-hour match at Ariake Colloseum.We played for such a long time and ... the standard was very high, Wozniacki said. Luckily, Im the one here, and Im happy to get through.Wozniacki, who won the title in 2010 and reached the final in 2014, looked set for a comfortable win but Suarez Navarro reeled off four straight games to take the second set.A sudden rain delay at the start of the third set took the momentum away from Suarez Navarro as the Spaniard double-faulted to slip a break behind.Wozniacki served out, and will meet either Yulia Puutintseva or Magda Linette in the quarterfinals.ddddddddddddSecond-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska also faced a major challenge but prevailed over Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.Radwanska will next face Monica Puig, who rallied to upset 2013 champion Petra Kvitova 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.The Puerto Rican, who also beat Kvitova on her way to becoming the Rio de Janeiro Olympic champion, recovered from 4-2 down in the final set. She saved 10 of 13 break points.Japanese wild card Naomi Osaka beat sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal with either Karolina Pliskova or Aliaksandra Sasnovich. ' ' '