Stars Who Refuse To Support Colin Kaepernick

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick unleashed a firestorm when he decided to protest during the national anthem. By taking a knee while "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played before each game, Kaepernick is attempting to use his public platform to raise awareness about police brutality and what he feels is a flawed and racist justice system. Not surprisingly, many athletes have spoken out either against or in solidarity with Kaepernick, but the controversy over his protest has spread beyond the field. Social media has become the stage for some of the most contentious debates, and many famous voices have joined the fray. Even President Barack Obama publicly supported Kaepernick "exercising his constitutional right to make a statement." As with Kaepernick's teammates and other NFL players, battle lines are being drawn among the celeb set as well. Nicki Swift previously reported on stars who support Kaepernick, but let's also take a look at the famous folks who have spoken out against the protest.

In a since-deleted tweet (via BET), rapper Fat Joe shared his reaction to Kaepernick's protest. "Having thout [sic] about it, I ain't with protesting the #NationalAnthem," he reportedly tweeted, before deleting the typo-laden post. "Soldiers died fighting 4 our freedom not cops. Why disrepsected [sic] them?"

The same day as the deleted message, the rapper also posted another somewhat cryptic post that followers assumed was related to the quarterback's protest. He tweeted, "In order to create change people must lead with actions, opposed to creating reactions."

That tweet set off its own chain reaction, as Kaepernick supporters piled on to voice their disapproval. Fat Joe didn't elaborate further on Twitter, but he did take to Facebook Live where he broadcast for more than 20 minutes, claiming that he actually wasn't the person who wrote the original tweet. Apparently, it was a staffer who overstepped their role and oversimplified Fat Joe's position on the issue, which turned out to be much more nuanced. Fat Joe called for the end of racial injustice at the hands of police, but also for the end of shaming all police because of the negative actions of the few. It's hard to argue with that kind of logic, but it's easy to assume that after all this fervor, Fat Joe has a new Twitter guy.

On a Fox and Friends appearance, Shaq was asked to weigh in on the Kaepernick controversy, and the larger-than-life basketball star didn't hesitate to say that he "would never do that." The iconic baller said he believes in Kaepernick's freedom to express himself as well as his right to protest, but he also proudly pointed out that his father was a "military man. He protected this country. [My] uncles are law enforcement. They go out and work hard every day. [There are] other ways to get your point across." Shaq also questioned Kaepernick's motivation and timing, asking repeatedly, "What happened last year?  How come [Kaepernick] didn't decide to do this last year, or the year before, or the year before?" Shaq said he can support civil rights and be pro-military and pro-cop, reinforcing that protesting during the national anthem is not an action he will support.

Taking a less egalitarian approach than Fat Joe or Shaq, actor Rob Lowe blasted out a tweet about Kaepernick's protest that made clear he disapproved. "Any player wants to boycott the anthem on 9/11 should be asked to remain in the locker room until kickoff," he said. "It's not their moment."

When pressed, Lowe clarified that he didn't stand in stark contrast to the idea of the protest, but felt it was in poor taste to do so in conjunction with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. "There is a time and place," he tweeted. "Give it a rest for a day and respect the fallen."

Politics isn't always the deciding factor when a celeb disapproves of Kaepernick's protest, but for some, ideological leanings seem to be a motivator. While we're certainly not judging anyone's politics with this observation, actor Scott Baio has long been an outspoken voice for conservative politics, appearing repeatedly on Fox News, and even stumping for Donald Trump with a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Baio's feelings about the controversial QB's protest were crystallized with a meme of a legless Marine standing at attention, in a wheelchair. "Dear Colin, THIS is what respect & honor looks like!" Baio tweeted. He also retweeted several others who expressed disapproval, including a video of someone setting a Kaepernick jersey on fire with the national anthem playing in the background. So it's safe to say Baio's feelings are strong. Who knew Chachi had it in him?

Comedian Jay Mohr also took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with Kaepernick's protest, but like Shaq, he was more opposed to Kaepernick's timing and method, rather than his message. His first tweet on the subject got right to the point: "I'm proud of THE RIGHT C Kaepernick has 2 not stand 4 Anthem. Also proud of MY RIGHT 2say he's a douchebag and disingenuous."

Later that day and into the next, Mohr was still at it. He pointed out that Kaepernick failed to take advantage of one of the largest TV audiences of the year in 2013 when he stood for the anthem during Super Bowl XLVII. Mohr suggested that if Kaepernick really wanted to make a statement, he could return his salary. Mohr also tweeted a pic of Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos with their fists raised in protest during the national anthem at the 1968 Summer Games, suggesting that was the real way to protest, so who knows what Mohr really thinks. Either way, both he and Kaepernick are freely expressing themselves, so it looks like everyone's winning.

Model Kate Upton probably suffered the most backlash from her anti-Kaepernick statements. On her Twitter, she called his protest "unacceptable," and via Instagram, she elaborated that she found it especially "horrific" when he did it on 9/11. She also waxed poetic about America, writing, "Recent history has shown that it is a place where anyone no matter what race or gender has the potential to become President of the United States. We live in the most special place in the world and should be thankful."

Though her statements were liked and retweeted tens of thousands of times, her timeline was also flooded with rebukes, and some went straight for the jugular. Twitter user@GlassoPGA said, "just the person to speak on this subject. A white female model. What a tough life you must of had."

Former republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson is no stranger to making controversial statements about racism in America. Put simply, Carson believes that racism exists, but he also believes the solution to overcoming it comes from within the black community, not from blaming the system. It's no surprise that when asked about Kaepernick on Fox and Friends, Carson had this to say: "(Colin Kaepernick) disrespected our national anthem and our flag after so many people have sacrificed so that he could have the freedoms that he has today, so that he could make a very, very good living in this, quote, racist land."

While he didn't call Kaepernick out by name, Jurassic World star Chris Pratt also voiced his concern over the quarterback's protest on 9/11 by siding with the Seattle Seahawks, who decided collectively, as a team, to stand for the anthem. He tweeted, "Today I will stand united with the Seahawks to #buildAbridge I challenge you to stand and link arms during the national anthem today."

Pratt is generally regarded as one of the most genuine, nice guys in Hollywood, and he's also an unabashed patriot, having gone viral with a video posted to Facebook in which he pledges allegiance to the flag alongside his son, so it's no surprise that he couched his disapproval of Kaepernick not recognizing the anthem by posting a contrasting message of solidarity. Not to mention, it's what we all expected from someone who once served our nation's national security apparatus as Burt Macklin, F.B.I.

Like Scott Baio, former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling has become a star of conservative punditry, making regular appearances on Fox News, Breitbart, and other right-wing media outlets. His outspokenness and hardline views have gotten him into plenty of controversies. Most recently, he caused a stir with his social media commentary involving transgender rights, which ultimately got him fired from ESPN. His views on Kaepernick's protest fall squarely in opposition.

Speaking to Breitbart, Schilling said, "Clearly he's trying to send a message, and to be very clear, I'm proud of the fact—and I don't know how this is going to come across—that I live in a country where he can do what he did, and not go to jail, be hung, or shot," adding, "Because that's not true in all of the world." Having said that, Schilling argued "there's a billion other ways, I think, to get the message out." He also said, "It's doing what a lot of people, like Spike Lee, would like it to do. It's creating anger."

Schilling noted basketball legend Michael Jordan's dual $1 million dollar donations to both the International Association of Chiefs of Police's newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations and to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Schilling called for a sit-down between police and minority communities as a more productive way to deal with the situation. He also suggested Kaepernick "refuse to take his paycheck" and accused the NFL of a double standard regarding what kind of protests the league allows. Additionally, Schilling used the anthem debacle to slam the media, leftists, and Hillary Clinton, because like all emotional debates, they tend to stray from the point.

It's political commentator Bill Maher's job to comment on divisive issues, so it wasn't a shock when he weigh in on the national anthem protest. On Maher's HBO show, Real Time, he supported Kaepernick by saying, in part, "Actually what people died and fought for was his right to do that." Then, the following week, Maher threw a curveball at the situation with this tweet: "[Kaepernick] is an idiot. I support his protest, but stick to what u know: kneeling and interceptions, and then look up 'false equivalency.'"

Maher later defended the tweet on his show, saying that he doesn't take issue with Kaepernick's protest, but rather, the player's remarks about race in reference to the 2016 presidential race. Like the general rule of family get togethers, around here we feel it's best to leave politics out of the discussion as much as possible.

Since we've clearly established that Kaepernick's actions are stirring up some strong emotion, it's a good time to round out this article with the people who are probably the most angry about it. Nascar driver Tony Stewart is one of them, and he came out swinging on Twitter with a vigorous defense of the police. "I'm sorry but [Kaepernick] needs to learn the fact about police before running his dumba** mouth!" Stewart tweeted. "He has no clue what they go thru! #idiot."

Less than a week later, he doubled down on his condemnation of Kaepernick, sharing a photo of the football player wearing socks that featured cartoon pigs wearing police hats.

For what it's worth, SB Nation reported that photo of Kaepernick in those socks was taken during 49ers training camp in August 2016, before he started publicly protesting the anthem. Via Instagram, Kaepernick said he wore the socks to protest "rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, [who] not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust."

Kid Rock paused during a performance of "Born Free" to kneel in mockery and say, "Man, f**k Colin Kaepernick!" in front of the crowd. The rocker has a long history of supporting the troops and expressing his patriotism through charitable work, so it's no surprise he doesn't take any kind of perceived disrespect for the national anthem or the flag lightly. In fact, in the aforementioned video footage from his show, he's performing in front of a flag the size of an IMAX screen. You love America, Kid Rock. We got it, loud and clear.

We saved the angriest for last, and not to slam former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, but to really drive home the point that Kaepernick's protest continues to catalyze strong responses from famous figures. When asked about the quarterback by the Shan & RJ Show, Ditka held nothing back: "I think it's a problem, anybody who disrespects this country and the flag. If they don't like the country, they don't like our flag, get the hell out, that's what I think." Ditka continued, "I have no respect for Colin Kaepernick, he probably has no respect for me."

"I don't see all the atrocities going on in this country that people say are going on," Ditka added. "I see opportunities if people want to look for opportunities. Now, if they don't want to look for them, then you can find problems with anything."

A few days later, during a radio interview on Jay Mohr Sports, Ditka grew even more heated, criticizing the backup quarterback for using the NFL and collecting a paycheck when he doesn't even play. "You make $7 million a year for not playing football," he said. "You're not playing. You're not on the field. Give that money to these people. Go out on the street and help these people with that money. That's something you could do." The hall of fame coach then hung up.

So, depending on how you look at it, Kaepernick's protest has done one of two things (or perhaps it's done both): it either sparked a dialogue about the divisive issues of police brutality and racial injustice in America, or it further polarized people to the point where even celebrities, who generally cushion their public remarks, are speaking out for and against.