Jim Brown on Colin Kaepernick: 'I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem'
A.J. Perez, USA TODAY SportsPublished 2:49 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2017 | Updated 2:53 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2017
Jim Brown became active in the Civil Rights movement even before his retirement, although the Cleveland Browns legend said he'd never "desecrate" the flag or "The Star-Spangled Banner" as he claims Colin Kaepernick did last season.
In an interview with ThePostGame, Brown said he understands Kaepernick fighting for a cause but doesn't approve of his approach.
"I want to be in his corner, and I do think, 'God bless him,' " Brown said. "I'm going to give you the real deal: I'm an American. I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I'm not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I'm going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner."
Kaepernick, a free agent, sat out the national anthem last year, his final year with the San Francisco 49ers, to draw attention to the treatment of minorities as well as police brutality. While those are issues that Brown has spoken out about for decades, he said Kaepernick should have found another way.
"If you have a cause, I think you should organize it, present it in a manner where it's not only you standing or sitting on one knee, but a lot of people that is gonna get behind each other and do something about it," said Brown.
Kaepernick has pledged to donate $1 million and all of his 2016 jersey proceeds to charities. The Colin Kaepernick Foundation announced earlier this week that $800,000 has been paid to several charities so far.
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In other words, Jim Brown, a man who lived through real oppression, just told this guy to get some perspective.