Kaepernick isn't just better than you at football. He's a better person too.

By now, you've heard of, or know of who Colin Kaepernick is, what he has done, and the situation he finds himself in with the National Football League. Perception is that Kaepernick is an awful quarterback and that is the sole reason, or the main reason why he has not found himself a position on a roster heading into the 2017 season. This perception, is likely due to the lack of respect to the message of his protest gesture and the pure disdain for the method of his protest. As a United States Army veteran, I am not offended by his act but I do care to see him blackballed out of the NFL. With NFL executives stating Kaepernick would hurt a teams “brand” or it would “upset people” to sign him, proved it's about more than football.

People are STILL upset.... outraged even! But as a nation, we should care more and pay better attention to the message that was being conveyed and not the visual of a silent, albeit public, protest. He wasn't even the only one who knelt... just the one who had started it. If he would have been outspoken in his efforts, he'd have been ridiculed. If he had incited riots, he would have been ridiculed, but he stayed silent in his efforts and invoked conversations that made the majority uncomfortable. Uncomfortable to the point where he can no longer find employment within the NFL.

He did opt out of his contract with the 49ers, which is understandable with the new leadership of the franchise and new coaches coming on board. The team itself is vastly different. Perhaps the 49ers should have kept him to see how he would flourish or falter in a new system and new scheme. The team has made strides to improve in multiple areas, but it is difficult to see where Kaepernick would have been a worse option than Brian Hoyer (disregarding his comfortability with the new offensive system), or worse than Matt Barkley (current number 2 and at risk of losing out back up duties to drafted rookie C.J. Beathard).

But for the argument in which Kaepernick “sucks anyway”.... his stats for this last season show something different. He has appeared in 12 games, starting 11, for an offense that ranked 31st in the NFL. He and Blaine Gabbert (current back up in Arizona) had the fortunes of playing behind the number 28 ranked offensive line. Only better than Minnesota, Miami. San Diego and Seattle. In those 12 games for Kaepernick- his rating was 90.7. His rating was better than Tyrod Taylor (starter in Buffalo), Phillip Rivers (starter in LA), Carson Palmer (starter in Arizona), Jameis Winston (starter in Tampa Bay), Eli Manning (starter in NY), Joe Flacco (starter in Baltimore), Carson Wentz (starter in Philadelphia) to name a few. Kaepernick was 17^th in the league in rating while also throwing for 16 touchdowns (25^th) and 4 interceptions (less than 25 other quarterbacks). The 16 touchdowns Kaepernick threw was more than both current quarterbacks for the 49ers, which combined for 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

The supporting cast for the 49ers was also abysmal. Awful. Terrible. Aside from an offensive line ranking 28^th, the leading receiver for the 49ers was Jeremy Kerley with 667 yards on 64 receptions. Other receivers depended on last season was Quinton Patton (no longer with the team), Torrey Smith (no longer with the team), Vance McDonald (TE), Shaun Draughn (RB), and Rod Streater. Starting running back Carlos Hyde appeared in 13 games and rushed for 988 yards. He has yet to be able to stay healthy for a full season since entering the league in 2014. Kaepernick was 2^nd on the team in rushing with 468 (also 2^nd amongst quarterbacks in the league). Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris also saw workloads late in the year, both amassing under 200 yards each on 74 and 38 carries respectively.

Kaepernick, and even Gabbert, had an uphill battle last season trying to quarterback a team with holes to fill in every area. No team should depend on the likes of Kerley, Streater, McDonald, Draughn or Harris. Kaepernick was able to find success, even mild success on a team ranked at or near the bottom in all categories. Meanwhile, his individual rank among quarterbacks remain better than half the league in touchdowns and interceptions with a cast of misfits.

The matter at hand, the protest.... was not because Kaepernick hates the troops or hates the military. He knelt during the National Anthem, in which he felt, in the anthem for a nation which turns its back on the black community. It was a hot topic of discussion regarding the mistreatment of african americans by law enforcement and by a society as a whole. That cannot be disputed. To say his protest, his efforts to raise awareness, were something other than the need for a nation to realize its own faults in unfairly treating a populous, is irresponsible. Those ignoring the message and pointing to the act directly are also ignoring the conversation. Ignorance is bliss.

But he has put his efforts beyond trying to invoke conversation on a national level to donating his own money and time to charitable efforts. Amongst his donations are contributions to healing and strategic planning retreat for California families who have lost loved ones to police violence, Urban Underground in Milwaukee, WI, Mothers Against Police Brutality, Black Youth Project, Gathering for Justice and Appetite for Change to name a few. He spent some of his first days of the off season donating clothes and books to shelters. He has donated money to Meals on Wheels and has worked directly with Love Army for Somalia to raise the money to deliver food and water to Somalia.

While Kaepernick is being denied the privilege of playing in the NFL and might not find himself on the winning side of another football game. He is winning at life by being selfless and helping those in need. His legacy in life will far surpass his legacy on the field. The efforts of Malcolm X, Muhammed Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr. weren't praised or appreciated during the times in which they were prevalent either. Yes, that comparison will draw ire... but yes.... that comparison is relevant.

For more on his efforts, and to assist in aiding his efforts for a better world, head to http://kaepernick7.com