Colin Kaepernick Stands Up By Sitting Down for Anthem

A look back at how he was raised helps explain why the 49ers quarterback is choosing to protest what he perceives are racial inequalities in America

Tony Avelar/APColin Kaepernick’s decision to sit for the national anthem in protest of institutional racism in America—an unprecedented move in the vast non-partisan tradition of quarterback behavior—made me think of the fall of 2012, when I had a unique glimpse into the world that raised Colin Kaepernick.

I was a rookie reporter at USA Today at the time, two years removed from college, and the same age as Kaepernick. USA Today’s NFL editor Kevin Manahan sent me to Turlock, Calif., to profile the quarterback who had just taken the starting job in…