As President Donald Trump’s criticism of athletes who kneel during the national anthem receives widespread condemnation, it’s worth taking a look at how then-President Barack Obama addressed protesting sports figures last year. Trump said Friday that any athlete like former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the national anthem at NFL games last season to protest police brutality, was a “son of a bitch” who should be fired, unleashing a storm of criticism from NFL players, the league and others. Almost exactly a year ago, Obama offered a nuanced insight into Kaepernick’s protests. “But I also always try to remind folks that part of what makes this country special is that we respect people’s rights to have a different opinion. Read Obama’s full remarks during the CNN town hall below:

Source: Huffington Post September 23, 2017 20:48 UTC