<\/a>Kennedy Jones
\n<\/strong>Staff Writer<\/p>\n

NFL player Colin Kaepernick is in the news once again after deciding not to vote in the presidential election. This is not the first time that the 49ers quarterback has caused controversy. Just a few months ago Kaepernick caused an up-roar after refusing to stand for the national anthem.<\/p>\n

He explained his decision to no longer stand by stating, \u201cI am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.\u201d He also added that he will continue to protest until he see\u2019s significant progress.<\/p>\n

Kaepernick\u2019s actions sparked a national debate on if his decision to not stand was disrespectful or justified. Since then, several athletes have followed in Kaepernick\u2019s footsteps by not standing and several other athletes have spoken out in distaste of his protest.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to now, Kaepernick\u2019s decision to not vote in one of America\u2019s most important presidential elections has left many people angry and calling him a hypocrite.<\/p>\n

ESPN \u201cFirst Take\u201d host Stephen A. Smith was very vocal in his opinion, calling Kaepernick a \u201cflaming hypocrite\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, Colin Kaepernick is absolutely irrelevant. I don\u2019t want to see him again; I don\u2019t want to hear from him again, I don\u2019t want to hear a [expletive] word about anything he has to say about our nation. He comes across as a flaming hypocrite. For him not to vote, as far as I\u2019m concerned, everything he said meant absolutely nothing,\u201d said Smith in the televised commentary.<\/p>\n

Azaria Edwards, a junior dual chemistry and biology major from Jackson, Miss. believes that Kaepernick is not as passionate about change as he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHim choosing not to vote during the 2016 presidential election shows that he can\u2019t be too passionate about change as it pertains to the oppression of people of color if he doesn\u2019t want to be a part of the possibility of change that comes with electing a new president,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cSure he still has freedom of speech and other ways to attempt to apply change, but not voting at all wasn\u2019t a wise decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigel Davenport, a senior dual theatre and psychology major from Vicksburg, Miss. is on the fence about the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a bit on the fence about this because I get what he\u2019s saying when he says his vote doesn\u2019t matter. Hillary won the popular vote but we still went by the Electoral College vote which means that\u2019s how Trump won the election. But at the same time if we are about change we have to be proactive and still go out there and vote,\u201d said Davenport.<\/p>\n

After receiving major backlash, Kaepernick finally spoke out at a post-game press conference. While most people felt that it was hypocritical of him to not vote, Kaepernick told reporters he felt that it would have been hypocritical of him if he did go out and vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote,\u201d he said. \u201cI said from the beginning I was against oppression; I was against the system of oppression. I\u2019m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn\u2019t going to allow you to vote your way out of oppression,\u201d he said in the interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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