Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick, and Eric Reid taking a knee on October 6. Photo by Kelley L Cox—USA TODAY Sports
Ending his controversial protest from last season, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has decided to stand during the national anthem next season, sources told ESPN.Throughout 2016, as a backup and later as a starter for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick decided to take a knee in protest of the United States' systemic violence and oppression against black people; the move ignited some controversy, and started conversations in living rooms and locker rooms about the nature of patriotism and race relations. But next season, according to ESPN, Kaepernick, "no longer wants his method of protest to detract from the positive change that he believes has been created."In the past year, Kaepernick rebutted a Supreme Court justice's take on his protest, visited a high school and gave a speech in support of their own die-in, and inspired athletes across various leagues and levels of sports to also take a knee, or find some other way to make statements of their own.It's worth mentioning that this report comes along with Kaepernick's decision to choose to opt out of his 49ers contract this week after a rocky season on the field. He will be shopping for a new team shortly.