Kaepernick responds to Dilfer and it's clear he's going to keep talking, even as a backup QB

Colin Kaepernick stood in the middle of a victorious San Francisco 49ers locker room here Monday and took a moment to blast one of his foremost critics, ESPN broadcaster Trent Dilfer.

Over the weekend Dilfer slammed Kaepernick for his ongoing protest of taking a knee during the pregame national anthem. The 49ers’ second-string quarterback says he is doing it to raise awareness and action to the issue of police brutality and the killing of unarmed black men.

It has produced, to say the least, a tsunami of attention, backlash, controversy, condemnation, celebration and discussion that has extended across the country, produced further players at all levels joining in and even found comment from President Obama.

“The big thing that hit me through all this was this is a backup quarterback whose job is to be quiet, and sit in the shadows and get the starter ready to play Week 1,” Dilfer said on Sunday. “Yet he chose a time where all of a sudden he became the center of attention. And it has disrupted that organization. It has caused friction. And it’s torn at the fabric of the team.”

When asked for a response, Kaepernick didn’t hold back.

“I think that’s one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve heard,” Kaepernick said. “The fact that you say, ‘You are a backup QB, stay in your place?’ That’s an issue. To me, you are telling me that my position as a backup QB and being quiet is more important than people’s lives. I would ask him to really have a conversation with the families of people that have been murdered [by police] and see if he still feels that way. Because I bet that he doesn’t. Just because he hasn’t experienced that type of oppression.

“That is something that I hope he goes home and really thinks about what he said and how it impacts not just me but how it impacts people whose lives are affected by these issues on a daily basis.”

49ers Eric Reid (L) and Colin Kaepernick maintained their stance and protest on Monday. (AP)

Kaepernick began the protests in the preseason, first staying seated during the anthem and then later taking a knee. He says he isn’t protesting the military but fighting for justice. It has struck a nerve. He’s been torn apart by some, propped up by others. When he took the field in the final minutes of a 28-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, he was both cheered and booed, as some fans waved American