O.J. Simpson criticized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, saying he made a "bad choice" with his protest of kneeling when the national anthem was played before football games, the Washington Examiner reported Friday.
"I think Colin made a mistake," Simpson told the Buffalo News in an article published Friday. "I really appreciate what he was trying to say. I thought he made a bad choice in attacking the flag."
"I'm a firm believer of doing what you think is right, but I would always stand for the flag," Simpson added. "When he did it the first time ... I thought, 'Well, you took a gamble, and I give you credit.' But it was him continuing to do it where he made the biggest mistake."
Kaepernick first kneeled before a football game in early 2017 in an effort to raise awareness about police brutality. He later was dropped by the 49ers, but the practice continued to be embraced by other athletes. President Donald Trump blasted the practice during a campaign event last year, sparking a national discussion about the issue.
Simpson also defended law enforcement officers, saying a few racially motivated incidents should not define police departments.
"I grew up at a time when [church] deacons were in the KKK. I don't disrespect the Bible because of those guys," Simpson said. "The flag shouldn't be disrespected because of what cops do. The flag represents what we want America to be."
Simpson is also famously remembered for the criminal trial in 1995 where he faced murder charges for the deaths in 1994 of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was found not guilty, but in 2008 he began to serve a 30-year sentence for a Las Vegas robbery. He was released on parole this past July.
The Buffalo News noted it was Simpson's first interview extensively about football since the 1990s. Like Kaepernick, the football legend played for the 49ers, but began his professional career playing for the Buffalo Bills.
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