Colin Kaepernick Comments on Bills Crowd Chant Before His Anthem Protest

The Buffalo Bills crushed the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, 45-16, but quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s first start of the season made headlines for more than the final score.

Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reported fans at New Era Field chanted "USA, USA" before Kaepernick knelt with defensive teammates Eric Reid and Eli Harold during the national anthem.

After the game, the quarterback responded to any notions that he was being unpatriotic by kneeling, per Wagoner.

"I don't understand what's un-American about fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality this country says it stands for," he said. "To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to the standards that it says it lives by."

In August, Kaepernick told NFL.com's Steve Wyche that he was "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

According to Wagoner, Buffalo fans greeted the signal-caller with plenty of boos when he took the field for the first time with the 49ers offense as well. Wagoner also cited a tweet from a fan who said somebody threw a bottle at the quarterback, to which the signal-caller responded, "If they did, they didn’t have very good aim."

Robert Klemko of The MMQB shared some images of T-shirts that were being sold outside New Era Field with anti-Kaepernick messages:

One Bills fan tackled a dummy wearing Kaepernick's jersey, as Klemko passed along:

The negative sentiment didn’t spread to all Buffalo fans. Wagoner noted there was a "kneel-in" outside the stadium to support Kaepernick's message, while Josina Anderson of ESPN tweeted pictures of a protest by some supporters backing his cause:

In terms of the game, Kaepernick struggled with his accuracy, finishing 13-of-29 for 187 passing yards and a touchdown, though he did serve as a rushing threat in head coach Chip Kelly’s uptempo read-option attack with 66 yards on eight carries, including a 29-yarder.

The 49ers will return home to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday, which will represent the first chance for San Francisco fans to greet Kaepernick as a regular-season starter since he began protesting racial injustice and police brutality during the national anthem.