J.R. Smith Criticizes Athletes Speaking out Against Colin Kaepernick, Protests

Cleveland Cavaliers star J.R. Smith doesn't appreciate athletes talking down about other athletes. 

Smith discussed those criticizing Colin Kaepernick and other athletes protesting in a video on UNINTERRUPTED Friday:

"We supposed to be all in the same boat," he said of fellow athletes. "Everybody come from their own struggles and their own situation. Everybody trying to prosper and do better in life. We don't need to drag one another down. That's corny to me."

The video was a continuation of a Twitter thread that began Friday morning, noting that he "never understood speaking down on another person/athlete to the media."

"

We (athletes) have all seen people with not as much talent but they still have jobs.

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) August 25, 2017"

Although he didn't call out anyone by name, he did mention Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas, who were swapped in a recent trade with Thomas going to the Cavaliers and Irving going to the Celtics. Ray Allen and Caron Butler were some of the people who have chimed in on the blockbuster deal.

He also mentioned Colin Kaepernick, whose anthem protests and continued unemployment in the NFL has brought plenty of opinions from around the sports world. 

LeSean McCoy explained why he thinks the quarterback remains a free agent on Thursday, per Mike Rodak of ESPN:

"It's a lot more than just he's not on the team because he doesn't want to stand for the national anthem. That may have something to do with it, but I think also it has a lot to do with his play. I'm sure a lot of teams wouldn't want him as their starting quarterback. That chaos that comes along with it, it's a lot."

If Smith had his way, players like McCoy wouldn't be talking about anything but themselves and their teams.