San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he refused to stand during the national anthem on Friday because of his views on the countrys treatment of racial minorities.I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, Kaepernick told NFL Media after Fridays game. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.The 49ers acknowledged in a statement that Kaepernick sat on the teams bench during the national anthem before San Franciscos game against the Green Bay Packers?in Santa Clara, California.The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony, the statement said. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.Kaepernick told NFL Media that he did not tell the team he was planning to protest the national anthem.This is not something that I am going to run by anybody, he said. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.Addressing reporters on a conference call on Saturday, 49ers coach Chip Kelly called Kaepernicks actions his right as a citizen.?We recognize his right to do that, Kelly said. Its not my right to tell him not to do something.Kelly added that he hadnt received any feedback from his players regarding the much-debated actions of his quarterback.Im sure some of them would be aware of it after reading the accounts today, but no one has expressed anything, Kelly said. Well talk about it as a team tomorrow.Keenan Reynolds, who played his college ball at Navy and is trying to make the Baltimore Ravens roster as a receiver and kick returner, said Kaepernick has the right to take such a stance.Obviously, being in the military, Im proud of that position, Im proud of being able to defend the country, so humbled [by] other people that came before me and gave their lives so I can play on the field and run around and we can live freely in this country, Reynolds said. But like I said, thats his right, and hes going to do what he has to do.New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz, speaking after Saturday nights preseason game against the?Jets, said he disagreed with Kaepernicks actions.I think, personally, the flag is the flag, regardless of how you feel about the things that are going on in America today and the things that are going on across the world with gun violence and things of that nature, Cruz said. You got to respect the flag, and you got to stand up with your teammates. Its bigger than just you, in my opinion. You go up there, youre with a team, and you go and pledge your allegiance to the flag, and you sing the national anthem with your team, and then you go about your business. Whatever your beliefs are, are your beliefs.Colin is his own man. He decided to sit down and sit out, and thats his prerogative. But on a personal standpoint, you have to stand up there and understand that this game and whats going on around the country is bigger than just you.Kaepernick also did not stand for the national anthem during the other preseason games, but he wasnt dressed for those contests because of tightness in his right shoulder.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday that players?are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.Pro Football Talk initially reported that Kaepernick did not stand during the anthem. He was not asked about his decision during his postgame news conference, which was held before the Pro Football Talk report.Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents. He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.Numerous high-profile athletes have spoken out about civil rights issues in the wake of gun violence throughout the United States. In July, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul opened the ESPYS with a call for social change and an end to violence, and WNBA players wore warm-up shirts to show solidarity after shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Wades cousin, Nykea Aldridge, was killed by gunfire in Chicago on Friday, a day after Wade participated in a series of panel discussions on gun violence hosted by The Undefeated on ESPN.Kaepernick told NFL Media that he had thought about going public with his feelings for a while but said, I felt that I needed to understand the situation better.In a series of tweets on Saturday, Giants?offensive lineman Justin Pugh reiterated his position on why he stands for the national anthem.Kaepernick joins team sports athletes, including Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Carlos Delgado, in refusing to participate during patriotic American songs. Abdul-Rauf was suspended one game by the NBA in 1996 for not standing during the national anthem, saying the United States had a history of tyranny and doing so would conflict with his Islamic beliefs. He later agreed to stand and pray silently during the song. Delgado would leave the field in 2004 during God Bless America in protest of the Iraq War.Kaepernick made his preseason debut on Friday against the Packers. He went 2 for 6 passing for 14 yards and added 18 yards on four carries in the 49ers 21-10 loss.Kelly was asked Saturday if he expects Kaepernick to make the 53-man roster.Yeah, hes competing with?Blaine [Gabbert]?to see who our starting quarterback is going to be, Kelly said. We havent had any discussions in terms of starters right now. Our whole focus today was really making our cuts to 75.?ESPN staff writer Nick Wagoner and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Philip Rivers Youth Jersey . 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Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Junior Seau Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. With Valves recent announcement restricting the role of coaching in-game in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it was time to look at the various kinds of coaches across esports to better understand their roles and what they provide to their respective scenes and whether Valves rule does what they hope it will do.Street FighterCoaching in Street Fighter was a foreign concept until Lee Infiltration Seon-woo entered the arena in 2012. He, along with Changwan Laugh An, another fellow player, shocked the scene as they coached each other before and after matches, as well as going over notes on any players theyd meet in competition. It was met with shock, derision and outrage before quickly becoming the norm.Things eventually got out of hand as some players got four to five coaches and tournaments were forced to allow only one coach per player, with most coaches being other high-level players attending the same tournament. In a strange twist of fate, the most notable player to not use a coach or read notes before a match turned out to be Infiltration himself.StarCraft IIIn SCII, coaching isnt widespread, except in South Korea. A coachs primary job is to win Proleague, and since its a team-based league, they choose the lineups, the builds the players use, and the ace player if it gets to the ace match. When it comes to individual leagues, its hard to know how much coaches actually help, but the extent of what we know is that they help analyze opponents strategies and help their players prepare.The three most notable coaches in SCII are Ryu Won, Choi iloveoov Yun Sung and Kim Min-Ki. Ryu Won is credited as the coach with the greatest accomplishments in SCII as he helped Mun MMA Seong Won and Kim Soulkey Min Chul in their GSL victories. He has also had numerous team league title wins to his name.The second is Choi iloveoov Yun Sung, who was considered a bonjwa in StarCraft: Brood War and the heir to Lim Boxer Yo-Hwan. After coming back from the military, he took over head coaching responsibilities for SK Telecom T1. After a poor initial performance in Proleague, he revamped everything instead of sticking to the more rigid Kespa ways of Spartan training.The last coach is Kim Min-Ki, former STX coach and one-time winner of Proleague. It is hard to attribute it directly to him, but four of his six starters went on to become individual league champions after STX disbanded. For whatever reason, his players all developed extremely well under his guidance and despite years of watching SCII, such a coincidence hasnt happened again, making me believe that he had some part in making them great players.League of LegendsLeague has a much more structured approach to coaching. This is because players are forced to live together for extended periods of time, so a coach is vital to prevent tensions from building up and imploding tthe team.dddddddddddd. Beyond that, theyre in charge of training, scheduling, analysis and drafting. And depending on the team, coaches have a large support staff around them.However, its harder for coaches in the west to manage players than it is in South Korea. In South Korea, elders have inherent authority, whereas in the west, everyone is seen as an equal, making it difficult for coaches to establish authority.There are several notable coaches in the League of Legends scene, with the most renowned coach being Kim kkOma Jung-gyun, the coach of SKT since 2013. Previously, he failed as a SCII professional player, but he went on to become one of Leagues most respected coaches.Dota 2The differences in scene and tournament structure have made coaching a much less important thing in Dota 2 than it has in League of Legends. It is an open tournament circuit that follows a major system, so players live at home individually. The need for an authority figure to manage them is less important, and at the same time, roster shuffles occur much more frequently, so coaches have less impact on teams.The most famous coaches are Tang 71 Wenyu and Kanishka Sam BuLba Sosale. 71 is a respected Chinese coach who has molded several top teams in China (EHome and DK). BuLba is a pro player who is well regarded for his coaching, helping some of the best Dota 2 teams in the world. Most notably, he helped coach Evil Geniuses in their TI5 victory.Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveWhere games such as Dota 2 and League limited the effects of coaching to the draft and pregame/postgame talks, CS:GO allowed for coaches to lead in game. This meant that they could feed information a player missed, help clear up communication, help emotional control and call the play or lead the action.The three biggest coaches of the in-game leading coach are Sergey starix Ishchuk, Bj?rn THREAT Pers and Luis peacemaker Tadeu. Starix is the mastermind behind Na`Vi and his taking on the role as in-game leader was what kicked off Na`Vi being close to the best team in the world. THREAT reinvented NiP after they had fallen off in 2015 into a strong team again. Peacemaker was the coach that helped found the Immortals structure and then moved to Team Liquid where he helped engineer a run to the finals of a Major.What does an in-game leading coach offer a team? They can feed information a player missed, help clear up communication, help emotional control and call the play or lead the action. All of these things arent based on talent or skill, which is what a new team is usually formed around. Instead theyre based on hard work and experience. And theyre all things every new team succumbs to once they start playing on LAN or the big stage. ' ' '