Colin Kaepernick’s stance on social issues isn’t helping him win popularity contests.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is the most disliked player in the NFL, ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported Thursday, citing the results of a survey E-Poll Marketing Research conducted last week.
Of the 1,100 respondents, whose demographics reflect the United States’ as a whole, 29 percent disliked Kaepernick “a lot,” putting him well ahead of Jameis Winston (22 percent), Ndamukong Suh (21 percent), Tom Brady (13 percent) and Ben Roethlisberger (10 percent) in the ranks of the detested.
Kaepernick’s “dislike a lot” figure spiked from 6 percent, where it measured in August 2014 — the last time the research firm conducted such a poll.
He hasn’t created many enemies since then through stellar play, as he lost his starting quarterback job to Blaine Gabbert. So it’s simple to conclude Kaepernick’s unpopularity stems from his ongoing protest on social issues, which takes place during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” prior to games.
Kaepernick has received torrents of criticism and abuse — and reportedly even death threats in recent weeks. So he’s probably concerned about bigger things at the moment than a dip in popularity.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
