SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Jerry Rice says 'All Lives Matter,' Kaepernick should 'respect the flag'

USA TODAY Sports
Jerry Rice.

Former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice became the latest athlete to create a Twitterstorm with his reaction to the Colin Kaepernick one-man protest.

Rice’s tweet on Monday night:

It is unclear whether Rice was being critical of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, but the phrase he used –  “all lives matter” – has been viewed as a criticism of that movement.

And Twitter let him know about it. Rice had been trending overnight, igniting a debate on his Twitter feed, mostly criticizing his choice of words.

Now we will wait to see if he is the latest to walk back his comments – much like former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who had to explain what he meant when he said he disagreed with Kaepernick's “motiivation" and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Myke Tavarres, who said he would sit during the national anthem before Thursday’s game against the New York Jets, only to have his agent say “never mind” within hours of that statement becoming public.

Some of the reactions to Rice's Tweet: