A year after Colin Kaepernick's first protest, his absence looms larger than ever

It's strange to look back on it now, as the U.S. president scolds the NFL for a perceived lack of patriotism, but when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision not to stand for the national anthem first draw attention last year, the football world wasn't impressed.

Everyone from superstar quarterback Drew Brees to Kaepernick's old coach Jim Harbaugh to 49ers legend Jerry Rice clucked their tongues about his supposed disrespect for the flag. A report months after Kaepernick had opted into free agency claimed some team executives had come to "genuinely hate" him.