Colin Kaepernick's Controversial Decision Won't Affect Current Sponsors

The San Francisco 49ers will play the San Diego Chargers on Thursday, but the biggest story will be what happens before the game.

Colin Kaepernick's controversial decision to sit out the National Anthem before games is the hottest topic in the NFL right now. The 49ers quarterback refuses to stand for the National Anthem as a protest of how black people are treated in America.

"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 in an interview after last weekend's 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."

Kaepernick is taking a moral stand and says he will continue to sit out the National Anthem as his form of protest. Drew Rosenhaus appeared on CNBC to talk about Kaepernick's controversial decision and how it may impact his career and endorsements. Rosenhaus did not believe it would jeopardize his current endorsements with Nike Inc NKE, Apple Inc.'s AAPL Beats By Dre, and MusclePharm Corp MSLP.

Rosenhaus did say it would limit his future endorsement potential, but felt that his lack performance on the field recently would be the biggest threat to his advertising potential.

"What I think will hurt Colin Kaepernick even more than this episode is fact that his career didn't go the same trajectory that it once did," said Rosenhaus.

Former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said, "I don't respect the motivation or the action" of Kaepernick's decision to sit out. He later clarified these statements on Twitter Inc TWTR, stating that he respecting the motivation, but not the action of his decision.

Image credit: Football Schedule, Flickr