ESPN’s Smith calls Colin Kaepernick ‘irrelevant’ for not voting

Like it or not, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a movement by kneeling.

Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the playing of the national anthem as a protest for what he sees as racial injustice in this country was copied by many other people, including a number of athletes.

But when the news came out Wednesday that Kaepernick had not voted in Tuesday’s presidential election, there were some people who lamented that he hadn’t exercised his right to vote for leaders at all levels of government.

No one was as upset as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who roasted Kaepernick during “First Take” on Wednesday.

“As far as I’m concerned, Colin Kaepernick is absolutely irrelevant,” Smith said. “I don’t want to see him again, I don’t want to hear from him again, I don’t want to hear a damn word about anything that he has to say about our nation, the issues that we have, racial injustices, needing changing, etc., etc. He comes across as a flaming hypocrite. …”

Here is more of what Smith had to say:

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 8:12 AM with the headline "ESPN’s Smith calls Colin Kaepernick ‘irrelevant’ for not voting."