CBS Sports walks back report about whether Colin Kaepernick would stand for the national anthem

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.Thearon W. Henderson/Getty

CBS Sports columnist Jason La Canfora corrected a report in which he falsely claimed that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick would stand for the national anthem if he was signed to a team.

On Saturday evening, La Canfora told CBS about a recent conversation he had with Kaepernick and addressed the quarterback’s refusal to stand for the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality.

“He’s not planning on kneeling, he’s going to donate all his jersey sales, and he’s planning on standing for the anthem, if given the opportunity,” La Canfora said.

Many media outlets read La Canfora’s report as a shift for the quarterback, who hasn’t been picked up by a team despite strong statistics relative to other past free agents.

But less than a day later, on Sunday, the CBS columnist walked his report back in a series of tweets, saying he in fact did not discuss the topic with Kaepernick, and was referring to an ESPN report from March that said he’d stand for the anthem.

For his part, the former 49ers quarterback seemed to allude to the inaccuracies in the report in a message on Twitter.

Kaepernick’s protest against racial prejudice ignited a national debate fanned by President Donald Trump, who said last month that NFL owners should fire any player protesting by kneeling during the anthem.

On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a game after several San Francisco 49ers players kneeled during the anthem. Pence’s protest earned a mixed response.

CBS Sports declined to answer Business Insider’s request for comment.