Colin Kaepernick: Quarterback says he has received death threats

At the vanguard of debate about racial inequality in recent weeks, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he has received death threats for making his views known.

Kaepernick has refused to stand for the "Star Spangled Banner" before NFL games, instead sitting or taking a knee, to protest against what 

The death threats have come from a "couple of different avenues" including social media Kaepernick told reporters Tuesday, in comments carried by CSN Bay Area.

When asked about whether somebody were to act upon the specific threats made towards him, Kapaernick said "it will be loud and clear for everyone why it happened, and that would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now."

"There's a lot of racism disguised as patriotism in this country. And people don't like to address that. And they don't like to address what the root of this protest is," he added.n recent weeks numerous American sports stars have shown solidarity with Kaepernick by kneeling during the US anthem, which is played in stadiums before most major sporting events.

Kaepernick's 49ers teammate Eric Reid has knelt by his side while LA players Kenny Britt and Robert Quinn raised their fists during the Star Spangled Banner as the NFL season began.

Since then, US women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe has joined in the protest and Kaepernick's 49ers teammates Antoine Bethea, Eli Harold, Jaquiski Tartt and Rashard Robinson also took to raising their fists as the anthem played before Sunday's match against the Carolina Panthers.