49ers GM John Lynch answers questions about National Anthem protests

During Wednesday’s press conference, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about continuing National Anthem protests by players in the NFL. Here are Lynch’s responses to the questions from the media.

In his press conference on Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch answered a number of questions from the media. The majority of the questions focused on Lynch’s opinions about various players, as well the 49ers’ joint practice with the Denver Broncos in preparation for the Niners’ preseason game with the Broncos on Saturday.

However, Lynch was then asked a series of questions related to his feelings surrounding the continuing National Anthem protests that began in 2016 by then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Here is a link to the video of Lynch’s press conference, which is currently a hop topic of conversation on social media — mostly due to Lynch’s use of the word “divisive.”

San Francisco 49ers

If you don’t have time to watch the entire video, here is the transcript of the pertinent media questions and Lynch’s answers, provided by the San Francisco 49ers media department:

"Q: Silent protests, sideline protests are back in the news now and it looks like they are not going away anytime soon. If it happens here amongst some of your players as it did here last year, how do you feel about that? Do you support it? Do you tolerate it? Do you have concerns with it?You know, I’ve got my own feelings about it. I think my strongest feeling, we had a great deal the other day where we had four chairs up here and there was [former San Francisco 49ers QB] Steve Young and [former San Francisco 49ers WR] Jerry Rice. They talked about the ‘49er Way,’ and I always thought it’s one of the great things about this league. In fact, I think it’s a great beacon for the rest of culture in terms of the way it should be. You strive for a common goal and you have unity. And I think this game brings people together. So, I think personally, when I see that I think that’s divisive. And, I understand guys see things that they’re not happy and they have that right and I think we’ll always respect people’s rights. That doesn’t mean I believe that. I believe that this game should actually be celebrated for what it is. I think a tremendous unifier for our country and for what, you know, the way things should be. [Former San Francisco 49ers head coach] Bill Walsh used to speak about it. You take guys from all over the country, different socioeconomic backgrounds, racial backgrounds, and you have friends for life. [NFL Hall of Fame DT] Warren Sapp is here today working with our defensive line because he’s a buddy of mine and always will be. Those types of story, I think, get lost in something like this, but they’ve got their reasons and we’ll always be respectful of those.Q: Does what you just said mean that you would talk to those players about that or do you just allow them as men to–?Yeah, I think that we’ll always communicate. We think over communicating is a good thing. We haven’t faced that situation. If we do, we’ll communicate."

Next: Recap of 49ers Broncos joint practice

How do you feel about San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch’s response to the controversial topic? Do you have a problem with Lynch using the word “divisive”?