The San Francisco 49ers participated in #BlackoutTuesday and fans are calling it hypocrisy after the treatment of Colin Kaepernick

• The San Francisco 49ers have posted on their social media platforms for #BlackoutTuesday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Fans and internet users are noting the hypocrisy surrounding the team's gesture given their treatment of Colin Kaepernick when he played for the team.
• The former NFL quarterback and outspoken activist was blackballed from the league after kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest against police brutality in the United States.
• The issue of police brutality has prompted protests across the nation after a white former police officer suffocated George Floyd — an unarmed black man — by kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes.

A conversation surrounding race relations and police brutality has gripped the United States in light of George Floyd's killing, and the NFL's San Francisco 49ers are chiming in.

But some fans are saying it's too little, too late.

Outrage boiled over nationwide after white former police officer Derek Chauvin suffocated Floyd — an unarmed black man — by kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes while arresting him under suspicions of using a fake $20. Floyd died of asphyxiation, and Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The 49ers participated in #BlackoutTuesday — a movement intended to signal support for Black Lives Matter — on their social media platforms, posting black screens and writing "Black Lives Matter" as a caption. But in the comments, many users noted that the team was notoriously silent when one of its star players brought attention to the Black Lives Matter cause back in 2016.

Colin Kaepernick — the former quarterback and outspoken activist — last played in the NFL when he was San Francisco's starter in 2016. The dual-threat quarterback drew attention — and ire — for kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest against police brutality in the United States. He has since been blackballed from the NFL and settled with the league after suing for collusion alongside former teammate Eric Reid.

The 49ers' decision to speak out against police brutality this week, some four years after their starter came under fire for doing the same, struck a chord with many. The team did not actively support Kaepernick in deflecting the immense blowback he faced for his peaceful protest, so some fans viewed San Francisco's decision to deliver the message now — when it's both convenient and suddenly backed by the league itself — as hypocritical.

—San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) June 2, 2020

—internetboy (@jaquezmus) June 2, 2020

—Lola (@MrsJamesBond) June 2, 2020

—Dee Holt ❄️➏ (@D_1andOnly_) June 2, 2020

—Coldforge (@GrabbitSlayer) June 2, 2020

—Smaug (@Smaug55) June 2, 2020

Reid — who kneeled with Kaepernick while the pair played for the 49ers — criticized the team and its leadership for its social media posts on Twitter Tuesday.

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) June 2, 2020

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) May 31, 2020

In another tweet, Reid noted that San Francisco CEO Jed York "begged me not to kneel" behind closed doors. Kaepernick retweeted the message on his own page.

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) May 31, 2020

He didn't stop there. Reid called out many NFL franchises — and the league itself — for making statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement given their lack of action in protecting Kaepernick up until this point.

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) June 2, 2020

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) June 2, 2020

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) June 2, 2020

—Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) June 2, 2020

When protests began erupting across the country, Kaepernick tweeted in favor of "revolting" and "resistance." For the most part, his Twitter feed has focused on protests themselves rather than happenings around the NFL.

—Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 28, 2020

• Read more:
• Floyd Mayweather plans to pay for George Floyd's funeral expenses after the death sparked outrage across the nation
• Former NBA star J.R. Smith chased down and beat up a looter who broke his car window during George Floyd riots in Los Angeles
• 16-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff delivers a powerful message on police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death
• NBA and NFL stars are demanding justice for George Floyd by marching alongside protesters and helping relief efforts

Read the original article on Insider