Colin Kaepernick's decision to wear a pair of "pig cop" socks earlier this month isn't sitting well with the executive director of one of the largest police unions in the country.
After seeing a picture of Keapernick's socks on Thursday, Bill Johnson, the executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, blasted the 49ers quarterback for wearing them.
"It's just ridiculous that the same league that prohibits the Dallas (Cowboys) football club from honoring the slain officers in their community with their uniforms stands silent when Kaepernick is dishonoring police officers with what he's wearing on the field," Johnson told USA Today.
In July, the Cowboys had asked the NFL if they could wear a decal on their helmet to honor the Dallas police officers who were killed in June, but the league said no.
As for Johnson, he says that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is letting the league get out of control.
"I think the league is in a downward spiral regarding their obligations to the public under Roger Goodell," Johnson said. "And this is just another example of that."
Kaepernick has been facing some backlash since Wednesday night, when it became public knowledge that he wore "pig cop" socks just four days before his first national anthem protest.
The 49ers quarterback wore the socks to practice on Aug. 10, and then wore them at least two additional times in the following weeks, according to CSN Bay Area.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Kaepernick said he wore the socks to bring awareness to the fact that their are rogue cops who are putting people in danger.
"I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust," Kaepernick wrote.
Kaepernick was loudly booed in San Diego on Thursday, which was the first game he played in since his national anthem protest went public. Kaepernick continued his protest before the Chargers game on Thursday. During the national anthem, the quarterback kneeled with teammate Eric Reid, who joined his cause.
After the game, Kaepernick said that he would donate $1 million to charities that help communities in need.
It's unclear how any police organizations will react to Kaepernick's gesture of goodwill. The National Association of Police Organizations was actually the second police group to rip Kaepernick in less than a week.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association sent out a letter on Monday that blasted Kaepernick for sitting during the national anthem before the 49ers game against the Packers on Aug. 26.
