“I have great respect for the religion, know a lot of people that are Muslim and are phenomenal people,’’ Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers’ backup quarterback, said Wednesday. “But I think that (rumor of conversion) comes along with people’s fear of this protest, as well as Islamophobia in this country. People are terrified of them to the point where Trump wants to ban all Muslims from coming here, which is ridiculous.”
Kaepernick also addressed reports that he’s been heavily influenced by girlfriend Nessa Diab, a radio host.
“The impact is just conversations that we constantly have,’’ he said. “This is an open discussion that I have with many people, not just my woman. She is Muslim, her family is Muslim, I have great respect for them. I have great respect for people’s right to believe what they want to believe. And I don’t think anybody should be prosecuted for judged based on what their beliefs all.’’
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