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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo shared his opinion on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick not standing for the national anthem before games because of his views on the country's treatment of racial minorities, saying it’s not “my idea of doing the right thing.” “It’s a touchy subject,” Garoppolo acknowledged Wednesday on sports radio WEEI. “It’s his personal opinion, I guess, so you just have to let him stand by that. But I think we have a great thing going on in this country; everything about America is a great thing. We’re all very blessed to be here and it’s good to realize that.” Kaepernick's actions have sparked a national discussion with wide-ranging viewpoints, including some pointed opinions from some of the NFL's biggest stars. During his WEEI interview on Wednesday, Garoppolo was asked what goes through his mind during the national anthem. “I can’t tell you exactly what’s going through my mind, because it’s right before the game and you have a lot of emotions rolling and everything, but it’s kind of one of those moments where you get to sit back and really appreciate where you are, with the opportunity you have,” he said. “The NFL is a tough gig to get into; it’s a tough gig to stay in. It’s something I feel blessed to be in. It’s a great opportunity and it’s one of those moments you get to sit back and realize where you’re at and go kick some [butt] after that.” Co-host Kirk Minihane then asked Garoppolo how the Patriots might handle things if there was a teammate who didn’t stand during the national anthem. “I think we have a good organization here, and I think it would be handled in the right way, whether it was veteran leadership, the coaches, the ownership, whatever it may be,” he said. “I don’t really know how we would go about that, but I feel like our organization is a top-notch organization and we would definitely find the right way to handle it.”
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