Steve Kerr supports Colin Kaepernick: 'I think he deserves a chance to play'

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says he supports Colin Kaepernick "100 per cent" and believes he should have the chance to play in the NFL again.

Kerr has often shared his thoughts on social issues in the public domain and said Kaepernick should be on a team.

Kaepernick, 30, has not played in the NFL since opting out of his contract with the 49ers in 2017, following a season in which he was both praised and criticised for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice.

"I support Colin Kaepernick 100 per cent and I think he deserves a chance to play," Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. 

"And I was happy to see Eric Reid was picked up recently – Kap's team-mate who also knelt last year. So, I support their right to play."

Kerr was then asked about what would happen if the NBA completely did away with the anthem before games, which led him to share what bothers him about the controversy in the NFL.

"It wouldn't bother me. I'm not for it, nor against it," Kerr said. "I believe patriotism is about doing something good for others, for other Americans. 

"That's the best way to be patriotic, to get out and volunteer and help others. That's what drives me crazy about the uproar over the NFL players who have knelt in a fight for social justice. 

"So many of them have given so much to their communities, given not just money but time. I read a lot about Malcolm Jenkins in Philadelphia and what he's done in his community. And Chris Long. And people like Colin Kaepernick who have given a million dollars to charity.

"I'm so proud of so many athletes who are out there in their communities, knowing the power they have and the financial resources they have to make a change. That's patriotism to me. The anthem is just kind of a symbol for that."

Kerr went on to explain what would happen if a team signs Kaepernick, pointing to a "media frenzy" that follows him.

"If I'm a GM of a team, I know the minute I sign Colin Kaepernick, it's like signing Tim Tebow," Kerr said. 

"Or it's like signing one of the Ball brothers. And that's probably a bad analogy. But it's going to come with a storm. 

"So, even if your heart's in the right place, and you go, 'you know what? This is all BS,' I want my team to be able to function. And I want to bring in a back-up quarterback, but I don't want a news conference every single day.

"I could see a GM going, 'man, I don't really want to deal with that.' That's modern media. That's modern American life."