Colin Kaepernick denies report he would stand for national anthem if rehired by NFL

The player made use of a phrase attributed to Winston Churchill

Kaepernick's protest has spread across the country - and beyond (Getty)

Colin Kaepernick - the NFL star whose ‘kneeling’ protests against the racial injustice sparked a nationwide controversy - has denied a claim he would stand for the national anthem if he were to return to the American football league.

Over the weekend, a CBS journalist who had interviewed Kaepernick, said the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who currently has no team, would end his protest and stand for the playing of the anthem if he was picked up by another outfit. The reporter said the 29-year-old would also donate all the proceeds from the sale of his sports jerseys.

Yet hours after the the television reporter made his comments, he was forced to retract them - admitting he had not actually spoken with the player about that specific issue.

Kaepernick, making use of a quote that may or may not have originally been coined by Winston Churchill, said: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, posted her own message, which read: “The reports that Colin will stand for the anthem are completely false. He has never discussed this with anyone.”

It was Kaeperick who last year set in motion what has become a protest that has now reached across the country, and even crossed the Atlantic. He sat, and subsequently kneeled, during the playing of the national anthem to draw attention to the behaviour of some police officers when dealing with suspects of colour.

Since then, the protest has gathered pace, with members of most NFL teams, either kneeling or linking arms during the playing of the anthem. Donald Trump has attacked the players and called on the NFL to fire them.

Over the weekend, Vice President Mike Pence said he had left a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers after some players choose to kneel. While Mr Trump praised Mr Pence on his actions, some media reports suggested the Vice President’s actions had been planned in advance.

The latest controversy about Kaepernick - that he would would stand for the anthem if rehired - began when CBS reporter Jason La Canfora said of the player whom he had interviewed: “He’s not planning on kneeling. He’s going to donate all his jersey sales and he’s planning on standing for the anthem if given the opportunity."

After the denials, Mr La Canfora said in a series of tweets he was relaying previous reporting about Kaepernick and had not asked whether the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback would sit or stand during the anthem when he spoke about his interview with the player during a pre-game show.

“Colin would have to address any future demonstrations,” Mr La Canfora said in one tweet. “I didn’t ask him if he would sit or stand. Our chat primarily about his will to play.”