Free Republic

A Marine veteran who served in Iraq and is running for Congress in California called out Colin Kaepernick on Monday for “pulling the racism and victim card.” Jeremy Staat, who also played in 31 NFL games across four seasons, wrote to supporters in a recent fundraising email that Kaepernick is a "national disgrace and I'm tired of seeing him celebrated like he's a hero." On Monday, Staat told “Fox & Friends that “[Kaepernick] knew what he was getting into when he decided to kneel and now he’s going to go ahead and capitalize" on his decision. He accused the former...

A former college teammate of Pat Tillman – the NFL player who left football to join the Army and was killed in Afghanistan – has followed in his footsteps and joined the Marines. Jeremy Staat, who also played professional football, left the game at age 29 to endure the rigors of boot camp and life in the military. Staat was an offensive lineman at Arizona State University while Tillman played there, and the two were roommates. After college, Staat moved on to the National Football League, playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams, plus...