RBG Is Not a Kaepernick Fan

Cortney O'Brien | October 10, 2016 11:45 AM

Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have differed from her late colleague Antonin Scalia on countless policy issues, but one thing they had in common is that they were not afraid to speak their minds. The latest case in point: Ginsburg had no problem telling Yahoo!'s Katie Couric just

what she thinks about NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's on-field protests during the national anthem.

When asked by Couric how she feels about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and others athletes, refusing to stand for the anthem, Ginsburg replied, “I think it’s really dumb of them.”
“Would I arrest them for doing it? No,” Ginsburg elaborated. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.”

When pressed by Couric, Ginsburg did concede that Kaepernick's decision to take a knee at his NFL games is well within his First Amendment rights. Yet, she reminded Couric that it was "stupid."

As more and more football players follow Kaepernick's lead, more and more football fans are tuning out. NFL TV viewership has declined 11 percent in the first month of the season.

Fun fact: The "Notorious RBG" nickname is sticking around. I saw one student wearing a T-shirt here with that endearment at Washington University ahead of Sunday night's presidential debate.