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SAN DIEGO -- While a naval officer sang the first notes of The Star-Spangled Banner and dozens of military members unfurled an oversized flag on the football field, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid dropped to one knee on the San Francisco 49ers sideline.With his silent gestures of protest, Kaepernick intends to keep drawing attention to a litany of American problems -- and hes no longer alone.Kaepernick and Reid kneeled during the national anthem Thursday before the 49ers 31-21 preseason victory over San Diego, ignoring scattered boos and angry shouts in Qualcomm Stadium at the Chargers Salute to the Military preseason game.Up north in Oakland, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane showed his support for Kaepernick by sitting on the bench during the anthem.Im not anti-American. I love America, said Kaepernick, who stayed on the field long after the game to sign autographs for enthusiastic fans. I love people. Thats why Im doing this. I want to help make America better, and I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from.Kaepernicks protest has dominated the public discussion of the nations most popular sport this week, and his stance has been met with passionate condemnation and support. His refusal to stand for the anthem first came to public notice last week when he remained seated on the 49ers bench before a preseason game against Green Bay.The quarterback cited numerous reasons for his actions, ranging from racial injustice and minority oppression to police brutality and the treatment of military veterans.Kaepernick said he plans to continue his protests during the regular season. He also intends to donate $1 million to different organizations to help these communities and help these people, declining to provide specifics.The message is that we have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with, Kaepernick said. We have a lot of people that are oppressed. We have a lot of people that arent treated equally, that arent given equal opportunities. Police brutality is a huge thing that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of issues that need to be talked about.Kaepernick wasnt earnestly booed in San Diego until he took the field to start the game for the 49ers, immediately leading them on a 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive against the hometown team. Amid his burgeoning social activism, he is also fighting for a roster spot and attempting to regain the starting job that he lost last season.When Kaepernick left the field following pregame warmups, he was greeted with profanity and obscene gestures from Leo Uzcategui, a 20-year Navy veteran in a military-green Chargers jersey with quarterback Philip Rivers No. 17 in camouflage numbering.I was in the Navy and I saw men and women bleed and die for this flag, Uzcategui said. If he wants to do something, go to some outreach program where he can do some good. And I get it, his First Amendment right. But you dont sit during the presenting of the colors, and you dont sit during the national anthem. That is not the way to do it.A sign in the crowd read: Youre an American. Act like one.But Domenique Banks, a 23-year-old fan from nearby Oceanside, California, got the quarterback to sign his Kaepernick jersey before the game.I told him I appreciate what he is standing up for, Banks said. He said he appreciated it. Most of the people I talk to say the same thing. I dont like that he is sitting during the national anthem, but I appreciate what he is standing for.Kaepernick was thrilled to be joined by Reid, the 49ers starting safety and a fourth-year veteran from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Reid and Kaepernick decided together on kneeling rather than sitting during the anthem.I just wanted to show my support for him, Reid said. He wanted to make it clear that he wasnt trying to be disrespectful to the military or the national anthem, so he decided to change his position to be more respectful, but still bring awareness to the issues that he believes are going on in this country, and that I wholeheartedly believe exist in this country.In Oakland, Lane sat on the bench behind his standing teammates before Seattles game against the Raiders. Lane said he doesnt know Kaepernick, but was standing behind him.Its something I plan to keep on doing until I feel like justice has been served, Lane said. No, I didnt tell anyone I was going to do it. I just did it. ... I dont mean no disrespect toward anybody, but Im just standing behind what I believe.Kaepernick kneeled next to Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who went to training camp with the Seahawks last year as a long snapper. Boyer, who wrote a conciliatory open letter to Kaepernick earlier this week, spoke with the quarterback about his stance this week. He posted a photo of the two on Twitter with a caption reading, Lets just keep moving forward. This is what America should be all about.When the same naval officer performed God Bless America before the fourth quarter, Kaepernick remained standing and then applauded along with his teammates.Kaepernick doesnt intend his stance to be a criticism of the military. When the Chargers public-address announcer asked fans to recognize active military personnel during a timeout, the quarterback stood and enthusiastically applauded along with his teammates and the entire stadium.I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harms way for my freedom of speech, and my freedoms in this country, and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee, Kaepernick said. So I have the utmost respect for them, and I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way.Kaepernicks social activism, which only emerged publicly in recent weeks, also included support for the Black Lives Matter movement through social media.While negative reaction to the quarterback has been strong, Kaepernick also has been widely praised for his commitment to his stance. Veterans and military members tweeted their support for Kaepernick in recent days under the hashtag VeteransForKaepernick.It was something I was thinking about to make sure that Im not just talking about something, but Im actively being involved and actively trying to make a change in these communities, Kaepernick said. Ive been very blessed to be in this position and be able to make the kind of money I do, and I have to help these people.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Oakland contributed to this story.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Discount Air Max Uk . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Cheap Air Max 97 Uk . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. http://www.fakeairmaxukoutlet.com/best-max-97-trainers-cheap-uk.html . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. 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The Guinness PRO12 are considering adding a new United States-based franchise to the league.The PRO12 -- which currently features sides from Italy, Ireland, Wales and Scotland -- is looking to increase its revenue to keep up with their Aviva Premiership and Top 14 counterparts.According to Philip Browne, the Irish Rugby Football Union CEO, one potential option would be to look to include a franchise based on the east coast of the USA.The transatlantic rugby pathway is one already being explored by the Premiership who staged a match in New York last March while Ireland will play New Zealand in Chicago in November. With rugby the fastest-growing team sport in America, Browne sees a potential opportunity for the PRO12 to expand into a new market.The one thing we can bring to bear, as four unions, is if you operate a franchise modell we can provide the coaches, we can provide the administrative expertise, Browne said in the Irish Times.dddddddddddd We can do what is needed to get a franchise up and running pretty quickly.So, thats what we are looking at. If we are going to do this we are not going to do it on the basis of putting together a half-baked team. What we need is a good team working in a market that has commercial opportunities for us.He added: Such an increase in values will require some radical change to the tournament and how it is structured. The expansion of the tournament into new territories is probably a prerequisite and the first steps are being taken now in relation to a new strategic plan for the tournament. ' ' '