San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is no stranger to controversy by now. Whether it be his sitting out the National Anthem or his lack of voting ever in his life, Kaepernick clearly has plenty to say.

And so did the South Florida media on Wednesday ahead of the 49ers’ clash with the Miami Dolphins this weekend.

It all started with Kaepernick wearing a shirt depicting Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro alongside Malcom X earlier this season. For many Cuban exiles, Castro isn’t just a controversial figure, he is a monster that affected families in ways that most American’s can’t imagine.

Given that knowledge, and the fact that most Cuban exiles settled in South Florida, Kaepernick’s alleged support for Castro naturally brought some questions from the Miami media.

Kaepernick appears willing to overlook the atrocities and sees the good in Castro. That good comes in the alleged literacy rate of the people of Cuba under Castro’s Communist regime according to his statements to the media.

Let’s just say things got about as uncomfortable as they can via teleconference:

The reporter, from a family of Cuban exiles, then accused Kaepernick of diverting the conversation because it was “uncomfortable” to talk about perceived support of Castro. At that point, Kaepernick said, “One thing that Fidel Castro did do is they have the highest literacy rate because they invest more in their education system than they do in their prison system, which we do not do here, even though we’re fully capable of doing that.”

It’s interesting that Kaepernick had to be pressed to talk about his position on Castro, but it shouldn’t be surprising that he supports politically radical people. After all, Kaepernick is a clear supporter of Malcom X and his girlfriend is known to be active in radical politics here in America as well.

Pressed on his controversial stances, Kaepernick also equated the incarceration of people in America to the forced breakup of families under Castro’s regime in Cuba over the years.

He then went on to deflect blame for any decline in fans wanting to watch NFL football after his very public political stances:

“They’re not watching football because of my stance about fighting systematic oppression and wanting the same equality and freedom for all people.

“I would say they probably need to look in the mirror at what they value. You know, if they’re OK with people being treated unfairly, being abused, being harassed, being terrorized, then the problem is more with what they’re doing in their lives than it is about watching football games.”

Whatever your thoughts on Kaepernick’s statements and beliefs, it’s clear that they aren’t just fly-by-night statements. They are things he has thought out and deeply believes, and he isn’t going to be afraid to speak his mind — like it or not.

[Palm Beach Post; Photo Credit: SF Gate]

About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!