OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he respects Colin Kaepernick's right to protest the national anthem and cited a French Enlightenment philosopher in doing so.
"Voltaire so eloquently stated, 'I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend it until death your right to say it,'" Harbaugh said. "That's a principle that our country is founded on. I don't think you cannot deny someone the right to speak out or mock or make fun or belittle anybody else's opinion."
Harbaugh has talked with Kaepernick two or three times over the years and knows him through his brother Jim, who drafted Kaepernick in 2011 and coached him for four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He mentioned Kaepernick comes from a great family and was raised the right way, which "reflects in how successful he's been."
But Harbaugh said it's a fine line between standing up for what you believe in and not becoming a distraction to the team. He tells his players that you have to make sure you believe what you say publicly because you have to own it.
"You respect our team, our organization and the other players," Harbaugh said. "You respect the mission that we're on and what we're trying to accomplish. None of us ever want us to detract or disrespect the efforts of all the other players on the football team. That's the balance that all of us have to strike when we speak out about something like that."