Kaepernick and NFL players protesting

When Colin Kaepernick was caught sitting during the National Anthem a few weeks ago, it became big news. The reason he chose to do that was to protest the way blacks are treated by some police across the country....it was basically his way of joining the Black Lives Matter movement...because he had the same goal and message that they do...that all lives should be treated equally by the police. To be fair, the vast majority of police in this nation are heroes...honest, hard-working, individuals dedicated to make things safer but to think that they're all good is a fantasy. It's a fraction of a percentage overall but there are bad ones...some who take bribes, some who get carried away with force on the job and yes, there are some who are racist as well. It's bothersome that many of them seem to get away with it...whether it be due to corrupt or incompetent judges or commanding officers who share their views or just don't care enough. Now, Kaepernick was once fined for using the n-word so it seems a bit hypocritical to protest now after using such a disgusting word but hopefully he's learned since then. Either way, his protest is just and is protected by the 1st Amendment. The funny thing is, most of the people who are  most up-in-arms about him basically saying this country has problems are backing the Presidential candidate who's saying that as well in effect.
As for the protest itself...I admit that while I support his right to protest, I did not like the way he did it. Sitting during the anthem at a sporting event can be perceived as unpatriotic as the flag and the anthem aren't meant to honor the bad cops who break the laws they are sworn to uphold. That flag is a symbol....and that anthem was written to celebrate...the freedoms that men and women have died to give us and protect us from losing. In my view, while his protest was just, the manner in which he did it could be improved upon...and he did so the next game...by kneeling instead of sitting. Kneeling is still outside the norm so it still sparks conversation but it takes a special kind of stupid to think kneeling is the slightest bit disrespectful. If anything, it's even more respectful than standing. When people go to church and kneel during some portions of the service, are they being disrespectful in doing so? Kneeling is FAR from disrespectful.