Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso didn’t hide his feelings about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“There was some bad blood there for me with Kaepernick,” Alonso, whose father is a Cuban exile, told The Miami Herald after Sunday's game.
Kaepernick was questioned by the Herald last Wednesday after he wore a Fidel Castro T-shirt during a news conference in August. The quarterback was quoted as saying Castro helped create the "highest literacy rate because they invest more in their educational system than they do in their prison system, which we do not do here (in the United States) even though we're fully capable of doing that."
Kaepernick's comments, which he attempted to clarify after the game, were seen as support for Castro, who died Friday.
Kaepernick was booed when he took the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Alonso assisted on the game-ending tackle of Kaepernick, who was stopped at the Miami 2-yard line as the Dolphins held on for a 31-24 victory, their sixth in a row. Alonso finished with 12 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Alonso used the hashtag “#cubalibre” in an Instagram post of the final play of Sunday’s game.
A photo posted by Kiko Alonso (@elbravo_47) on
Alonso said he “had nothing to say” to the quarterback during the game.
“Usually, I just try to play my game,” Alonso told the newspaper. “But I did try to hit him.”
Kaepernick was asked about his Castro comments during his postgame news conference.
"What I said was I agree with the investment in education," Kaepernick said. "I also agree with the investment in free universal health care, as well as the involvement in helping end apartheid in South Africa.
"Trying to push the false narrative that I was a supporter of the oppressive things he (Castro) did is just not true," Kaepernick said. "I said I support the investment in education, I never said I support the oppressive things he did."
