NC lawmaker tells Colin Kaepernick he’s ‘picking a fight with Mother Freedom’

A Mecklenburg County lawmaker is the latest to tackle Colin Kaepernick, telling the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in a video message that he’s “picking a fight with Mother Freedom.”

Republican Rep. John Bradford of Cornelius criticized Kaepernick, who has refused to stand for the national anthem at pro football games.

“I’m certain that you’ve heard the old saying that freedom isn’t free and the national anthem represents that freedom,” Bradford said, calling the anthem the “global theme song.”

Bradford tells Kaepernick that although he hasn’t served in the military, his father and other family members have. He goes on to invite Kaepernick to visit North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the country.

“While it’s no secret that you have a multi-million salary, this means so much to me that I’m even willing to buy your plane ticket and pay for your hotel,” Bradford says in the message.

Bradford’s appeal to patriotism comes amid his race against Democrat Jane Campbell, who’s running as an independent in the North Mecklenburg district.

Campbell is a career Navy officer who retired in 2015 with the rank of captain. She served in Afghanistan in 2009-2010.

“I supported and defended the Constitution which gives Colin Kaepernick the right to make his statement the way he did,” Campbell says.

She called Bradford’s video “an effort to move away from the issues at hand.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "NC lawmaker tells Colin Kaepernick he’s ‘picking a fight with Mother Freedom’."