San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who achieved notoriety by refusing to stand during the National Anthem before games, has decided to end his "protest" against the flag and stand during the anthem wherever he is playing next year.

Sources told ESPN that he believes that his method of protest has yielded "positive results" and is no longer necessary to draw attention to "social inequality."

ESPN:

Kaepernick no longer wants his method of protest to detract from the positive change he believes has been created, sources told ESPN. He also said the amount of national discussion on social inequality – as well as support from other athletes nationwide, including NFL and NBA players – affirmed the message he was trying to deliver.

As a means of protest, he began sitting during the national anthem in the 2016 preseason before taking a knee for the final preseason contest and 16 regular-season games.

Kaepernick will opt out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday and become a free agent next week, sources told ESPN.

There were other steps Kaepernick took that did not receive the same amount of attention as his anthem stance.

The Colin Kaepernick Foundation pledged to give $1 million to community organizations helping underprivileged people; the San Francisco 49ers matched with another $1 million in donations. He has followed through with monthly donations of $100,000 spread out over 10 months to organizations all over the country.

It is probable that one of the major reasons Kaepernick is ending his protest is because there are very few other NFL teams who would tolerate his disrespect of the flag.  He would have trouble getting a job for next year unless he promised to behave himself.  Few cities and teams are as forgiving of such anti-American gestures as San Francisco and the 49ers.

But what's rarely mentioned when Kaepernick's protest is described is how toxic his original statement was about why he refused to stand during the anthem.  Later statements softened his anti-police, anti-American sentiments, but this is what he said the day after his first protest:

NFL.com:

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Many saw this statement as an incitement against the police.  Indeed, there were several high-profile attacks against law enforcement officers that followed Kaepernick's statement and the rhetoric used by Black Lives Matter.  The least that could be said is that Kaepernick's statement and protest didn't help ease tensions between police and the black community and probably inflamed them.

Kaepernick's career is winding down – not because of his protests, but because he isn't really a very good quarterback.  He seems destined for a backup role wherever he plays.  But it's doubtful that many Americans will forget his disrespect for the flag and incendiary rhetoric against police.