While San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick continued his protest of the American flag by kneeling during the National Anthem on Monday night, his teammate and former University of Alabama star Quinton Dial stood shoulder to shoulder with members of the armed forces and helped to hold a giant American flag while the Anthem played.
Dial is a native of Andalusia, Alabama and played his high school ball for Clay-Chalkville in Pinson. His first two years in college he played at East Mississippi Community College, now the subject of the popular Netflix series “Last Chance U,” before playing his final two years at the University of Alabama.
Dial finished his career at UA with 46 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two National Championships. His most famous moment in Crimson came when Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray threw an interception and then forget the sage advice passed down from generation to generation of football players: keep your head on a swivel.
Dial was selected by the 49ers in the 2013 NFL draft, and earlier this year signed a three-year contract extension. On Monday night, members of the national media quickly took note of Dial’s decision to help hold the flag prior to the 49ers game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“While Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid take a knee,” tweeted NFL network reporter Andrew Siciliano, “Quinton Dial does his part and helps hold the flag.”
“49ers defensive lineman Quinton Dial joined military members holding the flag for the anthem,” added Lindsey Thiry of the L.A. Times.
Both tweets quickly spread online.
