San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he has received several death threats since he made the decision to kneel in protest during the playing of the US national anthem.
Kaepernick has taken the widely reported stance to protest against racial inequality and police brutality in America.
The revelation was made by Kaepernick when he was discussing the shooting death of an African American man by a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"If something like that were to happen, you've proved my point," Kaepernick said, according to the Bay Area News Group, noting he had not brought the threats to security's attention for that reason.
"It'll be loud and clear for everyone why it happened, and that would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now.
"Granted, it's not how I want it to happen, but that's the realisation of what could happen. I knew there were other things that came along with this when I first stood up and spoke about it. It's not something I haven't thought about."
Kaepernick believes strongly that what happens to the police officer involved in Tulsa will help him gauge how strongly his message is being heard.
"This is a perfect example of what this is about. It will be very telling about what happens to the officer that killed him."
Kaepernick said he had been the target of taunts throughout Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers.
"There's a lot of racism disguised as patriotism in this country and people don't like to address that and they don't like to address what the root of this protest is," he said.
Kaepernick intends to go through with his plan to donate $1 million to local communities. He said he will donate $100,000 a month for the next 10 months and will also set up a website so the public can see how the money is spent.
