"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. 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."
That pretty much defines what is actually going on, not what some doofus thinks about trying to define it. There's not much doubt about WHY they're trying to do it, and it's not meant as respect for anything American.
I kneel only to God. I stand and salute the flag as a free citizen.
As you said, Colon K has made it very clear what the kneeling means.