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People Have A Major Issue With The Latest "Sports Illustrated" Cover: Where Is Kaepernick?

"Colin Kaepernick is nowhere to be seen on this cover, but Roger Goodell gets a front-row spot?"

On Tuesday, in the middle of a national debate over the freedoms of protesting the national anthem by taking a knee, Sports Illustrated revealed its latest cover: "A Nation Divided / Sports United."

@SInow / Twitter / Via Twitter: @SInow

The cover depicts prominent athletes and other figures of the professional sports industry with linked arms.

The announcement also links out to the cover story entitled "Athletes Are Not Going to 'Stick to Sports' and That's an Admirably American Thing."

People immediately took issue with the political assertions made with the cover photo and title. Pro-Trump supporters threatened to boycott the magazine.

@MAGA2020too / Twitter / Via Twitter: @MAGA2020too

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@gavin_mangan / Twitter / Via Twitter: @gavin_mangan

And some were simply upset they had taken a position on the national debate at all.

@c9salt / Twitter / Via Twitter: @c9salt

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A lot of people, however, immediately took notice of one person who's glaringly missing from the cover: Colin Kaepernick.

@RyanDLeaf / Twitter / Via Twitter: @RyanDLeaf

Kaepernick was the first NFL player to take a knee to protest police brutality and racial inequality in 2016.

Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

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Many were confused by the omission.

@natalieweiner / Twitter / Via Twitter: @natalieweiner

They were especially confused because the magazine featured Roger Goodell at the forefront, linking arms with Steph Curry.

@scottbix / Twitter / Via Twitter: @scottbix

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@DOM_iZZO / Twitter / Via Twitter: @DOM_iZZO

"The Sports Illustrated 'protest' cover includes a man who gave a $1,000,000 to Trump but not Colin Kaepernick who lost his career over it," musician Mikel Jollett noted.

@Mikel_Jollett / Twitter / Via Twitter: @Mikel_Jollett

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BuzzFeed News has reached out to Sports Illustrated for comment, and to address these direct questions and concerns.

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