I have been a New England Patriots fan since the team’s inception, in 1960 (“I’m done with football,’’ Opinion, Aug. 27). As a teen, I worked Pats games three seasons at Fenway Park in the 1960s; when I was discharged from the Army in the fall of 1970, one of the first things I did was go to Harvard Stadium to watch the Pats take on Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts (the Pats lost).

In recent years, I’ve stayed a fan, even though I was more than a little troubled by NFL policies around players found to commit acts of domestic violence and by revelations about head injuries. But the tipping point for me is the obvious decision of team owners, with the help of their lackeys in the media, to deny a job to ultra-qualified quarterback Colin Kaepernick, as pointed out by Renée Graham in her column. I believe most teams in the NFL, including the Pats, would improve by signing him.

His crime? Engaging in nonviolent peaceful protest about an issue of deep national concern. Blackballing this skilled player is an act of anti-Americanism by a group of super-wealthy opponents of freedom of expression. I too am done with the NFL.

Barry Brodsky

Swampscott