Colin Kaepernick is in the hot seat once again. First, he admitted to staying home and not voting on election day. Now he has come under criticism for wearing a shirt and making remarks appearing to lionize the reign of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, who passed away on Nov. 25 at the age of 90.

Kaepernick justified his stance by contrasting the Cuban leader’s investment in education to the U.S.’s “investment in the prison system.” What he forgot was the violent oppression that also characterized the Castro era.

The Human Rights Watch has issued a statement about Castro’s “draconian rule,” saying, “During his nearly five decades of rule in Cuba, Fidel Castro built a repressive system that punished virtually all forms of dissent, a dark legacy that lives on even after his death. (…) During Castro’s rule, thousands of Cubans were incarcerated in abysmal prisons, thousands more were harassed and intimidated, and entire generations were denied basic political freedoms.”

Consequently, Cuban-Americans and journalists alike have condemned Kaepernick’s comments. He was summarily booed when announced for the 49ers game against the Dolphins in Miami, home to a sizable Cuban population.

Stephen A. Smith, the host of ESPN’s “First Take,” attacked Kaepernick for relinquishing his right to vote. He was back on the attack after the Castro controversy. He called Kaepernick a “flaming hypocrite,” continuing, “stop acting like you’re a militant. You’re ignorant.”

The “First Take” moderator Molly Qerim was similarly harsh. After pointing out the pain that many Cubans have experienced at Castro’s hands, she concluded about Kaepernick, “When he’s going to go out and speak on these subjects, he can’t have this surface-level knowledge. It’s so ill-informed. It’s so insensitive. It’s so disrespectful.”

The expected guest list for Castro’s funeral services speaks volumes. In attendance will be Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, another world leader accused of a long list of human rights violations, as well as the vice president of North Korea’s Worker’s Party. Kaepernick has aligned himself with a rough crowd, to say the least.

President Obama, on the other hand, has chosen to abstain from the memorial, as has Castro’s own estranged sister who now lives in Miami. The U.S. embassy in Havana has also taken the bold stance of not lowering its flag to half-staff.

When Kaepernick first came under criticism for refusing to stand during the National Anthem, I defended him. His concerns about racial inequality and police brutality were and still are valid. His protest was peaceful and started a dialogue which has spread across the country.

However, since falling under the national spotlight and being given a unique voice as a result, Kaepernick has proven himself unworthy of his role as de facto leader of athlete-led social injustice protests. Forfeiting his freedom to participate in our country’s democracy and then idolizing a leader who spent his entire career taking away such freedoms have exposed him as misguided, ignorant and confused. His worthy cause deserves better.

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