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Dolphins safety Michael Thomas was one of several players who last season knelt before the national anthem to protest social injustice in this country. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first to do so, and that controversial decision was hot topic in the months that followed. Some -- including Thomas -- believe it's why Kaepernick has struggled to find work since leaving San Francisco in the spring.

"Obviously there's issues with that," Thomas said of the consequences of Kaepernick's activism, according to ESPN's James Walker. "Some people feel a certain type of way. You see a lot of people commenting about it. At this point it is what it is, but I wish Colin nothing but the best. He stood for something he believed in. A lot of people felt the same way, and quite frankly a lot of people were against it and how he chose to protest.

"I believe that, yes, it's [his activism]. But at the same time I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. I hope he gets his opportunity."

Earlier this week, Giants co-owner John Mara admitted that fans threatened to boycott games if any Giants players did what Kaepernick did.

"All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue," Mara told TheMMQB.com's Jenny Vrentas. "If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn't one or two letters. It was a lot. It's an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I've run into."

And while Kaepernick has his detractors, he also has a lot of supporters.

"I want to thank the people for the support!" Kaepernick wrote on Instagram. "My parents sent me these photos yesterday and continue to receive dollies full of mail in support! I couldn't do this without the people, I love you!"

Thomas, meanwhile, enjoyed the full support of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross when he chose to protest.

"I remember that like it was yesterday," Thomas told Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post in April. "With everything racing through our minds, trying to decide if that was something we would actually go through with, of taking a knee ... September 11th -- that's a whole different aspect. I saw Mr. Ross come in the locker room. I'm going up to him, trying to explain to him in a way, letting him know, like, 'Look, we're thinking about doing this, thinking about taking a knee.'

"And for him to stop me and say, 'Look, Mike, whatever y'all choose to do today, I've got y'all's back 100 percent' -- that's a testament to what type of person he is, how he truly feels about equality for all, and the efforts he's made with the RISE program. It's great to have the owner of the Dolphins have that perspective."

Thomas concedes there is still much work to be done when it comes to social issues.

"[LeBron James] said it best yesterday: It doesn't matter who you are," Thomas said. "It is what it is as an African-American. That's something you grow up dealing with. You can walk around all day with a smile on your face and do all the right things. But unfortunately you're going to have to deal with some of these things.

"I think still a lot of people aren't ready to accept that's an actual fact, that's an actual reality that some people in America still deal with. I'm not surprised and I hope it doesn't surprise anybody when I say that I'm not surprised that happened to him. It can happen to anyone and he's dealing with it the best way he can."