Colin Kaepernick Announces $1 Million Donation After Kneeling During Anthem

Colin Kaepernick announced he will donate $1 MILLION to charities that will help communities in need -- hours after he and teammate Eric Reid took a knee during the National Anthem at the 49ers vs. Chargers game ... which also happened to be "Salute to the Military Night."

The knee is significant ... the QB says he spoke with military vet Nate Boyer before the game and agreed that when it came to his Anthem protest, taking a knee was a better move than sitting.

"We were talking to him about, 'How can we get the message back on track? And not take away from the military? ... But keep the focus on what the issues really are.'"

"As we talked about it, we came up with taking a knee, because there are issues that still need to be addressed. And it was also a way to try to show more respect to the men and women that fight for this country."

Kaepernick was booed like crazy almost every time he stepped on the field Thursday night from the fans who attended "Salute to the Military Night" at the stadium.

As for his donation, Colin explained ... "I've been very blessed to be in this position and to be able to make the kind of money I do ... and I have to help these people."

"I have to help these communities. It's not right that they're not put in a position to succeed or given those opportunities to succeed."