GQ: Colin Kaepernick is 'citizen of the year'

Gentleman's Quarterly magazine has dubbed the controversial Colin Kaepernick 'citizen of the year.'

The cover of the magazine released on Monday shows the former 49ers quarterback with a big Afro and a black leather jacket.

His simple act of kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality in this country earned him the honor, the magazine editors wrote. The act "cost him his job and also transformed Colin Kaepernick into a lightning rod and a powerful symbol of activism and resistance."

Kaepernick tweeted Monday morning that he was "honored" to be chosen.