Al Sharpton thinks people need to BACK OFF Colin Kaepernick and direct their anger at the NFL -- claiming it's the LEAGUE that bungled Saturday's workout ... not the QB.
"I think Kaepernick handled it right," Sharpton tells TMZ Sports ... "To have to be told that you're gonna have to sign some waivers and limit the media is absolutely insulting."
"I think that Kaepernick did the right thing by going to the high school, by opening it to the media, opening it to the public."
"He is being penalized for standing up for the rights of people, standing up for criminal justice and to try and reduce him to some kind of photo op for the NFL is something that is antithetical for what he stood for and is insulting to the fans and is insulting to the intelligence of the American people."
Sharpton says he salutes Kap for exposing the NFL's "hypocrisy."
Of course, there are several high profile people who feel the complete OPPOSITE way ... from Stephen A. Smith to James Brown to Jay Z.
As we previously reported, Jay was disappointed with the way Colin handled the situation -- our sources say Jay feels Kap "turned a legitimate workout into a publicity stunt."