An MVP vote for 49ers’ cheerleader

It’s a little early to hand out the NFL MVP award, but you know what they say: Vote early and vote often.

So I’m voting for Kayla Morris.

Morris is a member of the 49ers’ Gold Rush dance team. When the Raiders played the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday, the Gold Rush was on the field for the national anthem. Morris, first identified by KRON (Channel 4), took a knee.

Will she be kicked off the squad, suspended, warned or reprimanded? That’s a mystery. The team is not commenting. On Monday, she was listed as a Gold Rush member on the team’s website.

Since team owner Jed York has expressed support for the protesters, starting with then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, it seems unlikely Morris will be punished. That would be a tragic organizational cop-out.

It takes backbone to stand up for the kneelers, and York — along with one or two other NFL owners — has stood tall.

Side note: Eric Reid, a freeagent safety with protest baggage, was signed by the Panthers four games ago (the 49ers also made him an offer), and on Sunday, he sparked Carolina’s win over Tampa Bay with an interception. He was awarded a game ball.

Apparently, the distraction/ circus of a player taking a knee has not destroyed the Panthers.

Kaepernick, Reid and others risked their careers to make an important statement. Courageous stuff, for sure, but they already had made millions in the NFL. Morris, in her second season with the Gold Rush, has not made millions in the NFL. She has made hundreds.

Who knows what ramifications Morris faces at her day job or in her life? She is choosing not to comment. So much for protester-seeking-spotlight criticism.

Kaepernick is still the face of protest, but sadly, he is also the spokesman for Don’t Waste Your Time Voting and is the darling of the vote-suppression movement.

Kaepernick’s protests and community action are still valid and productive, but the take-a-knee movement has a new leader.