Beyoncé made a relatively rare public appearance at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards in New York last night to present football player Colin Kaepernick with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

Kaepernick made headlines around the world after refusing to stand during the American National Anthem to protest police brutality and the inequality faced by black Americans and other people of colour in the United States by "taking a knee", which in turn cost him his job in the NFL and even led to him being criticised by President Trump.

Honouring the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Beyoncé said: "Colin took action with no fear of consequence or repercussion, only hope to change the world for the better, to change perception, to change the way we treat each other, especially people of color. We’re still waiting for the world to catch up."

Accepting the award, he said: "I say this as a person who receives credit for using my platform to protest systemic oppression, racialized injustice and and the dire consequences of anti-blackness in America," Kaepernick said at SI's Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

"I accept this award not for myself, but on behalf of the people. Because if it were not for my love of the people, I would not have protested. And if it was not for the support from the people, I would not be on this stage today.

"With our without the NFL's platform, I will continue to work for the people because my platform is the people."