diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/BUILD b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/BUILD
index 351abf15212..949a758235a 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/BUILD
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/apis/extensions/validation:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/kubelet/container:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/kubelet/lifecycle:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/api/core/v1:go_default_library",
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/runtime.go b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/runtime.go
index cd8e34f7c58..7ccbbdf5328 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/runtime.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/runtime.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func NewRuntimeAdmitHandler(runtime container.Runtime) (*runtimeAdmitHandler, er
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get runtime version: %v", err)
 		}
 
-		// only Docker >= 1.12 supports sysctls
+		// only Docker API version >= 1.24 supports sysctls
 		c, err := v.Compare(dockerMinimumAPIVersion)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to compare Docker version for sysctl support: %v", err)
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func NewRuntimeAdmitHandler(runtime container.Runtime) (*runtimeAdmitHandler, er
 			result: lifecycle.PodAdmitResult{
 				Admit:   false,
 				Reason:  UnsupportedReason,
-				Message: "Docker before 1.12 does not support sysctls",
+				Message: "Docker API version before 1.24 does not support sysctls",
 			},
 		}, nil
 	case rktTypeName:
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/whitelist.go b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/whitelist.go
index 9bb1086a558..e236f795231 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/whitelist.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/sysctl/whitelist.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
-	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	v1helper "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/apis/core/v1/helper"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/apis/core/validation"
 	extvalidation "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/apis/extensions/validation"
@@ -45,14 +44,6 @@ func SafeSysctlWhitelist() []string {
 	}
 }
 
-// Whitelist provides a list of allowed sysctls and sysctl patterns (ending in *)
-// and a function to check whether a given sysctl matches this list.
-type Whitelist interface {
-	// Validate checks that all sysctls given in a v1.SysctlsPodAnnotationKey annotation
-	// are valid according to the whitelist.
-	Validate(pod *v1.Pod) error
-}
-
 // patternWhitelist takes a list of sysctls or sysctl patterns (ending in *) and
 // checks validity via a sysctl and prefix map, rejecting those which are not known
 // to be namespaced.
@@ -130,7 +121,7 @@ func (w *patternWhitelist) validateSysctl(sysctl string, hostNet, hostIPC bool)
 	return fmt.Errorf("%q not whitelisted", sysctl)
 }
 
-// Admit checks that all sysctls given in a v1.SysctlsPodAnnotationKey annotation
+// Admit checks that all sysctls given in annotations v1.SysctlsPodAnnotationKey and v1.UnsafeSysctlsPodAnnotationKey
 // are valid according to the whitelist.
 func (w *patternWhitelist) Admit(attrs *lifecycle.PodAdmitAttributes) lifecycle.PodAdmitResult {
 	pod := attrs.Pod