Why Isn’t Colin Kaepernick In The NFL? Former Quarterback Says League Is Still Blackballing Him
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said in a new interview that he believes the NFL is still “actively blackballing” him a decade after he began kneeling during the national anthem, and that he no longer watches the league as a result.
“I’m not gonna support an organization that one, is actively blackballing me, but two, has targeted my brothers who have been protesting as part of this as well,” Kaepernick said in an interview that aired Sept. 1. The 38-year-old, who last played in the 2016 season, said he now watches college football instead.
The interview comes roughly two weeks before Kaepernick’s memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” is scheduled for release on Sept. 15, ahead of a planned multi-city tour to promote the book. In response to Kaepernick’s comments, the NFL said “the issues Colin and other NFL players raised remain important to the league and deserving of continued attention and action,” pointing to more than $575 million in contributions made since 2017 through its Inspire Change program.
What Kaepernick Said
Kaepernick said he does not point to any single moment as proof he was blackballed, adding, “there’s not a definitive moment that I would point to.” Asked why he began kneeling, Kaepernick said the decision stemmed from an extended injury recovery before the 2016 season, during which he began reading about African American history and the history of systemic racism and police brutality in the U.S.
The NFL’s Response
The NFL has consistently disputed characterizations that it blackballed Kaepernick. Commissioner Roger Goodell has previously said he does not believe Kaepernick was blackballed, though Kaepernick has not played another NFL down since the 2016 season.
Background: The Kneeling Protest and Its Fallout
Kaepernick and then-49ers teammate Eric Reid first knelt during the national anthem in the 2016 preseason, following an earlier game in which Kaepernick sat during the anthem. At the time, Kaepernick said he would not “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color.”
The protest drew both support and backlash, including criticism from then-President Donald Trump and other conservative figures, while also prompting other athletes and at least one NFL owner, Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, to join related demonstrations.
In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL alleging that team owners had colluded to keep him out of the league. He and Reid settled that grievance with the NFL on Feb. 15, 2019, receiving a combined settlement reported at less than $10 million.
