Colin Kaepernick’s unfinished business
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- Colin Kaepernick is releasing a memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” on Sept. 15, reflecting on his 2016 protest against racism and police brutality, which cost him his NFL career and finances.
- Kaepernick clarifies that the idea to kneel during the national anthem was suggested by teammate Eric Reid, not Army veteran Nate Boyer, as widely reported.
- Despite widespread backlash and being effectively blackballed from the NFL, Kaepernick maintains his protest was about addressing systemic racism and police violence, not disrespecting the flag.
- Kaepernick alleges NFL owners colluded to keep him out of the league due to his activism, contrasting this with the league’s acceptance of other controversial players, and remains critical of the NFL’s social justice efforts as largely performative.
- The NFL has invested over $575 million in social justice initiatives since 2017, but Kaepernick contends the league has not materially changed and continues practices that undermine Black players.
