Colin Kaepernick is speaking out once more, but not about anything happening on a football field. The former NFL star just made a bold new public statement about his complicated relationship with the league.
Kaepernick has long been one of the most talked-about and polarizing figures in American sports culture. His name resurfaces almost every year whenever conversations about protest, patriotism, and race collide within professional athletics nationwide.
This time, though, his latest comments seem to carry even more weight than usual. A full decade has passed since his original protest, and he insists his feelings toward the league have not softened whatsoever.
Kaepernick breaks his long silence
Colin Kaepernick made headlines again after discussing his relationship with the NFL in a new NBC News interview. The former quarterback said he no longer watches the league and accused it of continuing to blackball him.
His memoir, The Perilous Fight, is scheduled for release on September 15, 2026. The book revisits his experiences and activism, including the events surrounding his decision to protest during the national anthem.
Kaepernick remains active in advocacy work and continues to discuss the issues that shaped his protest. His latest comments show that his concerns about racial injustice and his treatment by the NFL remain central to his public message.
A decade since he took a knee
Colin Kaepernick began protesting during the national anthem in 2016 to call attention to racial injustice and police brutality. He initially sat during the anthem before switching to kneeling after discussions with former Green Beret Nate Boyer.
Kaepernick played his final NFL season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. He opted out of his contract after the season and was not signed by another NFL team. He was 29 when he last played in the league.
A decade later, Kaepernick says he no longer watches NFL games and instead watches college football. He told NBC News that he believes the NFL is still blackballing him and other players who protested.
He says the NFL blackballed him
Kaepernick told NBC News that he now watches college football rather than the NFL. He said he believes the league has continued blackballing him and has also targeted other players who protested alongside him.
Kaepernick became the 49ers’ starting quarterback during the 2012 season and led San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII, where the team lost to the Baltimore Ravens. His performance that season established him as one of the NFL’s most prominent young quarterbacks.
In his recent interview, Kaepernick said he would not support an organization that he believes is actively blackballing him. His comments show that his view of the NFL remains sharply critical a decade after his protest.
Inside his collusion case with the NFL
Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid filed a joint grievance against the NFL and its owners in 2017, alleging collusion that prevented them from securing NFL employment.
The case went through the NFL’s arbitration process, and Kaepernick and Reid reached a confidential settlement with the league in February 2019. The financial terms were not publicly disclosed.
Because the settlement was confidential, the amount paid to Kaepernick and Reid was never officially announced. Reports and speculation circulated about the potential value of the case, but no publicly confirmed final settlement figure was released.
Fun fact: Years after the NFL’s confidential collusion settlement with Kaepernick, commissioner Roger Goodell publicly encouraged teams to sign him ahead of the 2020 season as the league pushed new racial justice initiatives.
Activists rallied behind his cause
Supporters in Philadelphia organized an NFL and Eagles boycott in October 2017 in support of Colin Kaepernick and protesting players. Members of the 10-22 Protest Committee announced the planned boycott outside Philadelphia City Hall.
The group called on supporters to boycott the NFL on October 22 and urged Philadelphia Eagles fans to join the boycott. The protest focused on what organizers described as attempts to silence players who used their platform to address social issues.
In August 2017, the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter also called for a nationwide NFL boycott until a team signed Kaepernick. The campaign added to the public pressure surrounding his continued absence from the league.
Fun fact: Kaepernick’s protest exploited a quirk in league rules: players were required to be on the sideline during the anthem, but were never actually required to stand for it.
Nike turned backlash into profit
Nike featured Colin Kaepernick in its 2018 “Just Do It” campaign, prompting an immediate backlash from some consumers who criticized the company and called for boycotts.
Nike’s online sales rose 31% over Labor Day weekend following the campaign’s launch. The figure compares with a 17% increase during the same period in 2017. The backlash seemed potentially disastrous for Nike.
Nike’s Kaepernick campaign launched shortly before the 2018 NFL season began. Its timing placed the advertisement directly in the middle of the ongoing national debate over Kaepernick’s protest and his relationship with the league.
Hollywood stars joined the boycott
Several celebrities publicly supported Colin Kaepernick around Super Bowl LIII in February 2019. Director Ava DuVernay said she would not watch the game in protest of the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick.
Common shared a photo of himself with activist Angela Davis, both wearing jerseys featuring Kaepernick’s No. 7. Nick Cannon also used the #ImWithKap hashtag and encouraged followers to support Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.
Their public statements added visibility to Kaepernick’s activism during the 2019 Super Bowl. The support came from celebrities and activists who opposed the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick and wanted to show solidarity with his cause.
His legacy beyond the field
Colin Kaepernick received the ACLU’s Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports in July 2026. The new award recognizes contributions to civil rights and civil liberties across multiple fields.
The honor was presented in Washington, D.C., where Kaepernick was recognized alongside Bruce Springsteen. The ACLU said the award highlights the defense of rights across different disciplines, platforms, and generations.
Kaepernick’s activism has kept him at the center of national conversations about racial injustice and protest. His public work has continued beyond his NFL career, including through his Know Your Rights Camp and other advocacy efforts.
TL;DR
- Kaepernick says he no longer watches the NFL, 10 years after beginning his national anthem protest in 2016.
- He says he believes the league is still blackballing him and other players who protested alongside him.
- His memoir, The Perilous Fight, is scheduled for release on September 15, 2026.
- Kaepernick and Eric Reid settled their joint collusion grievance with the NFL in 2019, with the financial terms kept confidential.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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