Colin Kaepernick says anthem is a bad song
Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, said on The Adam Friedland Show on September 16, 2026, that he does not consider “The Star-Spangled Banner” a good song from a purely musical standpoint.
When Friedland asked whether he thought the national anthem was a good song, Kaepernick initially answered “no” and then confirmed that he considered it a “bad song.” The exchange came during his media appearances surrounding the September 15 release of his memoir, The Perilous Fight.
Adam Friedland Show prompts the blunt answer
During the September 16, 2026 episode, Friedland asked roughly 24 minutes into the conversation whether Kaepernick thought the national anthem was a good song, and Kaepernick quickly replied no, according to Yahoo Sports coverage of the episode.
Friedland then clarified that he meant the song purely as a musical composition, separate from its lyrics or political meaning attached to it. Kaepernick held his position, saying he still did not view it as a strong piece of music overall.
Friedland pitches a Future song as new anthem
Friedland suggested Atlanta rapper Future’s 2015 track March Madness as a possible replacement anthem, a song that references police brutality, according to Yahoo Sports coverage of the wide-ranging conversation between the 2 men.
Kaepernick could not name his own pick when first asked what song he would choose instead of the current anthem. He responded with a great choice and a hand slap once Friedland offered March Madness as the alternative option.
Kaepernick’s 2016 protest defined his NFL exit
Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 NFL season while playing for the San Francisco 49ers, a protest against police brutality and racial inequality that sparked nationwide discourse across the country.
Former Army Green Beret Nate Boyer helped Kaepernick settle on kneeling instead of sitting during the anthem, a gesture meant to show respect for military members while continuing the underlying protest, according to reporting cited by The New York Times.
The Perilous Fight memoir hits shelves now
Kaepernick released his memoir, The Perilous Fight, on September 15, 2026, through the Legacy Lit imprint of Hachette Book Group, arriving almost exactly 10 years after his first kneeling protest before an NFL preseason game in 2016.
Legacy Lit describes the book as equal parts memoir and manifesto, covering his life and activism. Audible produced an exclusive audiobook edition narrated by Kaepernick himself, released alongside the hardcover and digital versions on the same September date.
Kaepernick’s memoir traces his Turlock roots
The memoir opens in Turlock, California, where Kaepernick grew up as a Black child adopted into a white family, an experience the athlete says shaped his sense of identity long before his football career began in earnest.
Kaepernick, now 38, said in a publisher statement that sports became his refuge while growing up in Turlock. He wrote that his 2016 protest was the result of years of personal history, not a sudden or impulsive decision.
49ers career included a 2013 Super Bowl trip
Kaepernick played 6 seasons at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and led the team to Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013, a game the Baltimore Ravens won by a final score of 34 to 31 points.
He first became the 49ers’ starting quarterback during the 2012 season, taking over the role partway through that year. His mobile playing style made him one of the more dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the league at that time.
Kaepernick’s NFL career ended after 2016
Kaepernick opted out of his San Francisco 49ers contract in March 2017 and became a free agent. He has not appeared in an NFL regular-season game since Jan. 1, 2017, when San Francisco played Seattle.
Kaepernick has said he believes his lack of an NFL opportunity was connected to his national anthem protest and activism. The 49ers later said they would have released him if he had not opted out, with general manager John Lynch describing the opt-out as a formality.
NFL collusion case settled under $10 million
Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid filed separate but related grievances against the NFL in 2017, alleging that league owners had colluded to keep them off rosters in retaliation for their anthem protests. The grievances were settled in February 2019 under a confidential agreement.
The Wall Street Journal later reported that Kaepernick and Reid received less than $10 million combined. Earlier reports had cited speculation from NFL team officials that Kaepernick’s settlement could have been between $60 million and $80 million, but that figure was not the final reported amount.
Fun fact: In Nevada, Colin Kaepernick became the only FBS player with over 10,000 career passing and 4,000 rushing yards.
Kaepernick says he still wants to play in NFL
Kaepernick told Us Weekly in recent comments that he keeps his cleats by the door and remains ready to return to professional football on short notice if any NFL team decides to call him up for a tryout.
He said he believes his current skill level is better than a good number of quarterbacks now on NFL rosters across the league. As First for Sports previously reported, he has repeated this same stance in several interviews this year.
Kaepernick reflects on protest after 10 years
During a September 11, 2026 episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour, Kaepernick looked back on the national anthem protest he began a decade earlier while still a member of the San Francisco 49ers roster.
He recalled how teammate Eric Reid approached him about joining the protest after Kaepernick had initially sat alone during the anthem before games. Kaepernick said he felt disappointed that more NFL players did not kneel alongside him back in 2016.
Anthem protest sparked a decade of debate
Kaepernick’s 2016 kneeling protest drew criticism from politicians, team owners, and fans, some of whom booed him at games or burned his jersey in public, according to the Associated Press coverage published around the memoir’s release.
The gesture was also emulated by other NFL players across the league in the seasons that followed his initial protest. It became a lasting reference point in wider conversations about protest and free speech across American professional sports.
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Memoir release marks 10 years since the protest
The Perilous Fight arrived in stores as of September 15, 2026, positioned by its publisher, Legacy Lit, as Kaepernick’s own account of the years leading up to his original 2016 anthem protest with the 49ers.
Kaepernick remains an unsigned NFL free agent as of this month, more than 9 years after his last regular-season snap. He continues to promote the book through podcast appearances and interviews that address both the anthem and his football career.
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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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