A decade after his protest against racial injustice made headlines around the world, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says his activism remains as strong as ever, but his love for the NFL has faded.
Speaking with NBC News, the 38-year-old said he no longer watches the league, citing what he described as the NFL’s continued blackballing of him and its treatment of other players who joined the protests.
“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. “I watch college football.”
Kaepernick became a global symbol of protest during the 2016 preseason when he and then-49ers teammate Eric Reid knelt during the national anthem before a game.
Kaepernick had previously sat on the bench during the anthem earlier that preseason, but his decision to kneel alongside Reid quickly captured international attention.
