ESPN Scraps Plans For Colin Kaepernick Documentary

ESPN’s planned multi-part, Spike Lee-directed documentary series on Colin Kaepernick — the ex-NFL quarterback who spearheaded the league’s national anthem protests — will not be released.

“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. “Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”

Lee further confirmed that the series has been scrapped in a statement of his own. “It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” Lee said on the red carpet ahead of the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner, a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment.

When asked why, the filmmaker said he could not provide additional details after signing a nondisclosure agreement. “I can’t. I signed a nondisclosure. I can’t talk about it,” he said.

Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2016 after being selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. His career got off to a promising start, as the dual-threat quarterback led his team to the Super Bowl in 2012.

This marked the high watermark of his NFL run, however, as injuries and poor deep passing accuracy led to statistical decline that began in earnest in 2015. By the start of his national anthem protests — during which the quarterback refused to stand for the national anthem in order to protest what he described as “systemic racism — Kaepernick was the second-string quarterback.

After his 49ers tenure ended, Kaepernick was nearly signed to a contract with the Baltimore Ravens, though the deal fell through when his girlfriend, Nessa Diab, compared the team’s owner to a slave master. Kaepernick attempted additional comebacks in the following years, though a contract never materialized, leading him to eventually sue the league for alleged discrimination.

The collusion lawsuit was settled with the league in 2019.

A representative for Kaepernick refused to comment on the documentary series when asked by the New York Post. Production on the series began in 2022, with ESPN describing it as a “full, first-person account” of Kaepernick’s journey that would feature extensive interviews with the player.

Back in September, Puck News reported that production had hit a snag due to disagreements between Kaepernick and Lee over the direction of the project. The outlet further reported that ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was open to shopping the series elsewhere.