Colin Kaepernick Claims NFL Is Still ‘Blackballing’ Him 10 Years After Protesting Anthem

A decade after his national anthem protest ignited one of the most divisive debates in modern sports, Colin Kaepernick remains convinced that the NFL is deliberately keeping him off the field.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback leveled the accusation during a rare interview with NBC News marking the 10th anniversary of his protest. Kaepernick, now 38, said he has stopped watching NFL games entirely because of how the league treated him and other players who joined his movement.

“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 first drew national attention on Aug. 26, 2016, when he remained seated during the national anthem before a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. He later began kneeling alongside teammate Eric Reid, saying the demonstration was intended to protest police brutality and racial inequality.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said at the time.

The decision triggered fierce criticism from football fans, military veterans and political leaders who viewed the protest as disrespectful to the American flag and those who served the country.

Kaepernick told NBC News that Reid suggested kneeling as an alternative to sitting. Former Green Beret Nate Boyer also met with the players before their Sept. 1, 2016, preseason game in San Diego to discuss how they could conduct the protest in a way that showed greater respect for military personnel.

Kaepernick played his final NFL game on Jan. 1, 2017, and opted out of his contract with San Francisco that March. No other team signed him despite several efforts to return to the league.

The quarterback filed a grievance against the NFL in October 2017, alleging that team owners colluded to deny him employment because of his protest. Reid later filed a similar complaint. Both players reached a confidential settlement with the league in 2019, but the agreement did not result in another opportunity for Kaepernick.

His most recent known NFL workout came with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He also wrote to the New York Jets in 2023 after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury, offering to join the team’s practice squad. The Jets did not bring him in.

The NFL’s public position on player protests changed following the death of George Floyd in 2020. Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the league had been wrong for not listening to players who spoke out against racism. The league subsequently introduced social justice messages in end zones and on player helmets, initiatives that will continue during the 2026 season.

Kaepernick remains unimpressed by that transformation while he and Reid remain outside the league.

His memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” is scheduled for release on Sept. 15. The book will examine the personal experiences that led to his protest and the fallout that followed, ensuring that the battle over his NFL legacy will continue well beyond its 10th anniversary.