'I would do it again' - Kaepernick reflects on price of protest, 10 years on
Summary
Colin Kaepernick says he would again kneel during the U.S. national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality, despite believing the gesture cost him his NFL career. In a BBC Sport interview marking 10 years since his first protest, he reflected on the reaction, the settlement he reached with the NFL, and seeing athletes in other countries take the knee.Key Facts
- Kaepernick first knelt during the anthem before a San Francisco 49ers preseason game in September 2016 and repeated the protest before 11 regular-season games.
- He said the protest opposed racial injustice and police brutality and that he understood it could cost him his career.
- The protest inspired some NFL players and drew condemnation from others who considered it disrespectful to the military.
- Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, called the protest unpatriotic and said players who did not stand should be fired.
- Kaepernick opted out of his 49ers contract in March 2017 and did not sign with another NFL team.
- He filed a grievance accusing NFL team owners of conspiring not to hire him because of his protests and reached a financial settlement in 2019.
- Kaepernick did not attend an NFL-arranged private workout in 2019 and instead held a separate session open to media.
- After George Floyd’s killing in 2020, taking the knee became common at Black Lives Matter protests and in sports, including among England’s men’s and women’s football teams.
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