Viswa Vanapalli
Despite being offered multiple baseball scholarships after high school, Colin Kaepernick was sure he only wanted to play football. That turned out to be a momentous decision in the young athlete’s life. Taking full advantage of the one college football scholarship that he received, Colin regularly lit up the scoreboard playing quarterback and eventually got drafted into the NFL.
Over time, Colin also became a civil rights activist, starting with taking a knee during the national anthem before games to protest against police brutality and racial inequality. The move came with equal parts of praise and scorn. Now, Netflix’s ‘Colin in Black & White’ chronicles Colin’s teenage years and the experiences that shaped his persona. So, let’s find out where Colin might be today, shall we?
Who is Colin Kaepernick?
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Colin was put up for adoption by his birth mother just weeks after his birth. When he was just 5-weeks-old, Colin was adopted by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, a white couple. Growing up, Colin was interested in baseball, basketball, and football, and during his senior year in California, he was nominated for all-state selection in all three of them. As an incredibly talented baseball pitcher, Colin received serious interest from many colleges but chose to play football.
Colin’s only football scholarship was from the University of Nevada in Reno, and he started to play for them in 2007. He made an impact immediately, showcasing his ability not just to pass but also to rush. After a stellar college career, Colin was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011. Beginning his professional career as a backup quarterback, Colin gained starting reps eventually and led the team to the Super Bowl in only his second season, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
During the preseason of the 2016 NFL season, Colin was vocal regarding multiple police shootings that occurred at the time, resulting in several deaths. He sat while the national anthem was played during a preseason game and later said of his decision, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
In later games, Colin decided to take a knee during the national anthem out of respect to the people who were in the military. His move found many supporters but also invited a lot of criticism and received death threats. Talking about it, Colin said, “Once again, I’m not anti-American. I love America. I love people. That’s why I’m doing this. I want to help make America better. I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from.” Colin’s actions spurred other players on to do the same. Following all this, Donald Trump, then-POTUS, said that the NFL had to fire players who took a knee during the national anthem.
Where is Colin Kaepernick Now?
Colin opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 and became a free agent. However, after that, no team signed him on as a player, leading to allegations that his activism was the reason for him going unsigned. Later the same year, Colin filed a grievance, accusing NFL and team owners of colluding to deprive him of employment that was settled confidentially about two years later. In 2016, Colin and his partner Nessa Diab started a Know Your Rights camp to bring more attention to the reasons behind his national anthem protest.
Colin now seems to live in New York. In 2020, he announced that he would release a memoir through a publishing company founded by him. Colin is still a free agent but has maintained he wants to play football and is working towards it, adding, “That’s not something I will ever let go of, regardless of the actions of 32 teams and their partners to deny me employment. The same way I was persistent in high school is the same way I’m gonna be persistent here.”
Read More: Where Are Colin Kaepernick’s Parents Now?
