Ten years after initiating his protests by kneeling during the national anthem, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has released a new memoir, "The Perilous Fight." In a recent interview with NBC News, Kaepernick reiterated that his protests were aimed at combating police brutality and systemic oppression, drawing parallels to historical civil rights figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The memoir's release is framed by some as part of a campaign to vindicate his past actions.
Kaepernick's NFL career, which included successful seasons in 2012 and 2013, saw a decline in performance. By 2015, he lost his starting position, and while he regained it briefly in 2016, his performance metrics placed him among the lower-ranked quarterbacks. His playing style also reportedly did not fit many offensive schemes. Coupled with the controversy surrounding his protests, these factors contributed to teams not signing him as a free agent in 2017.
The memoir and related interviews touch upon Kaepernick's views on policing and the justice system, particularly in the context of events following George Floyd's killing. The piece suggests that the subsequent increase in violent crime in some areas disproportionately affected Black communities, a point of contention with Kaepernick's calls for policy changes, including the abolition of police and prisons.
Comparisons have been drawn between Kaepernick and Muhammad Ali, another athlete who faced career repercussions for his political stances. However, the assessment posits that Ali's transcendent athletic achievements and charisma allowed him to overcome controversy and achieve widespread admiration, a path not expected for Kaepernick, whose primary public recognition stems from his sideline protests.
The NFL has since adopted measures such as displaying "End Racism" in end zones, which Kaepernick has characterized as performative, a critique that the author of the notes applies also to Kaepernick's own anthem protest. Kaepernick's advocacy continues a decade after his initial protest, with his career in professional football having concluded following the 2016 season.