It’s been 10 years since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem before an NFL game.
A decade later, Kaepernick is once again calling out the NFL while promoting a memoir about the fallout from his protest. Unsurprisingly, Kaepernick still sparks debate and mixed opinions.
Colin Kaepernick Still Triggers a Wide Array of Reactions From NFL Fans
During the 2016 NFL preseason, Kaepernick took a knee to protest systemic racism and police brutality. What started as the quarterback sitting down during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” eventually evolved into the gesture widely associated with him.
On September 1, 2016, during the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, Kaepernick and teammate Eric Reid knelt during the anthem to continue their protest while showing respect for military members. Soon after, players from other teams followed Kaepernick’s lead by taking a knee.
In a new interview with NBC, Kaepernick called out the NFL.
“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.”
NFL fans were quick to react to Kaepernick’s latest interview, which sparked some strong reactions.
One fan on X couldn’t believe that a decade had passed since he took a knee in protest.
“It’s been 10 years?” they asked.
It’s been 10 years? https://t.co/GHdgFIt7HR
— Kyr504 (@Kyr504) September 1, 2026
Meanwhile, another fan said that “Kaep’s still a real one” for sticking to his principles.
Kaep’s still a real one!🙏💯 https://t.co/aeXkf8ATRu
— Yuriy Andriyashchuk🇺🇦 (@YuriyATL) September 1, 2026
Not all of the reactions were positive. Some were critical of Kaepernick or just sick of hearing about the controversy.
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“Oh great, it’s time for the annual Kap article where he complains about the NFL being a plantation, him wanting to play, and they’re blackballing him… Naw I’ll pass on reading that [expletive]…” one fan wrote.
“Nobody is asking for this,” another fan added.
Another fan reacted, “He’s accomplished nothing but ruining his own career.”
He’s accomplished nothing but ruining his own career.
— Roger Kerr (@rk510) September 1, 2026
Kaepernick’s memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” will come out on September 15. It will detail the aftermath of his choice, which made him a divisive figure in the country.
In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that team owners colluded to keep him out of the league. Sixteen months later, he withdrew the grievance after settling with the league.
The argument over whether Kaepernick was blackballed continues. Some claim that the league wanted nothing to do with him because of his activism. On the other hand, some argue that his on-field performance led to his demise. As part of Kaepernick’s settlement with the NFL, the league never admitted to blackballing the QB, but he clearly still believes the owners colluded to keep him out of the NFL.
Over the course of his six-year NFL career, Kaepernick appeared in 69 games (including 58 starts) and totaled 12,271 passing yards, 72 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions, while also rushing for 2,300 yards and 13 TDs. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in Feb. 2013, but San Francisco lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.
While there is a wide array of opinions over whether Kaepernick was blackballed, one thing is certain: his name continues to spark debates to this day.
