During the 2016 season, Colin Kaepernick made headlines for kneeling while the national anthem would play prior to each game. That ended up being the last season of his NFL career.
While on “The Jason Lee Show” this week, 49ers legend Terrell Owens opened up about the backlash Kaepernick received for kneeling during the national anthem.
“I never would have thought it would have created the firestorm that it has,”
Owens said, via Fox News Digital.
Colin Rand Kaepernick (born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL).
In 2016, he knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
Kaepernick began his professional football career as a backup quarterback to Alex Smith and became the 49ers’ starter in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith suffered a concussion.
He then remained the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, leading the team to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994.
During the 2013 season, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game.
Over the next three seasons, Kaepernick lost and won back his starting quarterback job, with the 49ers missing the playoffs for three seasons.
In the 49ers’ third preseason game in 2016, Kaepernick sat during the playing of the U.S. national anthem prior to the game, rather than stand as is customary, as a protest against racial injustice, police brutality and oppression in the country.
The following week, and throughout the regular season, Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem. The actions resulted in a wider protest movement, which intensified in September 2017 after President Donald Trump said that NFL owners should “fire” players who protest during the national anthem.
WOW: #NFL legend Terrell Owens thinks former #49ers QB Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the anthem exposed how white people feel about black people, per @Outkick.
“it really shed light on really kinda how this would works and really how a lot of the white people see us.… pic.twitter.com/B9SCDabh93
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 15, 2023
Kaepernick became a free agent after the season and remained unsigned, which numerous analysts and observers have attributed to political reasons.
In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of collusion in keeping him out of the league. Kaepernick withdrew the grievance in February 2019 after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL.
For what it’s worth, Kaepernick told Sports Illustrated in June that he still wants to play in the NFL. “I’m going to keep pushing,” Kaepernick said. “I’m going to keep fighting for it because I know I can step on the field and play. Every workout, every opportunity I’ve had to show that, the feedback has always been positive.
“When I had my workout with the Raiders last year, even training with guys, there’s a decent amount of people who may have forgotten what I was capable of doing on the field, so any chance to be able to remind people of what I can do out there, I look forward to and embrace, and I look forward to the day that I get to step on the field and show people what I can do.”
Unfortunately for Kaepernick, it doesn’t seem like he’ll get a second chance.
Fans reacted as follows:
We really in 2023 still arguing about skin color🤦♂️
— Steve (@ansnansa17) December 15, 2023
My new favorite saying “the demand for racism outweighs the supply”
— Tajh (@Bills1Go) December 15, 2023
IMO… the kneeling was not about race. It was disrespectful to people in the military, law enforcement and other people that provide service and protection to citizens of this country
— GARY WENGIEL (@GWengiel) December 15, 2023
We’re still race baiting in 2023???
— Finding nemo AKA Nemo Hoes (@T_Cook1211) December 15, 2023
