Colin Kaepernick

The inspirational athlete Colin Kaepernick is a professional American football quarterback, who played for six seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. He is also a bestselling author, an entrepreneur, and a civil rights activist. In 2016 he famously knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. He became a free agent after the season and remained unsigned, which numerous analysts and observers have attributed to political reasons.

Born in Wisconsin, and raised in California, Kaepernick began playing youth American football when he was eight-years-old. A totally natural at the game, he continued to improve throughout his High School years, and was also prolific at basketball and baseball. He received several scholarship offers in baseball, but opted to pursue American football and signed on with the University of Nevada. He went on to be named 2 x WAC Offensive Player of the Year (2008, and 2010).

After graduating, he turned professional when he was traded up by the San Francisco 49ers with the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. He remained with the side until he became a free agent at the start of the 2017 league and remained unsigned believing he had been blackballed due to his political stance over police brutality and racial inequality. In November 2017 he filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of colluding to keep him out of the league. He withdrew the grievance in February 2019 after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL. Since then he has become a dedicated activist, a published author, an entrepreneur, and was the subject of the 2021 Netflix series about his teenage years, Colin in Black & White.

Kaepernick regularly connects with his millions of followers and fans through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, posting pictures and videos of his life around the gridiron. He also has an official website, kaepernick7.com.