It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick used his platform to protest racial injustice and police violence against black people in the United States. He started taking a knee during the national anthem at the start of every game, and many fellow football players followed suit in the 2016 season. A major controversy rocked the NFL, and Kaepernick found himself without an NFL career a couple of seasons later. A star athlete in one of the nation’s most prominent and popular sports lost prime playing years for making a political statement without saying a single word.
As a result, the NFL blacklisted Kaepernick, and no team would draft him, even as a second- or third-string QB, despite him leading his team to the Super Bowl in the mid-2010s. Conservative backlash silenced not only Kaepernick, but countless players who did nothing but practice their First Amendment right to peaceful protest. The players’ union failed Kaepernick and never fought for his reinstatement. In the end, his protest brought black issues to one of the biggest stages in United States society: Primetime football.
A decade later, as the 2026 NFL season starts, the Black Lives Matter protest and the NFL players’ protest seem like a thing of the past. The NFL said the players’ protests were too political. Yet in 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a televised address during the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Eagles game in the Super Bowl, thanking the American people for their support during the Russian-Ukraine War. The biggest football game of the year had a key address from an elected political leader of a foreign nation. Many NFL games start with military flyovers and the national anthem. That is very political to me.
Perhaps a decade ago, what made the Kaepernick protest so brazen was that it forced white Americans to recognize the humanity of black Americans, whether they liked it or not. In Trump’s America, many don’t, unfortunately. Even so, over 50% of NFL players are black, and the number may be higher if you count biracial and multi-racial players with black ancestry. Kaepernick himself is a man who’s mixed race with a white mother and black father.
There’s a saying that arose during the Black Lives Matter era to silence black players and their allies when they used their massive platforms, whether it be the WNBA, NBA, or NFL, to protest racial injustice. That saying was “shut up and play.” Still, many athletes who happen to be black may be in a privileged position, given their outstanding salaries and being star athletes who make millions in endorsement deals. The wealth and fame may save a star black athlete from racial profiling and police violence. Yet many of these black and brown players have families and friends that don’t have the fame and fortune of a star player like Kaepernick. These players come from black and brown communities that in 2026 still face over policing, police brutality, and ICE raids in 2026. This is true reality for many in the black community, especially in a second Trump term.
At the time of this writing, there’s an unfortunate number of cases like Nolan Wells in Mississippi, where black people are found unalived after spending time in an all-white setting. Or when black people are found hanging in a tree, and their deaths are ruled suicides. Police violence and abuse remain prevalent in black communities despite the massive Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. We even saw on social media in the 2010s that many Black veterans showed their support for the NFL protest with the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick. It seems that a critical mass of white Americans is perfectly fine with cheering and watching black athletes perform incredible feats on the court, gridiron, or tennis court, to name a few. But when it comes to seeing black people as complete humans deserving full human rights. They want to be entertained by us, but they don’t truly see us.
As a black veteran, I can’t speak for all black veterans. Still, many of us stood in solidarity with black players and their allies. Notable athletes used their massive platforms to highlight injustices Black Americans still face. The powers that be forced Kaepernick out of the league, and ten years later, his chances of returning to play seem highly unlikely. His disillusionment with the NFL and the backlash from many white football fans may have influenced Kaepernick’s decision to turn down a possible coaching position with the San Diego Chargers in 2024.
We’ve seen this trend with those who’ve spoken out in modern times about injustices in the world, like the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Palestine by Israeli forces. For example, rapper Macklemore was dropped from the Ed Sheeran Tour after using his massive stage to give voice to Palestinian rights and an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. Once again, a person is using their fame and status to advocate for those who are facing ongoing oppression and being silenced by those who hold tremendous wealth and power.
As the day winds down, these critics, akin to many politicians, brandish the flag but do little beyond lip service to truly back veterans and the military. Both U.S. major political parties seem far too comfortable handing out kickbacks to defense contractors, ignoring the pressing challenges that truly impact the military community, like multiple deployments, service members and their families needing SNAP benefits because of low pay, and veteran suicides.
I stated in a previous post that the history books will look back kindly on Kaepernick. A decade later, he’s joined the long list of men and women who risked fame, fortune, and material comfort to speak truth to power on behalf of the voiceless. He lost his NFL career, but kept his integrity. In recent years, Kaepernick has evolved from star athlete to award-winning activist, social justice advocate, and philanthropist. He continues to stand up to injustice. I salute his efforts and sacrifices. Like Kaepernick, I want a world with freedom and justice for all. And also, Black Lives “still” Matter.
Evolving Folks Project 