In September 2016, Colin Kaepernick knelt for the US national anthem before a San Francisco 49ers game, turning a quiet gesture into one of the most debated protests in American sport. Ten years later, he says he would make the same choice again.
Kaepernick began kneeling to protest racial injustice and police brutality. He had first sat during the anthem, then changed to kneeling after speaking with a former military player who suggested it as a respectful way to protest. He went on to kneel before 11 regular-season games that year. “This is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he said at the time.
The gesture drew support from people who saw it as a call for equality, and anger from others who considered it disrespectful to the military. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump called it “a terrible thing” and said players who refused to stand should be fired. Kaepernick says he knew his protest might cost him his career. He did not know who would stand with him—or who would work against him.
The cost became clear after that season. Kaepernick opted out of his 49ers contract in March 2017. The team’s management later said it would have released him anyway. Despite having led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl and throwing 16 touchdowns in his final season, he did not find another NFL team. He filed a grievance against team owners, alleging they had conspired not to hire him because of his protest. The sides reached a financial settlement in 2019.
That same year, the NFL arranged a private workout for Kaepernick. He held his own session elsewhere so the media could attend. The league later said it had been “wrong for not listening to players earlier” and encouraged players to speak out peacefully.
The protest travelled far beyond the NFL. After George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis in 2020, taking a knee became a familiar part of Black Lives Matter demonstrations and sporting events. England’s men’s and women’s football teams also adopted the gesture. Kaepernick says seeing national teams take action was humbling, while stressing that racism remains a challenge in the UK and around the world.
Athlete activism has since lost some of its momentum, he says, even as many professional athletes plan to use social media to raise awareness about racial injustice. In English football, some players have chosen not to take a knee. Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out says the gesture still helps raise awareness, while recognizing that players may be frustrated by slow progress. The charity reported that discrimination complaints more than doubled in five years, reaching a record level last season.
For Kaepernick, the debate is not finished. “I think we’re in a moment that demands protests more than ever,” he says. His words point to a lasting effect of his choice: athletes in different countries have used their public platforms to challenge injustice, even as the work of changing it continues.