Nick Offerman Says Colin Kaepernick Is One of His Heroes

From Men's Health

Nick Offerman is confirmed to star as Colin Kaepernick’s father in a new Netflix limited series titled Colin in Black & White. And the Parks and Recreation actor says he’s honored to play parent to one of his heroes.

“I am powerfully chuffed to get to work with my heroes @ava @Kaepernick7,” Offerman wrote in a tweet soon after the announcement. “And to parent an American champion with the legendary Mary-Louise Parker, no less.”

Netflix first announced Offerman’s casting on Nov. 18. He and Parker will play Kaepernick’s adoptive parents, Teresa and Rick Kaepernick, in the six-episode limited series directed by Ava DuVernay.

According to a Netflix statement circulated in late October, the series, which was first announced in June, will center around Kaepernick’s high school years, and his experience as a Black teen growing up with white parents. Kaepernick, who grew up in Turlock, California, was adopted at just 5 weeks old by his mother and father.

"[The series] will follow his journey to become a great quarterback while defining his identity and lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today,” the statement reads.

Kaepernick played football professionally for six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In the 2015-2016 season, he became a household name for protesting police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games. Since 2016, Kaepernick has been unsigned, and the NFL has faced claims of blacklisting Kaepernick from the league.

“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick said in a press release about the Netflix series. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It’s an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see.”

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