Colin Kaepernick opens up about new memoir, desire to return to NFL
Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial inequality had imminent consequences, as he was effectively blackballed from the NFL for leading awareness with his protest during the national anthem. Despite his career effectively being ripped away from him for believing in his principles, Kaepernick’s love of the game hasn’t gone anywhere and he wants to return to the NFL.
“My desire to play football is still there,” Kaepernick said to USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell in a wide-ranging interview. “I still train five days a week. I’m ready to go, I’m ready for a phone call, tryout, workout at any point in time. I’m still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation. So I hope I get a call this offseason. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Kaepernick plans to write a memoir through his company, Kaepernick Publishing, and revealed some of what he learned in his fight against systemic oppression.
"I learned early on that in fighting against systematic oppression, dehumanization and colonization, who controls the narrative shapes the reality of how the world views society,” Kaepernick said. “It controls who’s loved, who’s hated, who’s degraded and who’s celebrated.
“I’ve had a lot of questions surrounding what got me to the point of protesting," he added. "Why did I do it? Why did I do it at that moment? Why wasn’t it earlier in my career? A lot of questions surrounding what led me to that point. Which led me to wanting to share that story and give insight. So I think there’s a lot of interest around it, but time will tell when the book comes out.”
Kaepernick last played in 2016 before the San Francisco 49ers cut ties with him. Although a host of teams have flirted with the possibility of signing Kaepernick, no team has made him a legitimate offer. At 32 and ostensibly well-rested from taking a few years off from the crushing labour of the sport, Kaepernick would be worth a flier at least from a team in search of a dual-threat quarterback with above-average arm strength.
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