Colin Kaepernick

Colin Rand Kaepernick ( KAP-ər-nik; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2016, he gained national attention for kneeling during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. Kaepernick played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack, twice winning Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft, Kaepernick began his professional career as a backup to Alex Smith. He became the 49ers' starter in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith was injured and led the team to Super Bowl XLVII, the franchise's first appearance since 1994. In his first full season as the starter the following year, Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game. Over the next three seasons, Kaepernick lost and won back his starting quarterback job, with the 49ers missing the playoffs each year. During the 2016 preseason, Kaepernick sat during the playing of the U . national anthem before the game as a protest against racial injustice, police brutality, and oppression in the country. The following week, and throughout the regular season, Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem. The protests received highly polarized reactions, with some praising and others denouncing the protests. The actions resulted in a wider protest movement, which intensified in September 2017 after President Donald Trump said that NFL owners should "fire" players who protest during the national anthem. Kaepernick became a free agent after the season and was not signed by another team, which several analysts and observers have attributed to political motives. In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of collusion in keeping him out of the league. In August 2018, arbitrator Stephen B. Burbank rejected the NFL's request to dismiss the case. Kaepernick withdrew the grievance in February 2019 after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL. His protests received renewed attention in 2020 amid the George Floyd protests against police brutality and racism.