In 2016, while on the roster as a San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick was the first to kneel during the national anthem to protest against social and racial injustice. His decision divided the nation.
Colin Kaepernick has not played professional football in the NFL since 2016, but he is hard at work and training to stay ready for another opportunity.
"For The past 5 years I've been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself," he wrote on Twitter on March 13.
"I'm really grateful to my trainer, who I've been throwing to all this time. But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners. Who's working?? I will pull up."
He received a reply from Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. "Let's do it bro! Me and my brother will come run routes for you," he wrote.
Kaepernick later updated fans about his workout with Lockett.
"It felt great being out there with you. Thanks for everyone who tapped up via stream with us," he said before sharing that he would be meeting with "The Footwork King" Rischad Whitfield in Houston for another training session.
In 2021, Kaepernick shared with Ebony that he was ready to return to the league and kept the same workout schedule to stay prepared.
"I am still up at 5 a.m. training five, six days a week making sure I'm prepared to take a team to a Super Bowl again," he revealed. "That's not something I will ever let go of, regardless of the actions of 32 teams and their partners to deny me employment."
"The same way I was persistent in high school is the same way I'm gonna be persistent here," he noted.
In 2016, while on the roster as a San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick was the first to kneel during the national anthem to protest against social and racial injustice.
His decision to do so divided the nation and changed the trajectory of his career.
In 2017, the former quarterback became a free agent but went unsigned. In 2021, in his Netflix series "Colin in Black & White," Kaepernick compared the NFL to the slave trade.
"Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod, and examine, searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respected. No dignity left intact," Kaepernick said.
