Colin Kaepernick Talks New Netflix Show, NFL Desires & More In New EBONY Cover Story
Colin Kaepernick graces the cover of the November issue of EBONY magazine, where he talks about his new show Colin In Black & White, his desires to still play in the NFL, and much more.
Source: Joshua Kissi / Ebony Magazine
On Aug. 14, 2016, Colin Kaepernick began a journey like no other, making history by simply taking a knee during the national anthem of a preseason game. At the time, this didn’t receive any outrage or attention–maybe because he was plain-clothed and after all, it was a preseason game. The same would go fairly unnoticed the next week, as well.
Two weeks later, though, on August 26, the world would notice his kneeling gesture and he didn’t shy away when asked about his reasoning, setting up the next three years of his life and changing his career trajectory.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said. “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
This statement and his admission that if he lost football and endorsements, it wouldn’t bother him, sent a shockwave throughout every good ole boy that watches the NFL. Fast forward to 2019 and the NFL settled with Kaepernick, then the pandemic happened and we really haven’t heard from Colin directly, but his mission speaks for itself often.
Now, Colin is gracing the cover of the November issue of EBONY and giving a rare interview. He is answering everyone’s burning questions and talking about his new show, Colin In Black & White, which is based on his life. Even with a new shoe and philanthropy work, Colin is still waiting and ready to play again.
“Absolutely. 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. 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 pauses and then adds, “And you’re gonna have to continue to deny me and do so in a public way. And you’re gonna expose yourself by that, but it won’t be because I’m not ready or not prepared.”
The entire past half a decade in the middle of the most heated political era ever would be uncomfortable for anyone, but Colin is used to it. His new show is based on his childhood and focuses on him being black while being raised by two white parents and the things he encountered and experienced. Colin doesn’t wish he had a different childhood, but opens up to EBONY about what could have helped his journey.
“I wouldn’t say I have regrets,” the star says about his childhood. “I don’t like to look at things that way, because I feel like that’s part of our journey and path of where we need to go. [O]ne of the pieces of being Black and being adopted into a white family [is that there] are conversations that I just couldn’t have or didn’t feel comfortable having. I wish I had a mentor to turn to in those moments to be able to have those conversations to help better navigate what I was facing.”
Colin’s new show will be his story told his way and the material could help a generation that felt just like him growing up. If there’s one thing that Colin has shown us over the years, he is more than an athlete, and his off-the-field moves will leave an even greater impact than what he did while playing.
You can read his full EBONY cover story here and watch the trailer for Colin In Black & White below before its series premiere on October 29th.
