Colin Kaepernick 'ready' for NFL comeback, says he's been 'denied work for 889 days'
Quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick is still interested in an NFL comeback despite a three-year layoff and a recently concluded legal battle with league executives.
Kaepernick, 31, posted videos of his workout regimen on his social media accounts on Wednesday. An image at the start of the video notes that Kaepernick has been “denied work for 889 days,” the length of time since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers following the 2016 NFL season.
“5 a.m. Five days a week. For 3 years. Still ready,” Kaepernick wrote in a post alongside the video.
Kaepernick drew international attention during the 2016 season for his role in spearheading player protests during the playing of the national anthem. The quarterback, former teammate Eric Reid and dozens of other NFL players knelt during the national anthem throughout the 2016 and 2017 seasons to protest social injustice and police brutality.
Kaepernick and Reid filed a collusion grievance against the NFL’s 32 owners in late 2017, alleging that league executives conspired to keep them out of work because of their role in the protests. The two sides reached a settlement last February which paid Kaepernick and Reid less than $10 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Reid is currently under contract with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. While Kaepernick has yet to sign with another NFL team, he is a prominent Nike endorser who served as the face of the company’s campaign to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” slogan. Kaepernick is said to have played a major role in Nike’s decision to withdraw a planned release of a “Betsy Ross flag” sneaker design amid concerns that it could be deemed insensitive.
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A second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Kaepernick led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012.