Colin Kaepernick

Colin Rand Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem before an NFL preseason game on September 1, 2016, and never played in the NFL again. His protest against police brutality and racial injustice — initially sitting, then kneeling at the suggestion of former Green Beret Nate Boyer — cost him his career, made him the most polarizing athlete in America, and ignited a national conversation about race, patriotism, and protest that continues to this day.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1987, and adopted by a white family in Turlock, California, Kaepernick was a multi-sport athlete who chose football and attended the University of Nevada. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and led them to Super Bowl XLVII in 2012, nearly winning. He was an electric quarterback — capable of both throwing and running — who seemed destined for a long career.

After his protest, NFL owners effectively blackballed Kaepernick. He filed a grievance against the league, which was settled in 2019. Nike made him the face of their "Just Do It" campaign with the tagline "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." He founded the Know Your Rights Camp and has donated millions to social justice organizations. In 2020, when the NFL acknowledged that Black Lives Matter, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league was wrong — vindicating Kaepernick's protest four years too late.