Colin Kaepernick is once again taking aim at the NFL, claiming the league has continued to shut him out while refusing to provide him with a pension he says he has been seeking since 2017.
During a recent podcast appearance, Kaepernick said he believes the NFL has made a deliberate effort to keep him away from the league since his final season.
“They’re actively trying to blacklist me and ban me for life from the NFL,” Kaepernick said. “They haven’t given me any pension since 2017, and every request I’ve made for a pension has been denied.”
Kaepernick said he remains frustrated that the league has not given him another opportunity to play, particularly after the enormous attention surrounding his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
The protest became one of the defining stories of the NFL during the 2016 season and sparked a nationwide debate about race, policing, patriotism and free expression.
Kaepernick said he considers the movement an important part of his legacy.
“What I did for the league, with the whole kneeling movement, I think it’s the best legacy I’ve given to the NFL,” he said.
He also suggested that the impact of his protest should not be dismissed simply because he has not played in the league for several years.
“I know people have different opinions about what I did,” Kaepernick said. “But it started a conversation that went far beyond football.”
His latest comments were met with a blunt response from Alex Bruno, described as a senior NFL representative.
“What has Mr. Kneeler ever given to the league in the past 10 years?” Bruno said. “He’s just a washed-up wokester who’s trying to be relevant now.”
Bruno also mocked Kaepernick’s continued desire to return to professional football.
“His only specialty is kneeling and making excuses,” Bruno added. “Maybe he should just focus on that.”
Kaepernick has remained outside the NFL since his last appearance in 2016. He has continued working on activism, media projects and other initiatives while occasionally discussing his desire to return to football.
His relationship with the NFL remains one of the most debated chapters in the league’s recent history.
Kaepernick’s supporters argue that his protest changed the conversation around athletes and political expression, while critics have questioned whether his subsequent absence from the league should be attributed to his football career, the controversy surrounding his protest, or other factors.
The former quarterback said he isn’t asking people to agree with everything he has done.
“I don’t expect everybody to agree with me,” he said. “But I believe I deserve to be treated fairly.”
Kaepernick also said he still believes he has something to offer the sport.
“If somebody called tomorrow and said they needed a quarterback, I’d be ready,” he said. “I’ve never stopped believing that.”
The NFL has not indicated that Kaepernick is being considered for a return.
For now, Kaepernick remains outside the league while continuing to speak publicly about his experience.
And judging from his latest comments, the former quarterback has no intention of letting the issue quietly disappear.
“I’m still here,” Kaepernick said. “I haven’t forgotten what happened, and I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen.”
