Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who sparked controversy with his 2016 anthem protests against police brutality, said he continues to face exclusion by the National Football League (NFL) a decade after he first took a knee during the national anthem. In a recent interview, Kaepernick described the league’s public statements condemning racial injustice following the 2020 death of George Floyd as insincere, asserting that the NFL has not made meaningful changes regarding its treatment of protesting players.

Kaepernick, now 38, criticized the NFL for “blackballing” him and targeting other players who have engaged in similar forms of protest. He stated that he no longer supports the league and instead follows college football. Despite leading the 49ers to the 2013 Super Bowl, Kaepernick has not been signed by any NFL team since he was released in 2017, one year after initiating his kneeling protest.

This month, Kaepernick is set to publish “The Perilous Fight,” a book combining memoir and manifesto, in which he recounts how the idea to kneel was suggested by his teammate Eric Reid. Kaepernick had initially opted to remain seated during the anthem earlier in 2016 but later sought a more visually striking gesture after extensive reading on Black liberation. While numerous NFL players subsequently joined kneeling or sitting protests, Kaepernick became the central figure of backlash, receiving public criticism and having jerseys burned. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump famously urged him to “find a country that works better for him.”

Kaepernick alleges that the NFL colluded to keep him out of the league. He said several coaches, including then-Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, expressed interest in signing him but were prevented from doing so by higher authorities. Kaepernick also described a 2017 workout meeting with the Seattle Seahawks during which he was repeatedly questioned about his political views — an approach he said would be legally questionable outside the NFL. The Seahawks did not respond to requests for comment.

Following the widespread protests over George Floyd’s death, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement expressing regret for not supporting players’ demonstrations earlier. Kaepernick dismissed the statement as motivated by pressure from players rather than genuine concern. He called the league’s suggestion that it should have listened to protesting players “laughable” and “performative,” emphasizing that he was still seeking to join an NFL team at the time.

In response to Kaepernick’s remarks, the NFL acknowledged that the issues he raised remain “important to the league and deserving of continued attention and action.”