Colin Kaepernick

Background

Colin Kaepernick is an American civil rights activist and former football quarterback who has gotten mainstream recognition for his work. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kaepernick is a Scorpio and of African descent, as his birth father has Ghanaian, Nigerian, and Ivorian roots. However, Kaepernick was raised by his adoptive parents, Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, who brought him home as an infant. Kaepernick’s earliest memories are of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. However, he moved with his family to California when he turned four. Kaepernick began playing youth football at eight, and by nine, he was a starting quarterback on the team. He attended John H. Pitman High School in California, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. Kaepernick excelled in all three sports and was nominated for the all-state selection for all three sports in his senior year. He received several college scholarships in baseball, but he wanted to play college football instead. In 2006, he decided to go to the University of Nevada, Reno, the only school to offer him a football scholarship.

Kaepernick’s college football career began in 2007. He was a backup quarterback for the Wolf Pack. He played in 11 of the season’s 13 games and recorded 19 touchdowns and a 53.8% completion percentage. He’s only gotten better from here. In 2009, Kaepernick was selected in the Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. However, he didn’t sign with the Cubs and kept playing in college. By his senior year, Kaepernick had been named All-WAC quarterback of the season and defeated the previously undefeated Boise State Broncos. He ended his collegiate career with 10,098 passing yards, 82 passing touchdowns, 59 rushing touchdowns, and 4,112 rushing yards with only 24 interceptions. Through all this, he managed to maintain a 4.0 G.P.A. and graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. His professional career began the same year. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers as their fourth pick in April 2011. By 2012, Kaepernick had his first career touchdown, and by November, he got his first N.F.L. start. Kaepernick broke the 49ers postseason rushing record in his first year with the team and won the N.F.C. Championship with them, advancing to the Super Bowl.

By 2014, Kaepernick signed a $126 million, six-year contract extension with the 49ers, and in 2016, he started the season with three surgeries. His six-year contract was restructured to two years as he expressed interest in being traded. Later, he became a free agent in March 2017. Kaepernick’s identity as an activist began the same year. He was aggrieved with the lack of accountability in the justice system, as African-Americans were being murdered or physically assaulted by the police. He decided to kneel during the national anthem in 2017 in protest against racial injustice. This action led to an uproar in which then-President Donald Trump encouraged N.F.L. owners to fire players who displayed such insubordination to the country. However, Kaepernick’s actions were supported by multiple celebrities, but the football player hasn’t been signed to any team since this incident. Despite the present drought in his football career, Kaepernick is still an adept athlete whose success is exemplary. He shares his milestones with his family and girlfriend, Nessa Diab, whom he began dating in 2015.