Ex-quarterback shocked
Kaepernick finds the situation in the USA “brutally frustrating”
February 27, 2024, 5:17 p.m
Racism, injustice and police violence: Colin Kaepernick has been fighting for positive developments in the USA for a long time. In an interview, the former NFL quarterback was shocked by the social situation in his country. Despite the optimism, everything would get “even worse”.
Former quarterback Colin Kaepernick finds the social developments in the USA in recent years to be “brutally frustrating”. Everyday racism and prejudice against individual population groups have reached a level “that I did not expect,” said the former NFL star in an interview with GQ Germany: “Numerous efforts have been made to even worsen the situation and progress has been made, to undo what has been done.”
Kaepernick has played a pioneering role in the fight against racism, injustice and police violence for years. The playmaker was the first NFL professional to kneel in protest while the US national anthem was playing before a game in preparation for the 2016/17 season. Kaepernick thus became a face of the global Black Lives Matter movement.
“We’ve managed to get so many people to stand up and say that things can’t go on like this. That so many people are becoming aware of this problem – and at the same time the problem is getting even bigger. That worries me a lot,” emphasized the 36-year-old. Year-old who became persona non grata through his protest in the NFL.
Trump vs. Kaepernick
There was a sense of optimism, “that everything is moving in the right direction, that something can actually change now and that we are all moving towards a better future. But at the same time, 2022 was the year in which the most people were killed by police officers – in U.S. history. So things got worse.”
Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2012/13 season, lost his contract in 2017 as a result of his protest. Since then, the quarterback has been waiting for a comeback in the NFL. The then US President Donald Trump, among others, condemned and denigrated the rebellious stars.
Kaepernick emphasized that his ultimate goal is to “improve the lives of the people around me and the entire Black community.” “It’s not always the easiest path that I take, but it clearly sets the direction.”