Colin Kaepernick
ON THE RECORD · 19 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“You’re the music guy to them. They quite literally need a Black face – and have said as much.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-28
Kaepernick later recalled telling Jay-Z that the NFL needed a Black face for its social justice efforts.
“I just want you to know, one, you’re serving the culture up to a bunch of racists and, two, they don’t care about you,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-28
Kaepernick later recalled saying this to Jay-Z in response to Jay-Z's NFL partnership.
“When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22
Kaepernick posted this statement on social media amid the unrest following George Floyd's death in 2020.
“strip down to your drawers.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22
Kaepernick drew a parallel between the NFL combine and a slave auction, citing players being told to strip down.
“The cries for people will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-22
Kaepernick posted this statement on social media amid the unrest following George Floyd's death in 2020.
“And the realization is, 'no. They want to protect their interests. They want to protect their power. They want to protect their money.'”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick said he realized NFL owners prioritize protecting their interests, power, and money.
“When we filed the grievance, it was like, 'well, the owners wouldn’t do that. Everybody just wants to win within the NFL,'”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick revisited the response to his 2017 grievance accusing NFL owners of collusion.
“They want to protect their interests,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick said the fallout from Macklemore's removal strengthened the parallel to his own departure from the NFL.
“They will organize against you, which means that we collectively have to organize to be able to protect our interests as well.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick argued the Macklemore episode showed powerful owners coordinate when their interests are threatened.
“What Robert Kraft and what they’re saying by denying Macklemore the opportunity to go out and perform with Ed Sheeran is that they are willing to collude,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick told Ben Meiselas during a MeidasTouch interview that NFL owners were colluding to deny Macklemore the chance to perform with Ed Sheeran.
“They also want people to know that if you take an action that they don’t agree with, they will come for you,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick argued the Macklemore episode showed powerful owners coordinate when their interests are threatened.
“They want to protect their power. They want to protect their money.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick said the fallout from Macklemore's removal strengthened the parallel to his own departure from the NFL.
“They are openly colluding.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-18
Kaepernick told Ben Meiselas during a MeidasTouch interview that NFL owners were colluding to deny Macklemore the chance to perform with Ed Sheeran.
“Everybody just wants to win within the NFL. And the realization is, no. They want to protect their interests. They want to protect their power. They want to protect their money. And they also want people to know that if you take an action that they don’t agree with, they will come for you.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick told the MeidasTouch podcast that NFL owners prioritize protecting their interests, power, and money over winning.
“The [NFL owners] are openly colluding.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick said on the MeidasTouch podcast that NFL owners were openly colluding against Macklemore.
“It may not touch you today, at some point it’s going to come knocking on your doorstep or someone you love’s doorstep and that’s not the moment to be able to take action,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick warned that others may find themselves in a situation similar to Macklemore's in the future.
“The part that I hope people appreciate and take away in this moment is what [New England Patriots owner] Robert Kraft and what they’re saying by denying Macklemore the opportunity to go out and perform with Ed Sheeran is they are willing to collude,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick said on the MeidasTouch podcast that NFL owners including Robert Kraft were colluding against Macklemore after the rapper's comments about Palestine.
“When we filed the grievance, it was like, well, the owners wouldn’t do that,”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick told the MeidasTouch podcast about the reaction when he filed his grievance against the NFL in 2017.
“We should be taking action actively right now.”
Colin Kaepernick · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-16
Kaepernick urged people to take action proactively rather than waiting until they are directly affected.