Key Takeaways

Colin Kaepernick says he knew kneeling against racial injustice could end his NFL career but would “absolutely do it again.”

The former 49ers quarterback, who last played in 2016, maintains that the NFL blackballed him for his activism, while Commissioner Roger Goodell denies it.

As he revisits his upbringing in The Perilous Fight, Kaepernick says the current moment “demands protests more than ever” and has earned the Muhammad Ali Center’s 2026 Humanitarian of the Year honor.

Colin Kaepernick hasn't played an NFL game in nearly a decade, but he says losing his football career was a price he'd willingly pay again for standing against racial injustice.

In a new interview with BBC Sport , the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback reflected on the consequences of kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, acknowledging that he knew his protest could cost him everything he'd worked for on the field.

"I knew the protest could potentially cost me my career," Kaepernick said.…