Colin Kaepernick is under fire for his Netflix series “Colin in Black & White” in which he depicts the NFL’s draft process and training camp as a form of slavery.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who was blackballed out of the league for daring to kneel before the national anthem to protest police brutality, says the process to join a team is akin to the slave block.
“What they don’t want you to understand is what’s being established is a power dynamic,” Kaepernick, 33, says in the six-part documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
“Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod and examine you searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respect. No dignity left intact,” he said.
“Colin in Black & White” shows a procession of Black actors playing NFL prospects who morph into slaves at an auction with shackles on them. The scene created very visceral responses when the White owners are shown whipping the slaves.
“Look at this here! Come on! Who wants this?” the auctioneer shouts in the docu-series.
Kaepernick’s harsh description of the NFL draft and workout process incited harsh reactions from his detractors.
How dare @Kaepernick7 compare the evil endured by so many of our ancestors to a bunch of millionaires who CHOSE to play game. https://t.co/fy01QlVV2f
— Burgess Owens (@BurgessOwens) October 30, 2021
Radio host Clay Travis also chimed in, saying: “Colin Kaepernick compares the NFL combine, which allows all players of all races a voluntary chance to become multi-millionaires, to slavery,” Travis said. “Anyone still defending this imbecile lacks a functional brain.”
Kaepernick began his one-man protest of the pervasive inequities in America back in 2016 by sitting, and then kneeling, during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” inspiring widespread vilification. He left the league at the end of that season and has not played a down in the NFL since.
