Kaepernick writing memoir detailing decision to ‘risk his career’ kneeling for anthem

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in 2016 became the first professional athlete to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, is planning to release a memoir this year through his new publishing company.

Kaepernick Publishing announced on Thursday that the book would chronicle his “experiences that led to the act of protest that has inspired the world.” The memoir will be released as part of multiproject deal between the publisher and Audible, the audiobook company owned by Amazon. Audible also plans to release an audiobook version of the title.

Proud to announce our multi-project deal with Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) and @KaepernickPub, including the Only from Audible version of his upcoming memoir. We’re thrilled to be including his voice in our collection of diverse and powerful stories. https://t.co/TOBCCP7eOS

— Audible (@audible_com) February 13, 2020

The announcement did not include an expected release date.

Kaepernick became an intensely polarizing figure after he began kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before NFL games to protest racial injustice and policy brutality. Dozens of amateur and professional athletes have reenacted the protest in the ensuing years.

Kaepernick has not signed with an NFL team since becoming a free agent following the 2016-17 season.

Kaepernick, who has expressed a continued interest in returning to the league, told USA Today that the book would provide answers to many of the still-unanswered questions surrounding his activism.

“I’ve had a lot of questions surrounding what got me to the point of protesting,” he said. “Why did I do it? Why did I do it at that moment? Why wasn’t it earlier in my career? A lot of questions surrounding what led me to that point. Which led me to wanting to share that story and give insight. So I think there’s a lot of interest around it, but time will tell when the book comes out.”

A statement announcing the book’s release added that it would explain “the life experiences that led [Kaepernick] to risk his career as a star NFL Super Bowl quarterback in one silent act of protest.”

In its first Twitter post, Kaepernick Publishing said its objective will be to lift up the next generation of diverse writers and creators. The publishing company was established in March 2019, just a month after the former quarterback settled a grievance with the NFL that accused the league of colluding to keep him out, The New York Times reported. 

Kaepernick still has his sights set on the NFL. He told USA Today that he still is regularly training to stay prepared, adding that he’s “still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation.”