Here’s what happened.
Legacy media outlets are once again reviving the name of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick—this time ahead of Super Bowl LX—despite the fact that he has not played in the NFL in nearly ten years.
In a feature published before Sunday’s championship game, The Washington Post described Kaepernick as Super Bowl LX’s “most relevant” figure, even though the 49ers are not participating and Kaepernick has been out of professional football since the 2016 season.
The article focused heavily on symbolism, noting that the Super Bowl will be played in the same stadium where Kaepernick’s on-field protests once ignited a national controversy. According to the paper, the political and cultural debates surrounding America’s biggest sporting event echo the issues that originally propelled Kaepernick into the spotlight.
Media Ties Kaepernick To Trump-Era Politics
The article went on to draw a link between Kaepernick’s earlier activism and fresh attacks on President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, referencing recent fatal encounters involving federal personnel in Minnesota. That approach sparked swift pushback online, with critics arguing the outlet was forcing partisan narratives into Super Bowl coverage.
On X, users questioned why a player who has not taken a snap in nearly a decade was suddenly being portrayed as central to the NFL’s biggest event.
Key Controversies Largely Overlooked
While the article offered a largely sympathetic look at Kaepernick’s original protests, it largely avoided addressing his more controversial positions since leaving the league. Aside from brief references to books co-written with his wife, a shelved ESPN project with Spike Lee, and his involvement in the “Know Your Rights” campaign, much of his post-NFL activism went unexplored.
Kaepernick previously settled a lawsuit against the NFL after accusing the league of colluding to keep him unsigned during the 2017 offseason. Although the league later approved a workout opportunity, it was abruptly canceled after Kaepernick opted to change the location and run the session independently.
Calls to Abolish Police and Prisons
In 2020, Kaepernick published an essay calling for the elimination of police and prisons. A year later, a book released through his own publishing company echoed those views, advocating for a society “beyond policing and prisons.”
He later appeared in a Netflix documentary that compared the NFL Draft process to the slave trade—remarks that sparked widespread criticism from fans, former players, and league insiders. In the film, Kaepernick accused teams of dehumanizing athletes through evaluations and interviews, despite earning more than $40 million during his NFL career.
Still Seeking a Comeback
Today, Kaepernick continues to claim he is prepared for another opportunity in professional football. He will turn 39 in November.
Whether any NFL team is interested remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that legacy media outlets continue to resurface his name—particularly when Super Bowl attention and criticism of President Trump intersect.
