Colin Kaepernick gave one of his rare on-camera interviews and made it known that he simply just wants to play football.
The 34-year-old QB sat down for an rare interview with former NFL stars Chad Johnson, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Brandon Marshall for an episode of “I AM ATHLETE.” Marshall asked Kaepernick if he’d be willing to take a role similar to Carmelo Anthony in the NBA where he comes off the bench after signing for the veteran’s minimum.
“I know I have to find my way back in. So, if I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine,” Kaepernick told the guys.
“But that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”
At one point during the interview, Marshall played a GM and had Kaepernick address him.
“What about our fan base? What do we say to our fan base?”
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“You have End Racism in the back of your end zone,” Kaepernick said. “You have Black Lives Matter on your helmet. Everything I’ve said should be in alignment with what you’re saying publicly. It’s a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by six billion dollars. Six billion. With a B. . . . So if you’re talking about the business side, it shows [it’s] beneficial. If you’re talking about the playing side, come in [and] let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL’s supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you.”
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Kaepernick has long accused the league of blackballing him for his kneeling protest, filing a lawsuit alleging the owners colluded against him.
“No team’s brought me in for a workout,” Kaepernick said. “No team has brought me in for an opportunity. I had the one meeting with Seattle in 2017. And out of that, Pete Carroll said, ‘Hey, he’s a starter, we have a starter.’ And things moved on from there. But they don’t have a starter right now.”
