Netflix Announces Fawning Colin Kaepernick Project
Colin Kaepernick is joining with Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay on a Netflix drama series about the teenage roots of the former NFL player’s social activism.
“Colin in Black & White” will examine Kaepernick’s high school years to illuminate the experiences that shaped his advocacy, Netflix said in a news release Monday.
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick said in a statement. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years.”
Kaepernick, born to a white mother and black father, was adopted in Wisconsin by a white couple who moved to California when he was a child.
In 2016, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. The divisive protests alienated many fans, who view such demonstrations as disrespectful to those who have served and sacrificed under the American flag.
Kaepernick opted out of his 49ers contract in 2017 and went unsigned.
Writing on the six-episode Netflix series was completed in May, the streaming service said.
DuVernay, writer Michael Starrbury and Kaepernick are the executive producers. Kaepernick will appear as himself as the limited series’ narrator, Netflix said.
It’s been a pleasure working with @ava, @StarrburyMike, and the entire writing team on this project for over a year now.
I look forward to sharing these moments of my life with all of you! https://t.co/IBYXQb69OH
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) June 29, 2020
Further details, such as how much Kaepernick will earn from the deal and when the series will be released, were not immediately announced.
Kaepernick called it an honor to collaborate with DuVernay, whose credits include “When They See Us,” which dramatized the Central Park Five case, and the Oscar-nominated documentary “13th.”
“With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally,” DuVernay said in a statement. “Colin’s story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience.”
Kaepernick helped the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 but saw his performance decline after the 2013 season. In 2016, his last year with San Francisco, he led the team to a 1-10 record.
He filed a grievance against the league in 2017, contending teams colluded to keep him out because of his anthem protests. The sides reached an undisclosed settlement in 2019.
The 32-year-old Kaepernick has said he still wants to play in the NFL. However, a workout for teams last November in Atlanta turned chaotic as he changed the venue at the last minute, and he subsequently received no job offers.
In the aftermath of nationwide protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to players for not listening to them earlier and encouraged them to protest peacefully. Goodell said he has urged teams to sign Kaepernick.
“This young man is talented enough to play in the National Football League,” league executive Troy Vincent said recently.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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