Colin Kaepernick, 10 Years After Taking A Knee
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Why did Colin Kaepernick decide to kneel during the national anthem in 2016?
Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key Stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world. Hey, it's Ryan. Welcome to another episode of the Daily Stoic podcast. So 10 years ago this month, which feels like an eternity ago, what was I thinking about in September of 2016? I guess we were just launching the Daily Stoic. So I was consumed with that. And then this football player makes a decision. I think in retrospect, it probably felt more momentous at the time. It was more of a slow roiling news story. But on September 1st, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he was three years off of leading them to a Super Bowl.
the holder of the all-time NFL record for the most rushing yards in a game, kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police violence. And it sparked a national conversation. It sparked a backlash. And it ultimately led to the end of his NFL career. He sued the NFL over it. Now, you can agree with his decision. You can disagree with their decision. You can have differing thoughts on Black Lives Matter or police violence. I think Colin Kaepernick is an interesting person. I admire people who put it all on the line, come from a place of principle, who've rooted themselves in the idea of caring about or fighting for the underprivileged. Now, when I say you can have different opinions about this, my father was a police officer for 20 plus years, right?
I think the issue is complicated. I don't agree with everything that Colin Kaepernick has said or done, but I was really interested in talking about it. And he did. He came out to the painted porch and we had a lovely conversation. And I think you should listen to it. And if you're already angry, I would just say this is what stoicism is about. By that, I don't mean justice, the virtue of justice. That is what stoicism is about. What I mean is it's also about not being a fragile little snowflake that gets so angry when somebody talks to someone that you disagree with or talks about issues that you have a different opinion on. In this episode, Colin and I talk about what success obligates you to do. Talk about the complicated relationship between hard work and luck and opportunity and why justice has to be rooted in a personal sense of right and wrong.
We also reflect on the 10 years since Colin first took the knee. Talk about what he might do differently if he was doing it again. what he's learned as part of the process, and how he's dealt with the media firestorm and the end of the career that he cared so much about. He has a new book out called The Perilous Fight, which tells the story of his life, as well as the questions that it raises and the issues that he thinks are important. Even though he is not playing professional football anymore, he is an author, he is a publisher, he's the co-founder of the Know Your Rights Camp, which is an organization that helps people in various communities know what their rights are and how to fight for them.
And just a fascinating figure. In addition to being a Super Bowl quarterback, he is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the owner of multiple media companies. And you can follow him on Instagram at Kaepernick7. You can grab signed copies of his new book at The Painted Porch. Here is my conversation with Colin Kaepernick. What was Turlock like? I grew up in Sacramento, and then I went to Granite Bay High School. Oh, okay. Yeah. So I recognize some of the high schools from here. Yeah. Because it's weird how big an area of schools you play against
in
all the things. Because we went... We would go
from like... Fresno to the Bay Area. Yeah, right. Right. Like I saw
Lincoln in there and Placer. You play with Placer, Placer. It's a crazy big area.
Yes. We played Granite Bay. Yeah.
We were pretty good,
I
think. Like, I mean, it was a little bit of a football school, if I remember right. Yeah.
I think we lost to Granite Bay, but I think it was like a 38 to 42 kind of game. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Colin Kaepernick decide to kneel during the national anthem in 2016?
0:00–8:17
2
How did the protest affect Colin’s NFL career and his $150 million loss?
8:17–18:03
3
What responsibilities does success bring, and how does Colin balance personal gain with the movement?
18:03–27:32
4
How does Colin view the link between systemic injustice, policing, and economic inequality?
27:32–38:02
5
What is the ‘veil of ignorance’ and how does it shape Colin’s view on policy and justice?
38:02–48:36
6
What lessons did Colin learn about persuasion and media after the protest?
48:36–58:44
7
How did allies and supporters influence Colin’s journey and the broader movement?
58:44–1:10:09
8
What practical steps does Colin suggest for listeners who want to support social change?
1:10:09–1:22:51