Colin Kaepernick: The NFL Tried to Buy My Silence
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What offer did the NFL make and how did Jay‑Z factor into the conversation?
We need a black face to put out in front. And they tried that with the players coalition. That wasn't successful. And Jay-Z was the the two point oh version of that in my opinion. We're gonna continue blackballing you, but will you be the face of our social justice initiatives? And they offered this to me as well as Eric Reed. And there was a nice price tag associated with that. I can imagine. Saw Jay-Z wear my my jersey on SNL. Um So I had tried to reach out to him previously. in part just say thank you at that point for the support. Right. And wo wouldn't take a call, wouldn't take a meeting, which I uh uh All good. Like that's strange, but okay. Hey, I I wanna ask you, like Why weren't you staying for for the Star Spangled Banner?
And Give 'em full explanation. why I'm doing it, systemic oppression, what black people have faced, what we're seeing right now and police killing black people. Um And I remember he's like You know what comes with this, right? This is What Now with
Trevor Noah.
It makes you feel that kind of way, man. It makes you feel that kind of way. But Colin, man, thank you, man. Thanks for being here, brother. Oh, of course. This is crazy. I haven't seen you in such a time. You see now we're in
it. I'm
in it now. I'm in it.
Um it's funny because we would never say of course. Never. Of course. South Africans, Africans would never say of course. You
said welcome and he was like, of course.
Then I'm like, God, it's not of course. There's no guarantee that you would be here, man. This is a big deal for us, man. This is a big day for us. I look.
Of course I'm gonna show up for you. No
man, I appreciate you. Thank you so much. No man, for real. This is like, you know There there are some things that happen in life. It's funny. So um Tracy Ellis Ross was doing her first show on Broadway, like ever. Someone said to me, Yo, Tracy's doing her first show on Broadway. I said, That's not possible. Can't be her first, can't be her debut on Broadway. It was. It was something I always assumed that it that it had happened because of how. natural it seemed to me.
Right.
Colin Kaepernick. writing a book about his life. I was like, wait, another one?
That's exactly what I thought.
No, genuinely, I my brain went, I thought he I thought he wrote one. And then I realized you're just somebody who's been in the public eye, scrutinized at a level that few human beings will ever experience in their lives, criticized, complimented, watched, observed, dissected, interpreted, misinterpreted. But I'm talking about on a global scale. For a period of time that really most people will never truly understand, and it made me feel like I did read your life story, but now that you have written it, I'm like, Oh, we don't know you
Yeah. I would say it's fascinating for me. Because the number of conversations I have with people. that initially like, oh yeah, I know like I know all about you, I know your story. My immediate is like You know, a small piece of it. Yeah. You know the public piece of it. But even a lot of the public pieces that are out there A lot of their those are misinformation. A lot of those aren't factually accurate. So It's a interesting experience for me in talking with people because I feel like constantly I'm talking to people and they're getting a new version of me from what their perception was. Right,
right, right, right, right.
Which is like a that feels like
a unique experience. Is that Is that hard for you? Is it frustrating? How does it feel when people think they know about how you grew up? They think they knew what it was like, you know, for you being raised by white parents. They think they knew what it was like for you, you know, joining the NFL. They think they know what it was like for you, you know, almost getting into baseball, but they're not. They think they know what it was like playing at the 49ers. They think they know what it was like when you were kneeling for the anthem. They think they know what your romantic is. romantic relationship has been like they think they know. How how does that make you feel about interacting with people when they all have a preconceived notion of you?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What offer did the NFL make and how did Jay‑Z factor into the conversation?
0:02–14:47
2
How does Colin describe his experience growing up adopted in a white family in Wisconsin?
14:47–36:21
3
Why did Colin decide to grow his hair out and get braids, and how did his family react?
36:21–51:47
4
What role did football play in Colin’s life and how did early drills shape his identity?
51:47–1:07:35
5
Why does Colin discuss the racial stereotypes surrounding the quarterback position?
1:07:35–1:30:48
6
How did Colin’s series of injuries and the team’s medical handling affect his career?
1:30:48–1:55:47
7
What happened when Colin tried to negotiate with the NFL and Jay‑Z after his protests?
1:55:47–2:18:25
8
How does the episode wrap up with reflections, thanks, and sponsor messages?
2:18:25–2:23:35
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from What Now? with Trevor Noah
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Lera Boroditsky: How Language Secretly Changes Your Personality
Tracee Ellis Ross Isn’t Waiting to Be Chosen
Wil Sylvince: Grappling with Nuance
Estee Adoram: The Gatekeeper of Funny