Kaepernick shares workout video, says he's 'still ready', but denied work
(L to R) Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the anthem prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Oct. 2, 2016 Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - This Wednesday may have been Dwight Clark Day at 49ers’ Training Camp, but former 49er Colin Kaepernick was the center of attention on social media for a workout video he posted saying he’s been denied work in the NFL for 889 days.
Kap’s minute-long workout video has been shared over 15,000 times on Twitter. The accompanying words simply read: “5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready.”
The intense workout shows the former quarterback-turned activist, who took a stand for what he believed in by taking a knee during performances of the national anthem at football games, pumping iron clad in a tank top, showing off plenty of tattoos.
In 2016, Kaepernick initially began his protest by remaining seated during the anthem. He eventually shifted to taking a knee during the country’s most patriotic of songs. At the time, he explained his actions as a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, saying he wouldn’t stand for the anthem so long as police brutality in this country continued.
The move was seen as highly controversial, but caught on with other noted players who also abstained from standing. One-time fellow 49er Eric Reid and former NFL player with the Oakland Raiders Marshawn Lynch were among those who figuratively stood with not only Kaepernick, but the larger cause at hand.
Reid, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers, filed a collusion suit against the NFL along with Kaepernick, which was settled earlier this year in February. The terms of that deal are confidential.
Just last week, Kaepernick tweeted a screen grab of a Washington Post Sports Twitter feed post that said Reid will continue to kneel during the anthem in the 2019-20 season to continue to raise awareness of racial inequality, police brutality and social injustice.
Kaepernick added, “Unwavering. Unrelenting. Unflinching. Unapologetic. Love you Brother!” He included the Black Power fist emoji, but the skin tone reflected a lighter shade closely matching that of the one-time star who once wore the number 7.
The group KapWatch is keeping track of the days Kaepernick has gone without work at his former employer.