Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick is a civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback whose influence on sports and society extends beyond the football field. Kaepernick set records at the University of Nevada as the first NCAA Division I FBS player to throw for more than 10,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in a career, a distinction he continues to hold. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the NFL Draft, Kaepernick became the team's starter midway through his second season and led them to Super Bowl XLVII, marking the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in nearly two decades. As a 49er, he passed for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns while rushing for 2,300 yards and 13 scores, and he holds the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback.

Kaepernick's career trajectory shifted when he began kneeling during the U.S. national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. The act sparked a national conversation and influenced professional sports leagues across the country. After that season, Kaepernick became a free agent and was not signed by any team, leading him to file a grievance accusing NFL owners of colluding to keep him out of the league in retaliation for his activism. He and the NFL later reached a settlement. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell subsequently encouraged teams to sign Kaepernick and acknowledged the league's earlier shortcomings in addressing player concerns.

Off the field, Kaepernick has established a legacy as an activist, author, and entrepreneur. He founded Know Your Rights Camp, an organization focused on advancing the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, and mass mobilization. Kaepernick also founded Kaepernick Publishing and Kaepernick Media. His Netflix limited series, "Colin in Black and White," co-produced with filmmaker Ava DuVernay, won two NAACP Awards, and his Nike "Dream Crazy" campaign earned an Emmy Award. Kaepernick has been recognized as GQ Magazine's Citizen of the Year and has received the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award, the ACLU's Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award and the Ralph Ellison Award, Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, and the Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Kaepernick continues to expand his reach as a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and technology entrepreneur. He launched Lumi Story AI, an artificial intelligence company that provides tools to help creators produce, distribute, and merchandise their work, with a focus on empowering independent storytellers and underrepresented voices. The platform has been piloted in school districts across the country, including a partnership with Prince George's County Public Schools to support student literacy through AI-powered graphic novel creation. His memoir, "The Perilous Fight," is described as equal parts memoir and manifesto, tracing the off-the-field battles that turned a single act of protest into a movement that influenced American sports and culture. From the football field to technology entrepreneurship and civil rights advocacy, Kaepernick remains a significant public voice in sports, social justice, and technology.