Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick has released a new memoir, in which he insults the White couple that adopted him and raised him, accusing them of “problematic” behavior and “perpetuating racism.”
As reported by the Daily Caller, Kaepernick’s memoir, “Change the Game,” is written as a graphic novel. He further expanded upon what he said in the book in an interview with CBS News on Thursday.
“I know my parents loved me,” said Kaepernick. “But there were still very problematic things that I went through. I think it was important to show that, no, this can happen in your own home, and how we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated.”
In one example that Kaepernick cites, he told his parents that he wanted to get his hair done in a cornrow style, so that he could imitate the look of NBA player Allen Iverson. But his mother first asked what cornrows even meant, before commenting that the look was “not professional” and that it made him look “like a little thug.”
“Those became spaces where it’s like, ‘Okay, how do I navigate the situation right now?’” Kaepernick continued in the interview. “But it also has informed why I have my hair long today.”
Kaepernick used to play for the San Francisco 49ers, but in 2016 he garnered widespread backlash after he knelt during the playing of the National Anthem during one game, a protest gesture that he continued in subsequent games in a direct effort to disrespect the American flag and the United States as a whole. He subsequently was not re-signed with the 49ers and never joined another team, claiming that he was blacklisted from the NFL for political reasons, while others have asserted that he was already on his way out of the sport due to being a mediocre football player.