Colin Kaepernick Says He's 'Absolutely' Ready and 'Prepared' for Potential NFL Return

Colin Kaepernick.Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

If given the opportunity,Colin Kaepernickis prepared to return to the NFL.

In a new interview withEbony, the 33-year-old athlete, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2016, said he is “absolutely” ready to resume his professional football career should he get signed to a team in the league.

“I am still up at 5 a.m. training five, six days a week making sure I’m prepared to take a team to a Super Bowl again,” Kaepernick toldThe Viewco-host Sunny Hostin, who wrote the cover story. “That’s not something I will ever let go of, regardless of the actions of 32 teams and their partners to deny me employment.”

Kaepernick noted, “The same way I was persistent in high school is the same way I’m gonna be persistent here.”

During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began kneeling while the national anthem played at the beginning of each game to protest racial injustice, police brutality and systemic oppression. The year following his polarizing protests, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, he has been unable to sign with any NFL team.

Kaepernick and fellow protester Eric Reid filed grievances with the league in October 2017 that accused owners of colluding to prevent him from signing with a team. The pairsettled in Feb. 2019, with Kaepernick reportedly getting less than $10 million — $2 million less than his 2016 base salary — according to ESPN.

Colin Kaepernick.AFFI/Shutterstock

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Kaepernick’s hopes of returning to the gridiron are still alive even after a hiatus that has stretched to five years.

“But in that process, I’m also not gonna let you bury my future,” he continued. “I’m gonna continue to do work on the acting and producing side, continue to do the work withKnow Your Rights, and make sure we are having an impact. I think that’s the beauty of us collectively — we are not one-dimensional.”

Colin Kaepernick.Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty

In 2016, Kaepernick founded Know Your Rights, a campaign that raises awareness for higher education, self-empowerment and instructions on how to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.

Also off the field, he is creating content as a producer.

Soon, Kaepernick’s “coming of age story” will be told in a Netflix biopic series calledColin in Black & White,which delves into race, class, and culture. In the six episodes,Jaden Michaelportrays the former NFL star at age 17, whileNick OffermanandMary Louise Parkerplay his parents, Rick and Teresa Kaepernick.

Kaepernick serves as the limited series' executive producer alongside Ava DuVernay.

Colin in Black & Whitepremieres on Netflix Oct. 29.

source: people.com