Though he can’t land a professional football job these days, former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refuses to leave the limelight.
And his supporters in the media refuse to let him fade into memory.
The quarterback, most famous for kicking off the controversial national anthem protests in the NFL, has received yet another “honor.”
Kaepernick was one of a dozen to receive a human and civil rights award from the National Education Association. The award, the NEA’s President’s Award, officially recognizes the former football player’s work “to fight racial oppression through education and social justice activism” through a group he funds called Know Your Rights Camp.
Its official website, Know Your Rights Camp, works to “raise awareness on higher education, self empowerment, and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.”
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the streets,” Kaepernick said in a press release from the NEA.
On top of this new honor, Kaepernick received the Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award in April for his activism.
He was also — incredibly — named “man of the year” last year by GQ.
A television series is also in the works focusing on Kaepernick’s early days in football.
He may never walk onto a professional field again to play — but don’t expect Kaepernick to go anywhere anytime soon.
PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.
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