Kaepernick Says His Adoptive Parents Perpetuated Racism in New Book

The former 49ers quarterback shared the difficult situations he experienced as a child.

Colin Kaepernick is not throwing touchdown passes on the football field these days. Instead, the former 49ers quarterback is embracing fatherhood with his son, running his nonprofit, The Colin Kaepernick Foundation, and promoting his latest book, Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game.

Kaepernick, a former second-round selection by San Francisco in the 2011 NFL draft, has not played a game in the NFL since the end of the 2016 season. During that season, Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and institutionalized racism in the United States.

In his recent book, Kaepernick details how he felt his white adoptive parents perpetuated racism and how he often experienced difficult situations regarding the issue.

“I know my parents loved me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through,” Kaepernick said in a recent CBS news interview. “I think it was important to show, ‘No, this can happen in your own home.’ And how do we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated,” he said.

Kaepernick provided an example by explaining that his mother said “Your hair is not professional, you look like a little thug,” when he had cornrows as a child.

“Those become spaces where it’s like, ‘How do I navigate this situation now?’” Kaepernick said in the interview. “But it also has informed why I have my hair long today.”

The graphic novel also shares insight into the early years of Kaepernick’s life before he became an NFL quarterback as well as the movement that swept through the NFL with players protesting police brutality and racial discrimination.