Colin Kaepernick

Colin Rand Kaepernick ( KAP-er-nick; born November 3, 1987) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Kaepernick played collegiate football at the University of Nevada where he was named the Western Athletic Offensive Player of the Year twice and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. Kaepernick was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Kaepernick began his professional career as a backup to Alex Smith, but became the 49ers' starter in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith suffered a concussion. He remained the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season and went on to lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. During the 2013 season, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship. In the following three seasons, Kaepernick lost and won back his starting job, with the 49ers missing the playoffs for three years consecutively. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers to become a free agent after the 2016 season. In 2016, Kaepernick gained national attention when he began protesting by not standing while the United States national anthem was being performed before the start of games, motivated by what he viewed as the oppression of people of color in the U.S. His actions prompted a wide variety of responses, including additional athletes in the NFL and other U.S. sports leagues protesting the anthem in various ways. His current free agency status in the NFL has also been the subject of discussion and controvers