NFL star Colin Kaepernick made headlines when he refused to stand for the national anthem in 2016 as a form of protest against police brutality and discrimination against people of color. And he’s back in headlines today, thanks to a potential offer from an Adidas exec.
Mark King, president of Adidas North America, said in an interview late last week with Kenneth Shropshire, the CEO of Arizona State University’s Global Sport Institute, that he wants to sign Kaepernick to an endorsement deal. However, King said at the school’s Global Sport Summit that he has not yet extended the offer to Kaepernick, and plans to do so only if He signs on to a new team.
“We love athletes that have a platform to make the world a better place. If they’re an activist in a way that brings attention to something that moves the world forward, even if there’s controversy at that moment, we’re really interested in those athletes because I think it represents the world today,” King explained during the interview.
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When questioned about the reason for his protests in 2016, Kaepernick told reporters: “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.”
Since doing so, the quarterback — who nearly led the 49ers past the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47 — has inspired other football players to do the same. Kaepernick is a free agent.
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