Colin Kaepernick Calls Out White Adoptive Parents For Racism When He Was Growing Up

New York, NY – Former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was the first to kneel to protest police brutality when the National Anthem was played on the field, accused the white parents who adopted and raised him of racism in his new graphic novel.

“I know my parents loved me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through,” Kaepernick, now 35 years old, told CBS News.

“I think it was important to show that, no, this can happen in your home, and how you move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated,” he explained.

Kaepernick talked about what he perceived as his parents’ racism in an interview to promote his new graphic novel, “Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game,” CBS News reported.

The former San Francisco 49er said the graphic novel is a memoir of his high school years before he became a professional football player.

Kaepernick told a story about how his mother told him as a teen that she didn’t want him wearing his hair in cornrows, CBS News reported.

“Your hair is not professional, you look like a little thug,” he claimed his mother said.

“Those become spaces where it’s like, ‘How do I navigate this situation now?’ But it also has informed why I have my hair long today,” the former quarterback told CBS News.

Kaepernick, who has continuously said that he still wants to play professional football, hasn’t been picked up by a team since he became a free agent after the 2016 season – his last year with the 49ers – after he knelt on the field during the National Anthem and wore pig socks.

The former NFL player was adopted in 1987 at six weeks old by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, a white couple in Wisconsin who already had two biological children, People reported.

He is biracial and identifies as black and has talked openly about the challenges of being raised by white parents.

Kaepernick said his parents were always open and willing to learn from their mistakes, People reported.

“We’ve always been very loving in the process, and you know I wouldn’t do it with anybody else,” he explained.

When the 49ers quarterback knelt to protest police brutality and offended countless football fans, his parents publicly showed their support for his actions, according to People.

“As his parents, it pains us to read articles and tweets saying that his family does not support him; this could not be further from the truth,” the parents said in a public statement in 2016. “We want people to know that we are very proud of our son and admire his strength and courage in kneeling for the rights of others.”