Colin Kaepernick To Release Memoir To Give “Insight” on His Decision To Protest

It’s been nearly four years since Colin Kaepernick has appeared in the NFL, and nearly three since he became a free agent. But now it appears the baller is taking his talents elsewhere.

In a statement released by Kaepernick’s newly formed publishing house, Kaepernick Publishing, the former quarterback will go from throwing a football to pushing a pen, with the release of his new memoir.

“We are proud to announce the first release on #KaepernickPublishing will be Kaepernick’s memoir,” the publishing house wrote on Twitter. “The story tells of the experiences that led to the act of protest that has inspired the world.”

Kaepernick’s transition to author comes in the wake of his 2016 silent protest against police brutality, which ultimately led to him being blackballed from the league. But despite his ousting, his voice will now be heard through audible, which will release his yet-to-be-named memoir.

“I learned early on that in fighting against systematic oppression, dehumanization, and colonization, who controls the narrative shapes the reality of how the world views society,” Kaepernick told USA Today. “It controls who’s loved, who’s hated, who’s degraded, and who’s celebrated.”

“I’ve had a lot of questions surrounding what got me to the point of protesting,” he continued. “Why did I do it? Why did I do it at that moment? Why wasn’t it earlier in my career? A lot of questions surrounding what led me to that point. Which led me to wanting to share that story and give insight. SO I think there’s a lot of interest around it, but time will tell when the book comes out.”

“I realized being able to control your narrative and tell your story the way you want to is very important,” Kaepernick said. “The manipulation, the colonization, the distortion of stories, narrative, history, has been done forever. This is a way for me to be able to counteract that and begin to decolonize that and centralize the narrative of not only myself but other black and brown writers and authors.”

“One of the quotes that comes to mind is Malcolm X’s quote, ‘If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people that are being oppressed and loving the people that are doing the oppressing.’ He’s speaking to the control of the narrative,” he continued. “So for me recognizing the importance of our community being able to control our own narratives and tell our own stories, this is something I thought had to be the next stepping stone for us to properly address and identify not only how we view ourselves, view our communities and how we tell our stories but also giving the world to view us in the way that we want them to as well.”

Despite his dedication to activism, though, he said his desire to play football is still there. “I still train five days a week. I’m ready to go; I’m ready for a phone call, tryout, workout at any point in time. I’m still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation. So I hope I get a call this offseason. I’ll be looking forward to it.”