Colin Kaepernick was hailed as an “activist” during the WNBA playoff game

NEW YORK CITY (TNND) — Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick attended a WNBA playoff game on Tuesday where he was honored as an “activist” by the home team.

Kaepernick's appearance at the second game of the Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty series was captured on the LED screen at Barclay's Center. The audience cheered as he smiled and waved at the camera.

“Colin Kaepernick: former NFL quarterback and activist,” read a caption on the screen.

Kaepernick became deeply involved in social issues after kneeling during a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner during a game with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. The move was intended as a protest against police brutality, which inspired other prominent athletes to do the same and sparked intense backlash from NFL fans.

Kaepernick later terminated his contract with the 49ers and became a free agent. He sued the NFL in 2017, accusing team owners of colluding to keep him out of the league.

Since leaving the league, Kaepernick has founded several groups dedicated to the advancement of racial minorities, including Know Your Rights Camp, Ra Vision Media and Kaepernick Publishing. His most recent projects have included creating the children's book “We Are Free, You & Me,” which “invites even the youngest readers to embrace the ideals of the Know Your Rights Camp.”

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The college board announced in 2023 that its Advanced Placement African American Studies program would incorporate Kaepernick's work into its curriculum in the 2024-25 school year. The board said it would focus specifically on how the quarterback used his platform to bring police brutality “into the national spotlight.”

The former quarterback has often flirted with a return to the league, but has never made it onto a team's roster. Most recently, he received an offer from Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh to join the team's coaching staff.

“If that was ever the path he took, I think that would be great,” Harbaugh told USA Today of the offer. “He would be a great coach if he went that route.”

In 2023, Kaepernick contacted the New York Jets to inquire about joining the roster to fill the vacancy left by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon. In a letter to the team, Kaepernick said he was “honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the practice squad.”

“I would do this with the sole purpose of preparing your defense each week,” he wrote.

The Liberty did not respond to a National News Desk request for comment about Kaepernick's appearance at their game.

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