'Colin in Black & White': Was Kaepernick not picked by NFL teams as he was vegan?
Colin Kaepernick is generating the buzz again, this time because of the Netflix limited series 'Colin in Black & White' based on the former San Francisco 49ers star Quarterback. Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay helms the six-chapter series that also includes Kaepernick as one of the co-creators. As a Black athlete with ridiculous talent, Kaepernick was shockingly allowed to taste success on the terms of a White America. His taking a knee sparked quite the reaction and he was pushed into the wilderness.
Over the years, there was a dime a dozen excuses for NFL franchises not signing Kaepernick when he became a free agent. The most outlandish one yet was the fact that he was vegan. And this was one of the long lines of reasons that came to explain his unemployment after his time with San Francisco. All said that he kneeled during the national anthem before the start of games in 2016 to protest racial injustice in America, but despite the solid game even in the 49ers 2-14 run, he was not the player who could be left to cool his heels.
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The vegan diet as a reason garnered attention after NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco's tweet in 2017 said "At season’s end, Colin Kaepernick stated he was fully committed to football. But some teams are unconvinced and wonder about his vegan diet."
At season’s end, Colin Kaepernick stated he was fully committed to football. But some teams are unconvinced and wonder about his vegan diet.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) March 31, 2017
This comes as a laughable excuse considering that there are enough NFL players who are vegan. Safety Tyrann Mathieu, now a Kansas City Chiefs player, was signed by the Cardinals to a five-year extension, and according to Sports Illustrated, this was just months before he announced he was going vegan. To put things in perspective, Tom Brady's "almost vegan" and is still one of the undisputed NFL stars leading the Tampa Bay Buccanneers to glory.
There's nothing wrong with a vegan diet as long as the athletes get their protein intake right. And unless Kaepernick's protein consumption was well below that of what was needed, then the whole theory of rejecting him for his vegan diet makes sense. If not, this would be one of that absolute balderdash of an excuse.
The official synopsis of the series reads: "Colin in Black & White chronicles Kaepernick’s coming of age story, tackling the obstacles of race, class, and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family. ‘Colin in Black & White’ stars Jaden Michael as Young Colin before reaching the highest levels of American football as an NFL quarterback and becoming a cultural icon and activist; Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker as his well-meaning parents Rick and Teresa; and Colin Kaepernick himself, who appears as the present-day narrator of his own story, guiding viewers through a robust and colorfully presented array of historical and contemporary contextual moments. You don’t know Kaepernick until you know Colin.”
'Colin in Black & White' premieres on October 29 on Netflix.
