Ten years after Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem, the protest is once again at the center of a heated sports debate. Clay Travis, a prominent right-wing sports commentator, marked the anniversary by calling Kaepernick a “moron.”
A protest that still divides
Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem before a 49ers preseason game in August 2016. He initially sat on the bench during the anthem before changing to a kneeling position, which he considered more respectful. Later that season, on Oct. 6, 2016, he knelt alongside outside linebacker Eli Harold and free safety Eric Reid before an NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.
The gesture was intentional and calculated, designed to spark a national conversation about an issue Kaepernick believed the country was overlooking. It quickly became one of the most controversial moments in recent sports history. Politicians and fans accused him of being unpatriotic, while supporters praised him for risking his career for his beliefs.
By the end of the season, Kaepernick was out of the NFL, with teams refusing to sign him. He later filed a lawsuit alleging the league had illegally blackballed him. Kaepernick never returned to the NFL despite multiple efforts to revive his career, but his protest has remained one of the most iconic and memorable moments in sports history—and it is still drawing strong reactions a decade later.
Brewer: Kaepernick’s stance is aging well
In a column marking the 10th anniversary, The Athletic senior columnist Jerry Brewer praised Kaepernick and argued that his protest remains unmatched in modern athlete activism.
“In modern athlete activism, Kaepernick stands alone. He is far from beloved, but his stance is aging well. The prominent athletes of the past 10 years have mishandled what they should’ve treated as a precious legacy. With their conceit, the clout chasers have turned his courage into a template without asking what made the original worth copying,” Brewer wrote.
Travis doesn’t hold back
Clay Travis was not impressed with that assessment. In a post on X, he called The Athletic “total trash” and directed harsh words at Kaepernick.
“The Athletic is total trash. Colin Kaepernick was a moron who falsely alleged cops were regularly murdering black men, which led to cops being demonized, which led to thousands more murdered black kids. Data doesn’t lie,” Travis wrote.
Travis did not provide the data he referenced, so it remains unclear what information he was relying on. Kaepernick’s protest, for its part, continues to provoke strong reactions from both supporters and critics a decade later.
