How the NFL crushed Colin Kaepernick’s protest | Bomani Jones & Howard Bryant

How the NFL crushed Colin Kaepernick’s protest | Bomani Jones & Howard Bryant

From The Right Time with Bomani Jones by Wave

August 26, 2026 · 1h 3m

About this episode

Bomani Jones and Howard Bryant discuss the impact of Colin Kaepernick's protest and the NFL's response over the years.

Bomani Jones is joined by Howard Bryant for the third episode of a historical retrospective series looking back at Colin Kaepernick, a decade after his initial protest. In this episode, Bo and Howard focus the conversation on the timeline starting in 2017 and how the aftermath of the protest impacted Kaepernick's career. They reflect on the reality of league collusion as Kaepernick remained without a job despite proving he was a capable NFL quarterback. They trace how secondary narratives formed to critique his play, while the backdrop of Donald Trump's presidency drastically shifted the national conversation. The duo breaks down the response from other athletes, the formation of the Players Coalition, and how the NFL ultimately co-opted the protest with social justice initiatives. They relive the chaotic events of November 2019 surrounding Kaepernick's scheduled NFL workout in Atlanta, which resulted in an impromptu relocation to a local high school. Ultimately, Bo and Howard evaluate the immense power of the opposition that mobilized to crush athlete activism and the lasting legacy of a quarterback who forced a national conversation on race and labor…

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