Colin Kaepernick won’t be playing during NFL’s opening weekend, but his new Nike commercial will
Colin Kaepernick is going into his second season without being on an NFL roster.
But he will still be seen during NBC’s broadcast of the season opener Thursday night.
His new ad for Nike will make its TV debut during the first game of the NFL season, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons, according to multiple media reports.
Kaepernick tweeted out the two-minute spot on Wednesday morning.
In it, Kaepernick narrates over clips of inspirational athletes accomplishing extraordinary feats.
“If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do, good,” an unseen Kaepernick says in the ad. “Stay that way, because what nonbelievers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult. It’s a compliment.”
Kaepernick appears toward the end of the commercial. “So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy,” he says while looking into the camera. “Ask if they’re crazy enough.”
Earlier this week, Kaepernick was announced as one of the faces of Nike’s “Just Do It” 30th anniversary campaign. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback became a polarizing figure in 2016 when he refused to stand during the national anthem before games as a protest against social injustice.
He opted out of his contract with the 49ers the following offseason and hasn’t found work in the league since. Last week, an arbitrator denied the league’s request to throw out a grievance filed by Kaepernick last fall. Kaepernick claims the NFL’s owners have conspired to keep him out of the league.
The NFL issued a statement on social justice mentioning Kaepernick on Tuesday.
“The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities,” said Jocelyn Moore, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications and public affairs.
“The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action.”
Twitter: @chewkiii
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