Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has criticised the league's response to racism as "performative," arguing that Commissioner Roger Goodell's 2020 video condemning racism was driven by player pressure rather than genuine conviction. Speaking to NBC News as part of a publicity tour for his forthcoming memoir, Kaepernick said the NFL's gesture rang hollow given the league's continued reluctance to sign him. The commentary reignites long-standing tensions between Kaepernick and the league over his treatment since he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice.

This Fox News opinion piece agrees that the NFL's social justice messaging, including "End Racism" end-zone stencils and "Black Lives Matter" helmet decals, was largely a public-relations exercise aimed at avoiding backlash from sponsors. However, the author accuses Kaepernick of hypocrisy, citing his Netflix docuseries "Colin in Black & White," in which he likened the NFL scouting combine to a slave auction while simultaneously seeking a return to the league. Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016 and later settled a collusion grievance against the league and its owners in 2019, with neither side admitting wrongdoing.