After once again being bypassed by an NFL team, one of the top-performing football players, Colin Kaepernick, remains unsigned. The latest rejection was cast by the Titans via their coach Mike Mularkey who opted to go with a less-performing player.
But the rejection doesn’t stop Kaeprnick’s commitment to helping others and for that—he is being rewarded. Last Friday, the NFL Players Associatin awarded the Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP for his philanthropic grassroots activism in support of marginalized communities.
Rachel Leah with Salon reports Kaepernick recently donated $100,000 to be split between four organizations, thus bringing his charitables contributions to $900,000. This is ninety per cent of his $1M goal, which he declared last year.
On the first day of this year's NFL season, Kaepernick contributed to these additional charities:
- DREAM, which aids after-school programs for New York City youth
- Coalition for the Homeless
- The Gathering for Justice’s War on Children—a new program that battles child incarceration
- United We Dream, which focuses on immigrant youth
The athlete also hosted a Back to School Backpack Giveaway at the Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York. NFLPA quotes Kaepernick:
“I’ve been very blessed to be in this position and make the kind of money I do, and I have to help these people,” Kaepernick said in September 2016 when first announcing his pledge. “I have to help these communities. It’s not right that they’re not put in the position to succeed, or given the opportunities to succeed.”
This NFL Players Association is helping to support Kaepernick’s efforts.
The NFL Players Association will also donate $10,000 to either Kaepernick's foundation or to a charity he selects. The Community MVP award puts him in the running for the year's Byron Whizzer White Award, which the Players Association describes as the "highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player."
Despite being a top-performing quarterback, Kaepernick has remained jobless. Many attribute his unsigned status to the National Anthem protests he jumpstarted last season, as a demonstration against police brutality and racial injustice.
Colin Kaepernick has made a name for himself in American history, and like many American heroes, he may not be fully recognized/rewarded during his lifetime. But those of us who have witnessed his courage and who are with him as he defends the First Amendment through peaceful protest—will never forget.