Former San Francisco 49ers star Colin Kaepernick has compared the NFL’s draft process to a slave auction in his new Netflix special.
Colin Kaepernick compares the NFL’s draft process to a slave auction in his new Netflix special — with black “athletes” in shackles and their white “owners” whipping them.
The former NFL player uses the analogy in his drama series Colin in Black & White to depict the league’s draft process and training camp.
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“What they don’t want you to understand is what’s being established is a power dynamic,” says Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
“Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod and examine you searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respect. No dignity left intact.”
The Netflix special then cuts to a line of black actors playing NFL prospects who morph into slaves at an auction with shackles on them. In the scene, white slave owners bid on the men and whip them.
“Look at this here! Come on! Who wants this?” the auctioneer shouts.
Critics challenged the slavery comparison on social media.
“How dare @Kaepernick7 compare the evil endured by so many of our ancestors to a bunch of millionaires who CHOSE to play game,” wrote Utah GOP Rep. Burgess Owens, a former NFL player, on Twitter.
Radio host Clay Travis added: “Colin Kaepernick compares the NFL combine, which allows all players of all races a voluntary chance to become multi-millionaires, to slavery.
“Anyone still defending this imbecile lacks a functional brain.”
Netflix released the limited series on Friday, billing the special as recounting Kapernick’s “formative years navigating race, class and culture while aspiring for greatness.”
Kaepernick created controversy in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem at games to protest police violence and racism in the US. He left the NFL that same year and has not been signed with a team since.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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