Colin Kaepernick will receive an honorary degree from Morgan State University. University president David Wilson said that the former NFL quarterback and political activist would receive the degree alongside businessman David Burton and filmmaker David Talbert this Saturday.
“We are absolutely thrilled to bestow honorary degrees to David E. Talbert, David E. Burton, and Colin Kaepernick for their individual, and collective, contributions to the progression of the Black narrative and pursuit of excellence,” Wilson said in a statement.
Kaepernick will be receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his work as an activist, including founding three organizations — Know Your Rights Camp, Ra Vision Media, and Kaepernick Publishing — dedicated to the “liberation of Black and Brown people.” The former NFL star was effectively blacklisted from the league after he became the first player to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 in order to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Since then, he has repeatedly indicated his desire to return to the NFL. In a rare interview in April, he spoke of the league’s inconsistent messaging as to why he has not been invited to work out for any teams.
"You have ‘End Racism' in the back of your end zones, you've got 'Black Lives Matter' on your helmet. Everything I've said should be in alignment with what you're saying publicly," he said. "It's a $16 billion business — when I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by $6 billion.”
"So if you're talking about the business side, it shows [that it’s] beneficial,” Kaepernick continued. “If you're talking about the playing side, let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL’s supposed to be a meritocracy. Let me compete. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you.”
