Colin Kaepernick, shunned by the NFL, named Week 1 MVP by the player's union
Professional NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick can't find a team to call home in the National Football League, but that didn't stop the NFL Player's Association from celebrating his charity work this week.
The official player's union of the NFL named Kap as the organization's Week 1 "Community MVP" on Friday. He received the honor "for his commitment to empowering underserved communities through donations and grassroots outreach," the NFLPA announcement notes.
On Sept. 7, Kaepernick split a $100,000 donation up between four charities: DREAM, Coalition for the Homeless, The Gathering for Justice, and United We Dream. Days later he was on hand for a Back to School Backpack Giveaway at Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York.
In case it's not clear, this is Kaepernick putting money where his mouth is. He pledged in Sept. 2016 to donate $100,000 per month for 10 months to organizations supporting his widely publicized protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. He might not have followed that exact timeline, but he's now almost reached his donation goal of $1 million.
Those acts of protest, which took the form of Kaepernick kneeling or sitting during each pre-NFL game performance of the National Anthem, were greeted with hostility and anger in various parts of the country. The backlash -- which included threats on Kaepernick's life -- led to the current season's apparent, though unstated, blacklist.
The professional setback didn't seem to faze him, however. Kaepernick has followed through on most of his pledge in the year since. So far, he's donated a total of $900,000 to various charities, including 100 Suits for 100 Men, Meals on Wheels, and Home 2 Heart.
The new "Community MVP" title comes with a $10,000 donation from the NFLPA to a charity of foundation of Kaepernick's choosing, along with an equal donation to the same from Delta Private Jets, an NFLPA partner. Kaepernick is also now eligible to win the Byron Whizzer White Award, which honors community work among NFL players on an annual basis.
Kaepernick's protest might have cost him a job in the league -- for now, at least -- but that hasn't stopped other players and teams from picking up where he left off. In one recent and high-profile example, a dozen Cleveland Browns players knelt during the anthem for many of the same reasons as the blacklisted QB.
Topics Activism Social Good
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
