"I have to find my way back. So if I have to be picked up as a backup, I'll be fine with that," the former San Francisco 49ers star said in an interview on the 'I Am Athlete' podcast. ".

"But I'm not going to settle for that. And when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step onto the pitch as such. I just need an opportunity," he continued. .

Reluctantly, because he always kept himself physically fit and never retired, Kaepernick, 34, has not thrown a single ball on the pitch since the end of his contract with San Francisco, which he drove to the Super Bowl in 2013, ultimately losing.

During his final season, in the fall of 2016, he knelt several times during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Other American athletes followed this movement throughout the following year, provoking the ire of Donald Trump, insults as a bonus.

The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 in Minneapolis reignited the anger of millions of protesters and the "Black Lives Matter" movement across the country.

Kaepernick's kneeling had then been rehabilitated.

"Let me come back"

According to him, if there was any reluctance from clubs to hire him due to his protests, that should no longer be the case in today's NFL.

"There are + End to racism + painted in the end zones, + Black Lives Matter + written on the helmets. Everything I said should be in line with what the league stands for", a- he argued.

"We're talking about a 16 billion dollar business. When I first went down on one knee, my jersey became number 1 in sales. When I made the deal with Nike, their value went up. increased by six billion dollars. Six billion!” he said.

"So if we talk about the commercial aspect, it shows that it's profitable. If we talk about the sporting aspect, let me come back. The NFL is supposed to work on meritocracy. I can be judged on piece . If I'm not good enough, I get fired," he added.

Kaepernick recently performed a throwing session and other drills in front of several scouts.

In almost four years, he received only one offer from the Seattle Seahawks in 2017.

"No other team brought me in for training. At the end of this meeting, coach Pete Carroll said: + Hey but we have a starter here +. Then things changed. But I note that they don't have a starter at the moment," he concluded.

© 2022 AFP