Despite being away from the NFL for quite some time, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick keeps making the headlines off the field. After his controversial kneeling episode during the national anthem rocked the football world in 2016, Kaepernick has once again sparked the controversial flames with his new graphic novel, ‘Change The Game.’ However, this time, his target is not the social and racial injustices in the country, but more specifically the alleged problematic upbringing he faced with his adoptive parents.

Many in the NFL world have vehemently spoken out against Kaepernick’s decision to speak out against his white parents after everything they did for him. And Colin’s accusations were pretty rough, bordering on racial prejudice. One particular episode that struck an especially negative chord with Colin was about an entire debate at home about his hairstyle and his idolization of an NBA legend.

Colin Kaepernick faced resistance in his quest to find ‘The Answer’

Ever since childhood, Kaepernick was an ardent follower of Philadelphia Sixers megastar Allen Iverson. And the teenager wanted to emulate his idol in every way possible. According to the latest graphic novel publication that Colin has co-authored with Eve L. Ewing, the former Niners passer didn’t have the support of his adoptive parents when he wanted to style his hair in Iverson fashion. His desire to wear cornrows faced severe backlash, including his father calling the look “unprofessional.”

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AI wore “his blackness on his sleeve” and ‘The Answer’ simply mesmerized a young Kaepernick. His father, Rick, not so much. “We want to support your decisions. Of course, it’s your hair. But we just don’t want you to look unprofessional, like a little thug,” his father said in the novel illustrations. When his mother heard about the cornrows, her first reaction was, “He’s getting what rolls?”

Colin describes these experiences as having a profound impact on his well-known Afro hairstyle years later.

Has Colin’s novel outburst affected the chances of his return to the league?

In an interview with CBS Sports, during the launch of ‘Change the Game’, Colin explained why he spoke out about the issues at home during his childhood. “I know my parents loved me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through. I think it was important to show,” he said. However, more than one NFL entity has criticized Colin’s attack on his step-parents.

Kaepernick claimed that he is still training on a daily basis, hoping to make his comeback on the gridiron. However, his ambitions are set on the NFL as he recently declined some minor league offers. Given that the NFL owners are weary of the luggage of controversies Colin brings with him, the graphic novel will certainly not nudge their decisions in Kaepernick’s favor. Will a quarterback-needy franchise make a move, making way for the QB cum activist to throw the NFL pigskin someday?

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