SAN FRANCISCO (Nexstar) — Former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick hasn’t led an NFL team in nearly four years, but he’ll be in the huddle as quarterback for Madden NFL fans this season, according to a statement from the video game’s maker, EA Sports.
“Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback,” reads a tweet from the Madden NFL21 official account. “The team at EA Sports, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game.”
Kaepernick can now be put, “at the helm of any NFL team in Franchise mode,” EA Sports said Tuesday. “We look forward to seeing Colin on Madden NFL teams everywhere.”
While rumors have persisted that teams are interested in the former 49er signal-caller, he has not played in the NFL since leaving the 49ers after the 2016 season.
Kaepernick became a central figure in the national social justice movement when he began kneeling on the sidelines during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. President Donald Trump repeatedly characterized Kaepernick’s actions as disrespecting the flag, and speculation surfaced that he had been shunned by the NFL, sparking a lawsuit against the league.
The renewed activism around police brutality in the wake of the George Floyd killing in May has brought Kaepernick’s new career in social activism back into the national spotlight. EA Sports joins Disney, Nike and other brands in vocally supporting Kaepernick’s work. Even the NFL commissioner has said he would like to see Kaepernick in the NFL again.
