Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, became the first NFL player to take a knee on the football field during the playing of the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality.
Three other officers who were on the scene -- Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao -- have not been charged but an investigation is still ongoing, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
"You can't stop thinking about that," said sports journalist and ABC News contributor Christine Brennan."The side-by-side visuals are everything, and because we are such a visual society, because photos and video matters so much to us ... that then brings Colin Kaepernick back into the conversation in a big way. If people had forgotten him or pushed him out of their memory, [Kaepernick] has come flooding back because of the visual, and then because he was right." In an image made from video posted to Facebook, a Minneapolis police officer kneels on the neck of a man identified by a family attorney as George Floyd, May 25, 2020. Floyd died shortly after the incident. In an image made from video posted to Facebook, a Minneapolis police officer kneels on the neck of a man identified by a family attorney as George Floyd, May 25, 2020. Floyd died shortly after the incident.Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2016, sparked a movement after first taking a knee on the field in August 2016, with several other athletes following his example -- the first of which was then-teammate Eric Reid. It is widely viewed that Kaepernick was blacklisted from the NFL due to his on-field protest. Over the past couple of seasons, on-field protests have waned, but Reid -- along with players Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson -- has continued to take a knee. Brennan said we"don't know" whether this wave of protests will have an impact on the football field this coming season, but she is"stunned" the NFL has not signed Kaepernick."One would think that a team would want to sign him if only for the symbolism of the message that would be set, especially to young people," she said. Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers kneels for the National Anthem before their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium, Oct. 23, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers kneels for the National Anthem before their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium, Oct. 23, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif.
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