Colin Kaepernick’s Wife Drops Bombshell Accusation Against NFL

October 8, 2026, 4:37pm EST 8 • By Arnab Mondal

Colin Kaepernick’s wife, Nessa, said it’s been really tough watching people spread what she calls “lies” about him and his football career.

Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016. Even though he keeps saying he still wants to play, not a single team has offered him a deal since he started kneeling during the national anthem that year.

The former 49ers quarterback opened up further about his career and what happened after his protest in his new memoir, The Perilous Fight. Kaepernick believes taking that stand cost him his spot in the league and over $150 million, and he still insists NFL teams blackballed him.

Nessa has watched the situation unfold for years. Now, she’s making it known that she’s still angry over how people treated her husband.

Nessa opened up about her feelings while celebrating Kaepernick’s latest success as an author. She said watching people attack him and change the story around his career hurt her.

“I hated watching people lie about you, manipulate stories and try to undermine you. That (expletive) hurt,” Nessa said.

She added that she has not forgotten what happened. Still, she believes time can reveal the truth.

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“I can’t say I forgive it, but I’ve learned that time has a way of revealing things,” she said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by NESSA (@nessnitty)

Nessa also pointed to the work Kaepernick has done away from football. He has focused heavily on Know Your Rights Camp and community work since leaving the NFL.

“They took away your career and tried to silence you, but you never stopped doing the work,” she said.

Nessa then took aim at one of the main arguments people have used against Kaepernick. Critics have said signing him could hurt an NFL team’s business.

“Didn’t they say Colin was bad for business? Well… now he’s a 2x New York Times bestselling author,” she wrote on Instagram.

Kaepernick has not given up on an NFL return either. He told The Standard that he and his team have contacted clubs repeatedly over the past decade.

He pointed to his 2022 workout with the Las Vegas Raiders as one example. Kaepernick said he wants to stay ready in case an NFL team calls.

“I want to make sure that at any point in time, if my door is knocked on, that I’m ready to go,” he said.

For now, Kaepernick remains outside the NFL. But his desire to return has not changed.