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Colin Kaepernick says NFL and slavery are part of the “same process" in interview with Ryan Clark

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Cite

Burack, B. (2026, September 21). Colin Kaepernick says NFL and slavery are part of the “same process" in interview with Ryan Clark. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/colin-kaepernick-nfl-slavery-same-process-interview-ryan-clark

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-09-21 · by Bobby Burack

Quick Summary

Colin Kaepernick compared the NFL draft process to slavery in an interview with Ryan Clark, arguing that both involve dehumanizing practices and lack of respect for dignity. During the conversation, Kaepernick elaborated on how players are examined extensively before being signed, similar to slave auctions where individuals were inspected for defects. The article criticizes this comparison as inflammatory and dismisses it alongside other statements from Kaepernick, such as mocking interracial relationships during a recent event.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Colin Kaepernick reiterated his controversial comparison between the NFL and slavery during a podcast interview with former ESPN commentator Ryan Clark. In the 2021 Netflix series "Colin in Black & White," Kaepernick depicted the NFL Scouting Combine as resembling a slave auction, emphasizing the lack of dignity and respect for boundaries athletes face during medical examinations by teams looking for any physical limitations. When Clark asked him about when he first realized this parallel, Kaepernick responded that stripping down to his underwear at the combine felt like being in a "meat market." He noted he lacked historical context in 2011 but now sees a connection to slavery. Critics argue that Clark should have challenged Kaepernick's premise rather than leading him toward confirming the comparison, which they consider highly offensive and inappropriate.

Written for “Kaepernick Slavery Comparison Nfl” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Kaepernick Slavery Comparison Nfl
Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 16% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Why didn't Ryan Clark push back at Colin Kaepernick comparing the NFL to slavery during interview? Same event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 31 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
16%
3 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6241 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Bobby Burack
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 33 articles by Bobby Burack →

Topics

ESPN NFL Netflix the Atlanta Falcons the NFL Scouting Combine

Subjects

Kaepernick PERSON · 7× NFL ORG · 4× Clark PERSON · 2× Colin Kaepernick PERSON · 2× Ryan Clark PERSON · 2× ESPN ORG · 1× Hill PERSON · 1× Jemele Hill PERSON · 1× Netflix ORG · 1× the Atlanta Falcons ORG · 1×

Narrative

Clark asked Kaepernick about the comparison, which he made during the 2021 Netflix series "Colin in Black & White." "What they don't want you to understand is what's being established is a power dynamic," Kaepernick narrates during the series while depicting the NFL Scouting Combine as a slave auction.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 "Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod and examine you, searching for any defect that might affect your performance.
2026-09-21 · Fox News
Colin Kaepernick says NFL and slavery are part of the “same process" in interview with Ryan Clark · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 3 hedged)

Colin Kaepernick doubled down on his comparison between the NFL and the slave trade during a conversation with, wait for it, former ESPN commentator Ryan Clark. asserted
Kaepernick → double → Clark
Clark asked Kaepernick about the comparison, which he made during the 2021 Netflix series "Colin in Black & White." "What they don't want you to understand is what's being established is a power dynamic," Kaepernick narrates during the series while depicting the NFL Scouting Combine as a slave auction. asserted
Kaepernick → ask → auction
"Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod and examine you, searching for any defect that might affect your performance. uncertain
that → put → performance
No boundary respected. asserted
boundary → respect → ?
Instead of challenging Kaepernick on the ludicrous and offensive comparison, Clark asked him the following during an interview on his "Pivot" podcast: "When did you truly start to have the realization that [the combine] reminds [you] of the slave trade?" asserted
combine → challenge → trade
Kaepernick was eager to answer. asserted
Kaepernick → answer → ?
"You get to the point, where it's like, 'Strip down to your drawers,’" he responded. asserted
he → get → drawers
"It feels like a meat market." asserted
It → feel → market
He added that he did not have the "historical perspective at the time" in 2011 to understand what he now considers a "parallel" to a slave auction. asserted
he → add → auction
Kaepernick acknowledged that the NFL pays players millions of dollars. asserted
NFL → acknowledge → dollars
However, he argued that the "process and intentions behind the process [are] the same" as slavery. asserted
process → argue → slavery
We encourage you to watch the clip below so you can rest assured that we did not make any of this up. asserted
we → encourage → this
Colin Kaepernick truly made the comparison again while Ryan Clark nodded along in amazement. asserted
Clark → make → amazement
It is hard to imagine a less honest or intelligent conversation taking place in sports media this year. asserted
conversation → imagine → media
We say that after attending Kaepernick’s speaking event with Jemele Hill earlier this month, where he mocked the idea of dating a white woman and Hill suggested that the Atlanta Falcons should consider signing him right now. uncertain
Falcons → say → him
For context, Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since January 2017. asserted
Kaepernick → play → January
He continues to claim that he is "ready" to return to the league and trains every morning as if he is still an NFL starting quarterback. uncertain
he → continue → league
In other words, he has not given up on his dream to become a slave once again. No, seriously. asserted
he → give → dream
Based on his logic, that is the message he's sending. asserted
he → base → logic
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