Colin Kaepernick releases book seeking to teach kids their rights

Colin Kaepernick is releasing a book that aims to teach children about their rights.

“How do we bring this message to a younger audience?” the former NFL quarterback asked during a Wednesday appearance on “CBS This Morning” to promote his new book, “We Are Free, You and Me,” with wife Nessa Diab.

“That they can feel that they have agency, that they can be courageous, they really get to take control of what their future and destiny looks like,” Kaepernick said. 

Diab agreed: “The message is so easy to understand, and it’s just a reminder that, ‘Wow I do have the right to be happy, to be healthy, to do what I want to do.’ Just to have that confidence.”

Some of the rights listed include the right to be free, safe, educated, loved and healthy. 

The free agent quarterback and activist, who was formerly with the San Francisco 49ers, hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2017, following a kneeling protest during the national anthem to raise awareness about police brutality and racial inequality.

Asked by co-host Gayle King if he’s still training because he wants to play football professionally again or if he was “trying to make a point,” Kaepernick responded, “When I look at my career, it was 15 years of work and dedication before I ever stepped foot on an NFL field. And to have that passion, and chase it for that long, you don’t just give that up. You don’t just walk away. You chase that and you pursue it.”

“To your point on do you make a point around that, there will never be an instance where I’m not ready,” Kaepernick told King. “There will never be an instance where, ‘Oh it’s because he doesn’t want to anymore, he’s not ready.'”