Colin Kaepernick’s on-field impact is such that his jersey is unlikely to ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, his off-the-field impact is much more significant and because of that his jersey will still be displayed in a museum.
Kaepernick’s extended protest during the 2016-17 NFL season — sitting, and then kneeling for the National Anthem — spread to several other players and became a flashpoint for the conversation about race and equality in the United States. According to the USA Today, several items belonging to Kaepernick, including a jersey worn during the protest, were donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture by by sociologist Harry Edwards.
"The Kaepernick items are not currently on display, but the museum’s curator of sports, Damion Thomas, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday that he expects new material in their collection will be rotated into exhibits in one to two years."
Kaepernick is currently without an NFL team for the upcoming season, although the Seattle Seahawks have been rumored to be interested in the 29-year old veteran quarterback. The argument about whether he is being blackballed for his controversial protest has raged throughout the spring.
While Kaepernick waits to get the call from a new team, he’s been busy continuing to put his money where his mouth is. He’s been helping arrange for food and clean water to be sent to famine-stricken regions of Somalia, and buying suits for men recently released from prison and looking for jobs.
Next: Every NFL team's greatest moment of all-time
At the rate he’s going, Kaepernick’s cultural importance should continue to enormously outpace his athletic importance. The Smithsonian seems like a fitting place for enshrinement.