Despite not having played in the NFL for more than two years now, Colin Kaepernick still has a fair amount of dough.
During his six seasons in the league, Kap made a little over $43 million, and now, according to Celebrity Net Worth, the former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback is worth around $20 million - but it didn't all come directly from his NFL wages.
Last year, the 31-year-old was chosen to be the face of a Nike Campaign which sparked a significant amount of controversy. It's not been confirmed exactly how much he was paid for it, but the ongoing partnership is expected to be making millions for Kaepernick... so how exactly does he spend it?
As it turns out, Kaepernick gives away a staggering amount of his wealth to charity. This may not come as a surprise to many, especially as the NFL star essentially forfeited his career in order to stand up for a greater cause.
According to Business Insider, the former quarterback has given away more than $1 million of his own money to various charitable ventures over the space of a year. This included charities such as the Black Youth Project, an "organization of 18-35 year old activists and organizers creating freedom and justice for all Black people," Life After Hate, which is "dedicated to inspiring all people to a place of compassion and forgiveness — for themselves and each other," and Helping Oppressed Mothers Endure (HOME), a project that endeavours to provide for single mothers.
Kaepernick decided to give so much of his wealth away in September 2016, at which point he launched the #MillionDollarPledge. His publicity encouraged other celebrities such as Chris Brown, Usher, Meek Mill, Snoop Dogg, and Serena Williams to join the cause, too, helping to raise even more money for people in need.
To round off his pledge, Kap made a "10x10" list: 10 projects to whom he gave $10,000 each. All of the aforementioned celebrities (plus a few others) matched or added to his donation, meaning that charities in desperate need of help ended up getting up to $40,000 thanks to his campaign.
Despite not having played since the 2016 NFL season, then, Kaepernick is still a huge influence in people's lives.
Just this weekend, in fact, he was trending again on social media after thousands of people boycotted the Super Bowl in support of his peaceful protests against racism.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour," Kap explained early on in his protests. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Though he hasn't played in the league for a number of years now, Kaepernick is currently pursuing legal action against the NFL, arguing that they colluded to keep him out of play because he spoke up about racism. The case is expected to go to trial at some point in the future.
