evidence: Kaepernick revealed that when he had cornrows as a child, his mother said, "Your hair is not professional, you look like a little thug." [...] In the same interview, Kaepernick said he still has a desire to play football professionally. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 after his refusal to stand for the national anthem ahead of games to protest police brutality and racial injustice while he was a San Francisco 49er sparked controversy.