Kaepernick still training for NFL return, says blackballed after national anthem kneel down

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn't taken a snap since the 2016 season, but his dreams of returning to the league reportedly haven't faded. 

The girlfriend of the 37-year-old Kaepernick, Nessa Diab, told TMZ Sports he is training “all day, every day.” 

Kaepernick has long maintained that he was rejected by teams after kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, according to The New York Post.

“Nothing has changed,” Diab told the news outlet about Kaepernick’s present training.

She also reportedly said, It’s all up to the teams if they’ll let him” play.

Diab's comments are similar to what Kaepernick has said in the last two years, including telling Sports Illustrated in 2023 he hopes people “may have forgotten what I was capable of doing on the field.” 

His last NFL workout came with the Raiders in May 2022, according to The Athletic.