Colin Kaepernick will receive the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award in Louisville, an honor from the Muhammad Ali Center. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback will be celebrated at the center's 13th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards on November 7, 2026, roughly a decade after he first began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
The Muhammad Ali Center announced the honor, as first reported by WDRB.
The report described the recognition as an honor connected to Muhammad Ali's legacy.
A Decade Since the First Kneel
Kaepernick protested during the national anthem in 2016. The gesture quickly became a national political flashpoint, spreading to other players, teams and sports, while drawing opposition.
Before the anthem protests defined the final stretch of his career, Kaepernick played for San Francisco. He played no further NFL games after the 2016 season, and in 2017 filed a grievance accusing NFL owners of colluding to keep him out of the league; Kaepernick and the owners reached a confidential settlement in 2019.
Echoes of Ali's Own Exile
The parallel the Ali Center draws is a direct one: Muhammad Ali was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and was barred from boxing for three years, according to the Muhammad Ali Center. Both men, championship-level athletes in their own right, faced career exile after taking stands that proved deeply divisive in their moments but were later reassessed by history.
Since leaving the NFL, Kaepernick has built a body of post-football work. He has also been involved in community-focused projects.
Following a Line of Past Honorees
Kaepernick is no stranger to recognition tied to Ali's name. In December 2017, he received Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in a ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, presented in a surprise appearance by Beyoncé, as TIME reported at the time. He has also received recognition beyond awards tied to Ali's name. Later that year, Harvard University presented him with the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal among eight honorees, including Dave Chappelle, according to The Fader.
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards themselves date back to 2013 in Louisville, when the inaugural class included former President Jimmy Carter, honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and singer Christina Aguilera, named Humanitarian of the Year, per BORGEN Magazine. WDRB's report also discussed past Humanitarian of the Year recipients. This year's ceremony will also honor Steve and Amy Trager with the Kentucky Humanitarian Award, alongside six young international humanitarians recognized for embodying Ali's six core principles of confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect and spirituality.
A Louisville Institution Built on Ali's Legacy
The awards are hosted by the Muhammad Ali Center, the downtown Louisville museum and multicultural center that Ali co-founded with his wife, Lonnie, in November 2005. The institution runs educational programs and exhibits year-round, according to the center's own materials.
Kaepernick's selection arrives amid a mixed year for his public narrative. In August 2025, ESPN, director Spike Lee and Kaepernick mutually agreed to shelve a long-gestating multi-part docuseries on his life and protests after years of production, citing creative differences, per The Guardian. Disney-owned ESPN announced and produced the project. Hoodline has previously reported that Kaepernick is bringing his memoir tour to Houston this October.
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