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Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem back in 2016 kicked off an eventful and tumultuous next chapter that left the NFL quarterback out of a job and at odds with the league. Season after season brought rumors and discussions about his potential return and a bevy of arguments about him, his motivations and the justness of his cause. More than a decade after his stance, it’s easy to look back and see that he was an early cog in a culture war machine that has only gotten louder and filled with characters who make his name less ubiquitous. But the polarizing figure is staying busy and has a new memoir coming out on Sept. 15. NBC News spoke to Kaepernick about a wide range of topics in advance of the release. Along the way, Kaepernick confirmed all suspicions that he has left the league in the rearview window. Obviously as a player, but as a fan as well. MORE: Tom Brady gets called out by Megan Rapinoe over Logan Paul feud “I’m not gonna support an organization that, one, is actively blackballing me, but, two, has targeted my brothers who have been protesting as part of this as well,” Kaepernick says. “I watch college football.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said on multiple occasions he doesn’t believe his league blackballed Kaepernick. Kaepernick unprepared for severe backlash In his upcoming book, The Perilous Fight, Kaepernick also gets into some previously unknown details about the day he and fellow 49er Eric Reid conducted the Sept. 1, 2016, protest that thrust him into the public spotlight, even though he had remained on the bench during the anthem during the team’s Aug. 14 preseason game. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche at the time. “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.” In his book, the former quarterback recounts the conversation he had with partner Nessa Diab after that interview question. “Hmm. Well, what did you tell him?” she asked. “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how hard did you go?” “I don’t know. Maybe a 4,” Kaepernick replied. It’s not surprising yet still instructive to learn that the player was not prepared for the response to his protest. It may reveal that he did not truly understand the climate in which he was conducting it. At the end of the day, though, it’s unlikely any new information is going to change anyone’s mind about how the whole complicated ordeal went down. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —