Megan Rapinoe wants Colin Kaepernick to carry the American flag at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Rapinoe recently met Kaepernick at the Paris Olympics and talked about it on her podcast with her partner, Sue Bird.
“I would love for Colin to be able to represent America at the Olympics. I think that would be special,” Rapinoe said. “He’s my standard bearer, I think it would be really incredible to have that representation of America front and center.
“He would be so good at flag football, I mean, he would be so good in the NFL. Let’s be clear about that, he’s still blacklisted by the NFL right now.”
Kaepernick has been linked with a return to the NFL, but only as a coach with the Los Angeles Chargers, who are coached by Jim Harbaugh.
Megan Rapinoe spoke candidly about meeting Colin Kaepernick at the Paris Olympics
Kaepernick, 36, has been out of the NFL for eight years since taking a knee during the national anthem, sparking national controversy.
Her ideas sparked a lot of backlash from sports fans on social media.
“No one is surprised that someone who hates America is being impersonated by Megan Rapinoe,” one fan commented.
Another wrote: ‘Two anti-Americans. Great.’
Another comment read: ‘I would like it to be someone who loves his country. That person should represent it. Neither one of them fits the bill.’
Rapinoe continued of her meeting: ‘The fact that we were actually able to talk about the things that he had been through, the things that I had been through, our families, and how our mother was radicalized in certain ways by our actions, was really special.
“It was really great to be able to share a private moment. This was such a huge moment for me – I’ve never met Colin in real life.
‘We talk, we text, we know each other and I think it’s pretty clear how I feel about Colin.
“Being able to share that space with him and thank him in person was a huge highlight.”
In 2019, Kaepernick settled a lawsuit with the NFL for an undisclosed amount after he accused owners of blacklisting him in retaliation for controversial protests.
While Kaepernick remains an outlier in the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in June 2021 that the league should have listened to players’ concerns about racism sooner and encouraged teams to sign the former 49ers star.
“It’s something I’ve trained for my whole life,” Kaepernick said earlier in August.
“To be able to step back on the field would be a big moment for me, a big accomplishment. I think I can contribute a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
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