Spike Lee and ESPN began collaborating on a documentary series about Colin Kaepernick in early 2022. The project was part of Kaepernick’s first-look deal with Disney. The documentary series was titled “Da Saga of Colin Kaepernick.”
However, the series, which was completed by Lee in late 2023, still hasn’t seen the light of day, and now we know why.
Here’s an exclusive report from Reuters stating that the project will never be released and has been canceled due to “creative differences” among Lee, Kaepernick, and ESPN.
Lee confirmed the cancellation, stating, “It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” and declined to provide further details because “I signed a nondisclosure. I can’t talk about it.”
Kaepernick was a former NFL quarterback who played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers before he began kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality toward Black people. His protests drew both champions and criticism, but started a domino effect with other athletes in the league, who also began taking a knee during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Kaepernick left the 49ers in 2016 and has been unsigned ever since. Many are saying no team has vowed to sign him because of the toxicity surrounding him, whereas others, especially in the media, have said it is nothing more than a blatant case of racism to not have a man of his talents signed.
Having Lee and Kaepernick sign nondisclosure agreements means we might never know the true reason why the doc was shelved by ESPN—or, in the best-case scenario, we may eventually have sources close to the production leak the information. Regardless, this one’s officially DOA.