ESPN Cancels Spike Lee’s Kaepernick Documentary, Project Officially Dead [WATCH]

A planned multi-part documentary series on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, directed by filmmaker Spike Lee and produced by ESPN, has been canceled after the parties failed to reach an agreement on the project’s direction.

ESPN canceled Spike Lee’s Colin Kaepernick series and it will no longer air anywhere. Interesting move. Is ESPN leadership growing some balls? Or did the NFL kill this idiotic idea? Good result either way. Kaepernick is a clown. https://t.co/ajlrDZl0Cl

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 17, 2025

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“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday.

“Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”

Lee confirmed the news separately while attending the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner, an annual fundraiser for cancer research and treatment.

“It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” Lee told reporters on the red carpet.

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When pressed for details, Lee explained he was unable to elaborate because of a confidentiality agreement.

“I can’t. I signed a nondisclosure. I can’t talk about it,” the filmmaker said.

Spike Lee told @Reuters his multi-part docuseries about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for ESPN Films will not be released. More here: https://t.co/TwQCWG1sqX pic.twitter.com/43UXMOH4fu

— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) August 18, 2025

Kaepernick, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016, became a national figure after kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest what he described as systemic racism.

Colin Kaepernick is signing pics of him kneeling during the National Anthem for fans now. https://t.co/2Z9F2cbX8e pic.twitter.com/Se1jaFbJe8

— Complex (@Complex) November 6, 2016

The protests, which began in 2016, sparked widespread debate across the NFL, sports media, and the broader public.

Kaepernick entered the league as a second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and saw early success.

In the 2012 season, he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance.

That run marked the peak of his NFL career, as his performance later declined due to injuries and struggles with passing accuracy.

By the 2016 season, when he began his anthem protests, Kaepernick was serving as the team’s backup quarterback.

Following his departure from San Francisco after the 2016 season, Kaepernick came close to signing with the Baltimore Ravens.

However, that potential deal fell through after his girlfriend, Nessa Diab, posted a message on social media comparing the team’s owner to a slave master.

Kaepernick pursued additional opportunities to return to the NFL but was never signed.

In 2017, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, claiming that team owners had worked together to prevent him from signing a contract due to his protests.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick takes a knee during national anthem in San Diego https://t.co/BPwCmSH5Ld pic.twitter.com/6OfrzieXUb

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 2, 2016

The lawsuit was settled in 2019, with terms not publicly disclosed.

Production on the documentary series began in 2022.

ESPN had originally promoted the project as a “full, first-person account” of Kaepernick’s journey, including extensive interviews with him.

Reports from Puck News in September 2023 indicated that production had stalled over disputes between Kaepernick and Lee regarding the creative direction of the series.

According to the report, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was open to the possibility of selling the project to another outlet if disagreements could not be resolved.

As of now, the project has been shelved entirely.

The series would have added to Kaepernick’s existing media projects, which include the Netflix series Colin in Black & White, released in 2021, and several book and publishing ventures tied to his activism.

With ESPN, Kaepernick, and Lee unable to reconcile their creative differences, the future of the documentary remains uncertain, and no alternative distribution plans have been announced.

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