Colin Kaepernick’s Kunta Kinte shirt gets strong reaction from apparel brand

'Blacklisted' quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been dominating the headlines in recent weeks. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been absent from the NFL since the last three years, owing to his protests. However, the NFL tried to resolve the matter of his absence by organising a workout for Colin Kaepernick last weekend. 

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Colin Kaepernick sports Kunta Kinte shirt during workout

Colin Kaepernick, however, pulled a Colin Kaepernick and failed to show up at the Atlanta Falcons' facility - the location chosen by the NFL for his workout. Instead, Kaepernick decided to stage his own workout at the Charles R Drew High School in Atlanta. And he turned up for the workout wearing a Kunta Kinte shirt, no less. Colin Kaepernick is reported to have ordered the t-shirt from an apparel company known as 'Blacktagapparel'.

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Kunta Kinte is the main character in author Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The novel was adapted into a widely successful miniseries by the ABC network. In Roots, Kunta Kinte is kidnapped from Africa and forced into slavery in the south of America. His new 'owners' name him 'Toby'. However, Kunta Kinte refuses to go by his new name and is savagely whipped for his disobedience on multiple occasions.

Colin Kaepernick's Kunta Kinte shirt drew a strong reaction from Blacktagapparel. Their creative director Elie Rinchere said that it was "cool" of Colin Kaepernick to wear that shirt on that platform in front of the media. Rinchere also said that it was a design worth wearing since it gets people talking about the social issues surrounding the incident. 

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Kaepernick news: Still no takers for former 49ers QB

Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick still remains an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any club. His workout in Atlanta drew praise from Twitter, with many fans saying that Colin Kaepernick has not missed a beat since his three-year absence from the NFL. However, there are still no offers on the table for Kaepernick, according to his agent Jeff Nalley. 

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