Colin Kaepernick has a hit on his hands.
His new memoir, The Perilous Fight, debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times best sellers list for hardcover nonfiction, as his criticism of Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL made national headlines.
“The Perilous Fight is officially the #1 New York Times Bestseller,” the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback shared on Instagram Wednesday. “Thank you to every single person who bought the book, showed up to a book tour stop, shared it with someone, or supported this journey in any way.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” he added. “This memoir is my story, but the love you’ve shown it belongs to all of us.”
Released on Sept. 15, the book details Kaepernick’s upbringing, and looks back at his football career and activism, including his decision to kneel in 2016 during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.
The book also discusses Roc Nation’s partnership with the NFL, which Kaepernick argued helped the league move past player protests without addressing their concerns.
In the lead up to the book’s release, the activist and author stopped by The View; the Before & After with Lester Holt podcast; What Now? with Trevor Noah; the MeidasTouch, and other podcasts.
During his sit-down with Trevor Noah, Kaepernick said the NFL used Jay-Z for cover.
“The NFL built up an organization called the Players Coalition to be able to end the protests,” he said, according to Hot New Hip Hop. “They came to an agreement. The next week, they stopped protesting… Part of what came in advance of that deal… ‘We need a Black face to help us lead this.’ …They tried that with the Players Coalition. It wasn’t successful. And Jay-Z was the 2.0 version of that, in my opinion.”
His criticism of Jay-Z goes both ways.
In July, the hip-hol mogul mocked Kaepernick for settling his grievance with the NFL in 2019, after alleging team owners had blackballed him for protesting, which the league denied.
Jay-Z told fans at Yankee Stadium: “Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him/ But along with that check you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one they can’t control.”
Kaepernick laughed off the criticism. In an interview with journalist Jemele Hill earlier this month, he said he was “very surprised” by Jay-Z’s comments.
“I’m living rent-free there,” he said jokingly. “At this point, we are seven years post-him doing that deal… While you’re doing the anniversary tour to celebrate your best work, that’s the thing that’s most top-of-mind for you. That’s pretty remarkable, how bothered he is by that.”
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