Nothing comes free — not even donations. Many people make “gifts” with the knowledge that a donation to a selected charity is often tax-deductible for the value of the items donated. But this incentive is lacking for Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers quarterback recently announced a $1 million donation to organizations fighting racial injustice — a move that may hurt his career more than help it.
Kaepernick has come to the limelight of late not for his athletic prowess, but for choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest amidst the mounting racial tensions that have escalated in the past few weeks.
In response to the criticism that his protest was meaningless without action, Kaepernick announced at a press conference just how his donation will work.
He plans to donate $100,000 a month over the next 10 weeks and to launch a website on which the public can track the donations.
“So everyone will be able to see exactly what organizations the money’s going to, and also making sure we get an itemized list from the organizations of what they’re spending the money on,” said Kaepernick. “To make sure not only that I’m transparent in what I’m doing but that these organizations are transparent with where the money is going as well.”
Although there’s no set date on which the website is to launch, Kaepernick has pledged to donate all of the proceeds from his jersey sales, as well.
The football player’s statement may not bode well for his career, though. In a recent poll, he was voted the “most disliked” player in the NFL.
Unsurprisingly, the amount of Caucasians who disliked him jumped from seven percent two years ago to 37% last week. The poll also showed that 42% of African-Americans like Kaepernick “a lot”, and only two percent dislike him “a lot.”