Colin Kaepernick’s Spike Lee Docuseries dropped on ESPN
ESPN dropped a documentary series for Spike Lee at Colin Kaepernick, confirming Reuters that it “cannot proceed” the project due to “creative differences.”
No brand – Sports
- Originally planned for Spike Lee and ESPN, Colin Kaepernick’s documentary was shelved for creative differences.
- Finding a platform for distributing documentaries may be challenging because of the NFL and political sensibility.
- Kaepernick’s docusaries are necessary because he is such a historical figure.
Someone do the right thing and give me a documentary about Colin Capernick.
No, that’s not a knock from epic filmmaker Spike Lee. His creative edge was intended to give justice to the man’s story behind the most consequential protests by this generation of athletes.
Or was it that way? The project, which was close to completion, was then shelved. Apparently, ESPN (prominent NFL partners and everything) isn’t right on Lee or Kaepernick at the intersection.
It’s a shame. When the news broke in mid-August, a year after the fact that docusaries were turned off, ESPN issued a statement citing “specific creative differences.” However, Lee was prevented from discussing many details due to the private agreement and told Business Insider there were no plans to air the project on another platform.
This brings us to the point. This is a great opportunity for someone to pick up the ball.
Regardless of the factors that sealed the fate of the documentary with ESPN, it is fair to wonder if there is a possibility of retaliation from the Trump administration, the relationship between the network and the NFL has recently acquired a 10% stake in the network.
Ultimately, 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Kaepernick’s national anthem. This turned attention to police brutality against people of color, but took away the costs of the talented quarterback of his NFL career.
Firstly, his NFL career was crushed as he took a brave position. Now, I think the documentary’s backtrack has the power to restrain the story that flows from his dramatic marks on history.
Kaepernick’s voice, essential to documentaries, still needs to be heard.
Hello, Ryan Coogler and Ezra Edelman. These are two Academy Award-winning filmmakers, and they immediately come to mind for a short wish list. They will definitely knock on Kaepernick’s documentary from the park. Before Coogler exploded with “Black Panther” several years ago, he created a fascinating documentary about the 1989 Bay Area World Series, which was stopped by the Loma Prieta earthquake. And he is the executive producer of “Katrina: Race Armor Time.” This is a five-part, five-part National Geographic documentary that recently began streaming as the 20th anniversary of the devastating hurricane that defeated New Orleans. Edelman produced and directed the eight-part docusary, OJ: Made in America.
And Edelman knows something about major projects being discarded. His docusaries about Prince, which airs on Netflix, are never blocked by the fortunes of legendary musicians.
Kaepernick signed with Disney in 2020 for docusary rights and handpicked Lee as his director. But what now? You may never know the extent of their creative conflict. Kaepernick may have reportedly had his story (his story, the way the docusaries were presented in the original announcement), but Lee’s vision to convey a larger theme of police brutality has been overshadowed. Perhaps that was an important factor. Maybe they’ve resolved the difference to the point of moving forward. Probably not. Undisclosed, you know. Either way, “specific creative differences” also seem to have something to do with ESPN, and ultimately pulled out the plug in the document.
The climate has certainly changed. This ironically showed the issue Kaepernick had protested since Corporate America (and some media entities) accepted the “racial calculations” that occurred after George Floyd was killed on Minneapolis Street at the hands of police. At the time, the climate was even “calculation” about telling stories about black experiences in the media.
Not so many, but in a climate where some (if not many) try to avoid attention from the Trump administration, they launched attacks on DEIs, media entities, political opponents, and some. I don’t think ESPN wants that smoke.
Certainly, the decision regarding Kaepernick Docuseries is said to have been made about a year ago. This would have been before the presidential election. But when ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was asked in a live interview with CNBC last week if the decision to scrap the documentary was a consequence of not wanting to anger the Trump administration.
“No, it’s definitely not,” Pitaro began his reaction.
He then went straight to what appears to be a mandatory talk point, adding that he “made that decision months before the NFL’s announcement.”
Hmm. The issue was not about the NFL, but about the Trump administration.
Again, ESPN flows with the NFL are also very sensitive in this area. The NFL has asserted that it has no role in discarding documentaries (and no, the NFL hadn’t jumped to a table that demanded ESPN move forward with the documents). And at the Town Hall meeting on August 13, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell assured ESPN staff via Zoom that the league, despite its 10% stake, will not be involved in journalistic independence, which extends to perhaps countless content. Goodell had similar emphasis on talking to CBS staff in New York the day before.
Still, when it comes to (potential) Kaepernick documentaries, they’re always in the air. Even if another super trustworthy producer starts from scratch and creates an amazing docusary… which platforms will be distributed?
Kaepernick’s story cannot be told without Trump. Additionally, the NFL will be cast as a major villain. Kaepernick was unable to land another NFL job – suing the NFL for conspiracy despite his resume and the enduring needs of a league quarterback. The league calmed down and said something about the merits of his case.
Think about all the media partners who are doing business with the NFL. In addition to ESPN and ABC, there are NBC (and Peacock), Fox, CBS, Amazon, Netflix and YouTube. And perhaps at some point, AppletV. Given the politics of big corporations, I would be shocked if either these partners, or potential partners, would accept Kaepernick’s documentary about the present.
Certainly there are some non-NFL connected entities. Think PBS or Vice. The key is that the challenge for Kaepernick’s documentary to get maximum exposure goes beyond content creativity.
Again, the drama attached to the documentary adds another layer to the saga.
A documentary that somehow needs to be done by someone in some way.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow us on social media: X:@jarrettbell
Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social
