Former All-Pro linebacker Takeo Spikes thinks Colin Kaepernick should be memorialized in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Spikes was Kaepernick's teammate in 2011 and 2012. He told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole during the Jan. 29, 2021 airing of “Race in America: A Candid Conversation” he thinks Kaepernick's sacrifice in promoting awareness regarding police brutality and social inequities for Black Americans was an important moment in U.S. history:

“I think Colin Kaepernick, Monte I truly believe that he deserves some type of monument, a statue in the Smithsonian in D.C,” Spikes said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “The reason why I say this is because this man put everything on the line. … You hear the term ‘You can become a slave to the money.' But Colin, could have easily done that. But I applaud him simply because he decided to take a stand. He decided to draw a line in the sand and say look, ‘I can make the money, I can live a carefree life for the most part and get paid handsomely and never say a thing because I'm not affected.' But he took time to look back and really just see the big picture, the spectrum when we talk about the inequalities.”

Kaepernick's decision to start kneeling during the national anthem back in the fall of 2017 has since resulted in his being essentially blackballed from the NFL. Rumors of a possible return to the league have been nothing more than just that… rumors.

However, Kaepernick's message has only grown in importance especially following the events of 2020. Social protests erupted around the country following the deaths of multiple unarmed Black men and women, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Many of the cases involved police violence.

What Colin Kaepernick kneeled for was bigger than football. Spikes feels it merits national distinction at one of the most prominent museums in the country.