Kaepernick touted role of early black hockey players on call with NHLers

Colin Kaepernick understands the black community's influence throughout the growth and development of hockey over 100 years ago.

The former NFL quarterback, who peacefully protested racial injustice and police brutality and then wasn't signed, took time on a recent video call with the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance to emphasize the key role black players played in bringing the game forward in Nova Scotia during the late 1800s.

"All of us on the Zoom call just stared into the screen,” former NHLer Akim Aliu told The Athletic's Dan Robson. "He knew about the history of the game. He said, 'You guys created this game. That's something that people need to know.'"

Kaepernick helped brainstorm ideas and provided support while talking to the group last week, according to Robson.

Aliu, who's become the leading voice in the push for equality in hockey circles, started talking to Kaepernick after coming forward with his own revelations of former head coach Bill Peters' racial slurs toward him in late 2019.

"He's a beacon of strength," Aliu said of the former San Francisco 49er. "Look at how long it took for him to finally be the hero and not be the villain."

Kaepernick has recently become more popular as the Black Lives Matter movement gains support amid widespread protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody in late May.

"You see how long he's been blackballed by the NFL and how long he's been alienated from everything," Aliu said. "And now he's a true hero. I feel that's what he really deserves."

Aliu and six other current or retired black NHL players unveiled the Hockey Diversity Alliance on Monday. San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane and Aliu will serve as co-heads of the group, which is independent from the NHL but plans to work with the league on its goal of eradicating racism and intolerance in hockey.