Spike Lee’s docuseries, produced by ESPN Films, about Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racial injustice that led to his ouster from the NFL, has been nixed.
‘ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,’ ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday.
Lee told Reuters that he signed a non-disclosure agreement and could not elaborate on why the film was canceled beyond saying ‘it’s not coming out.’ Many public figures and journalists were interviewed for the project, which will now not see the light of day.
Earlier this month, ESPN acquired the NFL’s media assets, which includes NFL Network, in exchange for the NFL receiving a 10% ownership stake in the network. The stake is in the $2.5-$3 billion range, per the Wall Street Journal.
During a call with ESPN employees last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the network’s coverage of the league would not be affected by the deal.
Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016, when he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest issues such as police brutality and income inequality. His collusion grievance against NFL owners was settled in 2019. Production on the project began in 2022.
Puck News reported in 2024 that Kaepernick and Lee disagreed over the direction of the film, with ESPN allowing the filmmakers to shop the documentary elsewhere.