Spike Lee’s multi-part ESPN documentary about Colin Kaepernick has been canceled due to creative differences.
It remains unclear whether the documentary will be released on another platform.
Still, sometimes meeting your heroes can be everything you hoped for and more.
I don’t remember the exact day it happened. It’s still a blur. A year or so later. But one day I got a note from Spike Lee’s production company saying Lee wanted to interview me for his upcoming documentary about the life of Colin Kaepernick.
A number of people were interviewed for the doc. I was likely one of many dozens if not hundreds. It didn’t matter if I was a small fry in an ocean of stars. You have to understand what Lee means to me. To a lot of me’s. To a lot of Black people. Lee is one of the great truth tellers, one of the strongest, one of the smartest, the best of us. Of all of us. There are few people left unafraid to talk about the complexities of race. Lee is one of them and he does it with astonishing clarity and skill. As a director, of course. But off camera as well.
Lee knew that I had covered Kaepernick’s protest movement extensively, and the interview focused partly on that, and on other aspects tangential to the former quarterback. Lee was gracious and when the interview concluded extremely thankful. Some people say never meet your heroes. I’m glad I met mine.
I say all of this because actually there are two heroes in this story. One is Lee and the other is Kaepernick. The latter is one of the great sports civil rights leaders we’ve ever seen. Someone who took on the NFL and started a movement.
Which is why the documentary made so much sense. A cinematic legend and groundbreaking player come together to tell a remarkable story.
So what the hell has happened?
‘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.
‘It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,’ Lee said.
Lee said he couldn’t discuss why. ‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘I signed a nondisclosure. I can’t talk about it.’
I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure we’ll ever fully find out. When I see the words ‘nondisclosure agreement’ that sounds like the secrets around why all of this happened won’t be revealed anytime soon. If ever.
When Lee says ‘it’s not coming out’ does that mean, gulp, ever? Or just not on ESPN? Can the project be salvaged?
I don’t know. What I do know is that this is all incredibly sad. It’s devastating.
What happens next seems murky. It’s possible Lee and Kaepernick can shop the series elsewhere. There have been various reports that Lee and Kaepernick were at odds over the direction of the series. Puck News reported in 2024 that Lee wanted to investigate Kaepernick’s treatment by the NFL as the largest issue, while Kaepernick wanted it to be more about his personal experience.
The outlet also said that Lee and Kaepernick worked out their issues. It was also reported that ESPN was open to allowing the director and quarterback to shop the series.
Let’s hope that happens. Let’s hope these two heroes find a way.