Colin Kaepernick Talks Finding 'Personal Independence' on Trip to Ghana

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick posted a video to Instagram on the Fourth of July sharing his trip to Ghana as he searched for his "personal independence."

Kaepernick, 29, has remained unsigned this offseason after spending his first six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick became a controversial figure during the 2016 season when he kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. As ESPN.com reported, "Many NFL players have said they believe Kaepernick is being 'blackballed' by NFL teams" due to that political statement.

The debate over Kaepernick's unemployment has been one of the major storylines of the offseason. Some argued that Kaepernick's level of play has caused teams to shy away from him, while others raised questions about his desire to play and commitment to football.

49ers general manager John Lynch said on an interview on KNBR Radio in San Francisco (h/t ESPN.com) that he believes Kaepernick is fully committed to playing but wasn't communicating that desire well:

"He is fully committed to wanting to be in this league. ... I won't communicate too much of what we've talked about, but I will communicate that I gave that opinion to Colin myself: 'I think you are having a little bit of an image crisis in terms of not so much what you did last year, but people are wondering, is this most important to you, at a position where the guys that succeed at that position are the guys that live it, breathe it, the CEOs that play that position.' And I think there is a perception that football's not on the top of his list.

"And so, my communication with Colin was, 'Your best effort, I think the way you could best help yourself is to not have someone talk for you, not have statements, but go sit down and do an interview, and let people know exactly where you stand.' Because he makes a compelling case as to how bad he wants to be in the league when you talk to him."

Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report thought Lynch's comments were a bit absurd: 

Regardless, Kaepernick continues to be a positive force off the field. In March, he made "two donations of $50,000 each to the Meals on Wheels America initiative and the Love Army for Somalia campaign," per Jack de Menezes of the Independent, in his effort to donate $1 million to various charities in his Million Dollar Pledge.

In May, he donated custom-made suits to a New York City parole office.