NFL Hall of Famer defends Colin Kaepernick, laments trajectory of QB's career

Owens came to Kaepernick’s defense during an appearance on "The Jason Lee Show" this week. Owens said the protest cost Kaepernick his job in the league.

“I never would have thought it would have created the firestorm that it has,” Owens said. “Never thought this guy would never step back on the football field because of that.

“But it really shed light on really kinda how this would works and really how a lot of the white people see us. And for so many years, we’ve tried to voice that. I mean, for 400-plus something years, we’ve been telling you these are some of the things that have been going on, and it took, like I said, who would’ve thought that it took a knee to bring all of this back to life.”

While Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since he began his protest, he's been celebrated in other parts of American and corporate culture.

Kaepernick has a partnership with Nike, and nationwide high school curriculum will now include his protests.