There were 27 bullet casings found at the scene of Mario Woods’ death in San Francisco back in 2015. Armed with a knife and under the influence of methamphetamine, the 26-year-old Black man had ignored several orders from police to drop his weapon before five officers opened fire.
Woods was struck more than 20 times including twice in the skull and six times in the back. Cellphone footage appears to show Woods walking away from the officers before they began shooting that December day. Investigators would later say the shooting was excessive, but no charges were filed because Woods was a legitimate threat. Police got involved because Woods had been suspected of stabbing someone earlier that day. Still, the manner of his death — it looked like a firing squad — sparked weeks of outrage around the Bay Area. That would include Santa Clara, where the 50th Super Bowl was being played in Levi Stadium, home of the 49ers.
Nowadays the shorthand for Colin Kaepernick’s story starts at his 2016 protest during the national anthem, then continues with a collusion grievance against the NFL and a subsequent settlement.
However, you need to start earlier because Kaepernick’s protest didn’t start in a vacuum. Then the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he began his demonstrations in the season following the shooting of Mario Woods.
And sadly, that fatality was not a one-off.
Between 2013, the year Kapernick led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and 2016, 9 of the 11 people killed by the San Francisco Police Department were people of color. After an investigation, the federal government ultimately handed the department 272 recommendations for improvement.
All of this happened in Kaepernick’s proverbial backyard. Some of the protests in response to Woods’ shooting were at the stadium he called home. This is where his saga began.
And after nearly a decade, it seems here is where it ends.
Earlier this week, director Spike Lee told Reuters that his highly anticipated docuseries based on Kaepernick’s activism will not be released because of creative differences. The news was startling given that the two had been working on the project for three years. Kaepernick himself had selected the Oscar winner to direct the ESPN project.
“It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” Lee said.
A nondisclosure agreement prevented him from elaborating, however ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro later told CNBC that today’s political climate did not play a role in the decision to scrap the documentary. He also said ESPN’s relationship with the NFL wasn’t a factor, despite the timing and optics.
“Spike was on the red carpet and was asked this question somewhat out of the blue and that’s why it became news,” Pitaro said. “There were creative differences. We made the decision in partnership with Colin and Spike to not move forward, many months before any NFL announcement.”
After speaking off the record with several people familiar with the Kaepernick project, I can say this much seems true: The creative differences Pitaro referenced were evident early. Lee wanted to make a documentary that was heavily focused on police brutality in America, and Kaepernick wanted it more focused on his lived experience. Either approach could have made for a strong docuseries. However, there were times during the making of the project when the gap in their visions led to periods of the two not talking. There were also a lot of notes. Like … a lot.
But here’s the thing: I’m told Kaepernick and Lee landed on a version of the project that both were happy with, and that ESPN had permission to air it well before the 2024 election.
From what I gather, creative differences prolonged the completion of the project, and over the course of that added time, the change in America’s political palate gave the network pause. I’m told Lee used several minutes of video from various high-profile police shootings in the series and that it contained significant criticism of Trump’s first administration.
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Kaepernick’s earlier protests against police brutality were probably viewed more favorably by more people. Greenlighting a docuseries about his work in July 2020 probably felt comfortable for Pitaro and ESPN. However, airing such content today could anger a president who’s targeted Kaepernick, the NFL and ESPN before.
How could this not have been a factor in the scrapping of the project? To not acknowledge the White House’s shadow hanging over today’s media industry in general — and journalism in particular — is just gaslighting people.
My guess is the “creative differences” did not kill the project, but the delays caused by them gave the network a way to avoid a possible headache. As disappointing as that may sound, the reality is the Super Bowl has been the most watched program in the country every year since protesters gathered near Levi Stadium to express outrage over Woods’ death. And the NFL remains the country’s most popular league.
The decision not to air Lee’s docuseries on Kaepernick may not be great for freedom of speech or expression … but it is undoubtedly great for business.
YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow
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