Brett Favre Thinks Colin Kaepernick Will be Considered a Hero Like Pat Tillman

Hall of Famer Brett Favre thinks Colin Kaepernick could one day be considered a "hero" to football in a similar way as the late Pat Tillman.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, Favre was asked if Kaepernick compares to sports figures like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali and if he'll end up in the Hall of Fame for his work as an athlete and activist.

"It's not easy for a guy his age, black or white, Hispanic, whatever, to stop something that you've always dreamed of doing and put it on hold–maybe forever–for something that you believe in," Favre said. "I can only think of–right off the top of my head–Pat Tillman's another guy who did something similar, and we regard him as a hero. So I'd assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well."

Tillman, a former Cardinals safety, left the NFL to join the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He was killed by friendly fire in 2004 while deployed in Afghanistan.

Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback, has not played in the NFL since 2016 when he started kneeling during the national anthem to protests police brutality and racial injustice. The QB and safety Eric Reid settled a case against the NFL in March 2019 after claiming the NFL colluded to not sign Kaepernick following the 2016 season. 

Kapernick's extended free agency has returned to the spotlight in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Floyd was stopped by officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell he would "encourage" interested teams to sign Kaepernick. Favre also believes that the QB deserves another chance in the league.

"I think from a football sense, I can't imagine him being that far out of shape or that far out of touch with football that he doesn't deserve a shot," Favre said. "And he's still young and hasn't been hit in several years, so there's no reason to think that he's lost that much of a step."