ESPN and filmmaker Spike Lee said on Aug. 16 that the sports network will not air Lee’s planned multi-part documentary on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick after the parties “collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences.” The series, green-lit in 2020 and in production since 2022, had been promoted by Walt Disney-owned ESPN as a first-person account of Kaepernick’s evolution from Super Bowl starter to civil-rights activist, whose 2016 decision to kneel during the U.S. national anthem ignited a national debate. Asked about the decision, Lee told Reuters, “It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” noting he is bound by a nondisclosure agreement. People familiar with the project told The Athletic that disagreements over its editorial direction stalled progress and that ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro had already indicated the filmmakers could seek another outlet. The footage may still be shopped to other distributors, the publication said. The reversal comes three weeks before the NFL season begins and shortly after the league agreed to acquire a 10% stake in ESPN as part of a broader content partnership, a deal that is awaiting regulatory approval.