Colin Kaepernick's activism has a bigger impact than his NFL career

When 18-year-old Nolan Wells of Mississippi turned up missing, then dead, several black activists jumped into action, including Colin Kaepernick.

Wells was reported missing when he went on a boat last Saturday with his friends, never returned, and was later found dead. Wells' parents didn't trust Mississippi authorities to do the teenager's autopsy, so Kaepernick stepped in with his organization to do an independent autopsy.

That's just one of the things that Kaepernick has done since his NFL career ended. When Kaepernick took a knee in protest against racism, it ended his career. He tried for many years to reenter the league, but several teams were afraid to take a chance on him because they didn't want the controversy that followed him.

Turns out, that may have been the best thing to happen to the former NFL star. He has been more powerful off the field than on it. His activism has prompted others to take a stand on issues after he was effectively banned from the league.

His activism hasn't come with much bravado; it's been done quietly, as in this situation with Wells. He has a foundation called Know Your Rights Camp. Part of his foundation has an initiative called the Autopsy Initiative, whose goal is to provide grieving families with accurate, transparent, and forensically correct information regarding the cause of death of a loved one.

Not only that, but they also pay for those autopsies, especially when one such as Wells comes into question. There are a lot of families who are now able to sleep a little bit better at night because of Colin Kaepernick's activism, and that's way more important than his accomplishments on the field.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Colin Kaepernick's activism has a bigger impact than his NFL career