The coaches in the NFL might be given Colin Kaepernick a raw deal by not giving him a job, but that doesn't mean he isn't loved and appreciated by others.

USA Today reports that some of the quarterback's memorabilia will be displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Of course, Kaepernick was at the center of controversy when he began kneeling at games during the National Anthem to protest injustices within the black community.

Harry Edwards, who's a sociologist, came up with the idea to have Kaepernick's memorabilia displayed, and it'll be part of an exhibit that'll focus on those athletes who've made a social impact.

"I said, 'Don't wait 50 years to try and get some memorabilia and so forth on Kaepernick,'" said Edwards in an interview. "Let me give you a game jersey, some shoes, a picture. And it should be put right there alongside Muhammad Ali. He's this generation's Ali."

Edwards then went on to describe the comparisons between the football player turned activist and the legendary boxer.

"Ali created a conversation," explained Edwards. "The conversation was going on at lower frequencies, but when the world champion steps forward and says 'No Viet Cong ever called me a n-----, and we have some issue we need to deal with here, not over there in a war that makes no sense,' it moved the discussion to another level. The same thing with Kaepernick. He sparked a national conversation about race."

Kaepernick's jersey and other items will be in the Smithsonian within two years time.

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