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Colin Kaepernick's Harvard Remarks Are On The Record, School Clarifies

BOSTON (CBS) – Colin Kaepernick will be speaking at Harvard University this week. But you likely won't be able to hear his remarks unless you're in the room for the event.

The former NFL star-turned activist will receive the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal at the Hutchins Center Honors in Cambridge on Thursday. It's described as "Harvard's highest honor in the field of African and African American studies."

Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v San Francisco 49ers
Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Harvard initially told media members on Tuesday that Kaepernick requested his remarks be kept off the record - meaning no reporting on his remarks would be allowed.

But on Wednesday, Harvard clarified that the remarks could be considered on the record. Due to Kaepernick's legal dispute with the NFL, a Harvard spokesman said no press photography or video livestreaming would be allowed.

The ceremony gets underway Thursday at 4 p.m. inside the Sanders Theatre.

Kaepernick was recently the subject of a much-discussed Nike campaign with the tagline "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything." He started kneeling during the national anthem at the start of NFL games back in 2016 to protest racial injustice, and has accused the league of conspiring to keep him from playing football.

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