The NFL is using Colin Kaepernick to send an unjust message to players: Stay within the lines.

On August 23, a rally described as a “nonviolent direct action” will gather in front of the NFL’s Park Avenue Headquarters. A host of civil-rights organizations will protest the exile-status of free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

There is no indication that Kaepernick is connected to the rally, but his endorsement is irrelevant: The issue has become something far bigger than the makeup of an NFL roster. The Kaepernick story isn’t just about a quarterback looking for employment, but about whether, in the Trump/Bannon era, speaking out against police violence and institutionalized racism can cost you your job. The rally aims to make sure Colin Kaepernick never becomes a cautionary tale, a ghost story meant to scare people – athletes or otherwise – from speaking out. As civil-rights legend Harry Belafonte said in support of the protest: “When a black voice is raised in protest to oppression, those who are comfortable with our oppression are the first to criticize us for daring to speak out against it.”

This rally isn’t only fueled by Kaepernick’s unsigned status. It’s also a response to the official reasons put forth by NFL executives and their media mouthpieces, which have moved from outrage to farce to insult. First the “NFL experts,” in full disinformation mode, said he was unsigned because he wasn’t good enough. Then they said he wanted too much money. Then they expressed worry he was not in good enough shape because he is a vegan. Then they said the starting jobs are all filled up, and he might just be too good to be a backup. As a long line of subpar quarterbacks were signed – including some who had been retired, had thrown for negative yards in college, or were best known for being part of NFL blooper-reels – a quarterback who threw for 16 touchdowns and four picks last season, and who took the San Francisco 49ers within one play of winning the 2012 Super Bowl, still finds himself out of work.

We know why Kaepernick hasn’t been signed. It’s not only because he famously took a knee during the national anthem. It’s also because he backed his actions with words and deeds, saying things like: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

What we have is NFL owners colluding to keep Kaepernick out of a job. This blackballing is not just about punishing him as an individual. It’s the NFL sending a shot across the bow at every player who’s been inspired to speak out. It’s a warning that you should just collect your checks, get your concussions and keep your mouths shut. It’s a statement by NFL owners that black lives matter only when they entertain or sell league-approved products – and not when they speak out against injustice.

DAVE ZIRIN writes at edgeofsports.com.