Colin Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016 season. The quarterback filed his grievance case against the league in October 2017, alleging that teams were colluding to deny him an opportunity to play, mainly due to his protests against racial injustice and police brutality, which included kneeling during the national anthem.While Kaepernick, 37, is still looking for a return, former TMZ host Van Lathan said he knew "for sure" that Jay-Z's Roc Nation company pushed negative stories to target the former San Francisco 49ers QB amid his dispute with the league.In Wednesday's episode of his "Higher Learning" podcast, Lathan played a video of Kaepernick's wife, Nessa Diab, who highlighted her displeasure about Roc Nation for a smear campaign against her husband.“When Nessa is talking right there, there’s a part of me that feels bad about letting her be on her own with saying that," Lathan said. "And this is the reality. This is what happens, what happened at least in this one instance because I was there.“I can’t say that Jay-Z did anything, right? But I know for sure that Roc Nation was seeding negative stories about Colin Kaepernick during the time that he was really in traction with Jay-Z, for sure. I have told this story before, I will tell it again.”"But they were into it. And that was a theme that actually happened." Lathan added.Jay-Z's Roc Nation reportedly signed a five-year, $25 million deal with the NFL in 2019. The partnership focused on live music, entertainment and social activism initiatives within the league.Colin Kaepernick hoping to play flag football for Team USA at 2028 OlympicsFormer San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick - Source: ImagnWhile Colin Kaepernick is still keeping himself fit and training to play in the NFL, the quarterback is hoping to play flag football for Team USA in the 2028 Olympics."Hopefully we'll be out there," Kaepernick said to Sky Sports in August last year. "We're gonna work on some things, see if we can make it in there. But we'd love to be out there."In his six seasons with the 49ers, Kaepernick recorded 12,271 passing yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 13 TDs in 69 games.