NFL teams are already making plans for the coming season and one wonders do any of the NFL franchises have plans to sign the controversial quarter-back Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick last played for the San Francisco 49ers in Jan 2017 but since then he hasn’t played in the NFL.
The general consensus is that NFL teams are not keen on signing him as he was the player who started the ‘taking-a-knee’ movement during the National Anthem to protect against police violence against black Americans.
Kaepernick is currently pursuing a lawsuit against the NFL on the basis of collusion. His lawsuit alleges that the NFL and the franchises have deliberately decided not to hire him not because he lacked the skills or credentials but because he was instrumental in leading the protests. By not hiring him, the NFL gets to silence these protests as we have witnessed the number of players taking a knee during the last season has significantly come down.
One clear sign that NFL teams are avoiding Kaepernick was when the Cleveland Browns went on to sign Kareem Hunt. The 23 year old was sacked by his team the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2018 after videos surfaced of him physically assaulting a woman in a hotel. However, Cleveland Browns were willing to look past this incident and sign Hunt has publically apologized for his actions.
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Eric Reid who was one of the players who protested with Kaepernick during 2016. Reid has also been jobless in recent times but earlier this week his status changed after he signed a 3 year deal with the Carolina Panthers for $22 million.
The problem which most NFL teams will have to deal with is that Kaepernick not only has a lawsuit against the NFL but is also adamant on continuing with his protests. He has lost out on millions of dollars over the last few years by not playing.
Kaepernick’s push to end police violence against black Americans has received support from a number of celebrities. Cardi B and Rihanna reportedly turned down the opportunity to perform at this year’s Super Bowl during half time as they wanted to show their support to Kaepernick.
Cardi B went on to say that she forfeited a lot of money by skipping out on the Super Bowl but that was the least she could do as Kaepernick sacrificed his job to bring attention to a real problem that needed to be addressed!