by Jimmy Yates ’21

In late October 2019, Colin Kaepernick and the NFL organized a workout with several teams to showcase his QB skills in hopes of being signed by an NFL team. It has been three years since Kaepernick left the NFL, which is three years too many. Kaepernick reportedly opted out of his contract with the 49ers in the 2016-2017 season, but the NFL was happy to see him go after he kneeled to protest racial injustice in America sparking controversy across the NFL. Three years into the saga, NFL team owners and executives are just as cowardly and hypocritical as they were from the start.

After Kaepernick’s initials protests, President Trump repeatedly expressed his frustration over the National Anthem protest. Trump said at a rally in 2017 that if he was an NFL owner, he’d “get that son of a b*tch off the field right now, he’s fired!” Trump has stated in the past he has “good relationships” with the owners, especially Patriots owner Robert Kraft. During the same time period, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced he would not tolerate any players kneeling during the National Anthem.

Flash forward two years: before Kaepernick’s workout even began, there was controversy. Kaepernick and his agent changed the location of the workout, half an hour before it was scheduled to begin, from the Atlanta Falcons training facility to Charles Drew High School, a familiar practice facility for him. Kaepernick’s agent explained that the reason for the switch was to ensure a transparent and open process.

Kaepernick threw different passes to his selected receiver and went through several different drills that his agent and former NFL coach Hue Jackson picked out beforehand. After the switch, only seven of the 25 NFL teams’ representatives attended. The teams that did not attend were sent video footage of Kaepernick.

There are several NFL teams that need a QB or that needed one at the time of Kaepernick’s workout. However, three months after his workout, Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, said the league has moved on from Kaepernick and his window of opportunity had passed. The Detroit Lions (3-8) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) both passed on Kaepernick even though they are down to their third string quarterback due to injuries. The Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) are also in desperate need of a QB but showed no signs of approaching Kaepernick. 

The NFL has let invited players with criminal and drug filled pasts to come back to the league time and time again. For example, Vontez Burfict has remained in the NFL after failing his drug test at the NFL combine and displaying countless acts of anger issues on the field. Burfict was fined over $4 million during his career in Cincinnati, missed six games, along with 12 games without pay in his first season with the Oakland Raiders for unnecessary roughness. Former NFL star, Josh Gordon  has been suspended five times after failing five drug tests. He was most recently suspended indefinitely on December 16, after failing a drug test. Gordon should not have been allowed a third, fourth, or fifth chance if Kaepernick does not earn a second. The NFL is being hypocritical moving on from Kaepernick because he was LEGALLY protected using the NFL as a platform.

Several teams need a talented QB to revive their offenses and Kaepernick is exactly that, leading the 49ers to the Superbowl in 2013 in his first year as the starting QB and throwing for 3000+ yards in each of the next two seasons along with 40 touchdowns combined. Kaepernick is no Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but he belongs on an NFL field. It’s time for NFL owners and GM’s to sign Kaepernick to step up and help their teams out.