NFL team postpones Kaepernick tryout over his answer to an important question - report
Say what you will about Colin Kaepernick, but one thing is undeniable: The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback is as stubborn as they get.
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since the end of the 2016-17 league season. Not only has he not appeared in a game, but he hasn’t even been signed by an NFL team.
There’s one of two explanations for this, depending, of course, on who you ask.
Kaepernick’s supporters — and the quarterback himself — argue that he is being blackballed by the league for his refusal to stop kneeling during the pregame playing of the national anthem.
His detractors, however, point to his 59.8 percent career completion rate, as well as the fact that after taking the league by storm at the start of his career, he didn’t really accomplish a whole lot.
Moreover, as a dual-threat quarterback who’s currently 30 years old, Kaepernick probably doesn’t have many years remaining in his prime.
Still, that hasn’t stopped teams from expressing interest in signing the quarterback. Last summer, the Baltimore Ravens looked into adding Kapernick, but eventually decided against it. According to former Ravens great Ray Lewis, their final decision would have been different if not for an allegedly racist tweet posted by Kaepernick’s girlfriend that featured Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti.
Just because the Ravens weren’t interested, though, doesn’t mean other teams feel the same way.
In fact, the Seattle Seahawks reportedly arranged for Kaepernick to work out for them, but then postponed the trip to a later date.
The reason for the change? Kaepernick’s refusal to say he would end his anthem protest next season.
“After arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seattle Seahawks this week, team officials postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to stop kneeling during the national anthem next season,” ESPN‘s Adam Schefter reported Thursday, citing league sources.
After arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seahawks this week, Seattle postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to stop kneeling during the national anthem next season, league sources tell ESPN.
More ahead on NFL Live now.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2018
Schefter added that Seattle is still thinking about bringing Kaepernick in for a workout.
Seattle apparently contacted Kaepernick about two weeks ago to arrange a workout. But at the last minute, they wanted him to promise he would end his protest, a stipulation he would not agree to.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapaport, however, indicated that the anthem protest was not the sole reason Seattle postponed the “tentatively scheduled workout.” Rather, he claimed the “team asked for his plan moving forward on how to handle everything and there was not a firm plan.”
The #Seahawks did postpone a tentatively scheduled workout with Colin Kaepernick, as @AdamSchefter reported. It was not because he said he declined to stop kneeling, tho. The team asked for his plan moving forward on how to handle everything and there was not a firm plan.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018
#Seahawks brass, John Schneider and Pete Carroll, want Colin Kaepernick to consider how he wants to proceed on everything (not just anthem) and get together at a later date when his plans are formed. Clearly, Seattle has accepted players speaking out for what they believe.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018
If the Seahawks do eventually work out Kapernick, they will be the first team to do so since the end of the 2016-17 season.
The rumors regarding the quarterback come two days after Kaepernick was deposed by NFL lawyers as part of his ongoing collusion lawsuit against the league, who he claims has unfairly targeted him due to his anthem protest.
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