Kaepernick still hoping to land NFL roster spot

Jonathan Yan | Staff Writer

Nov. 21, 2019

We all have heard something about the incident that happened on Aug. 26, 2016, when the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, refused to stand when the Star-Spangled Banner was played before their preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

This started the fuel that transmits the media from their reactions to the incident. He did this same stance later on in the game against the Chargers, and beside Kaepernick was teammate Eric Reid, who was also kneeling during the national anthem. 

This humble beginning led to many people wanting him to promote his protest, kneeling during the National Anthem. 

Now Kaepernick wants to be in some sort of way affiliated with the NFL. He had been a free agent and is still unsigned after three years. 

His protest is due to police brutality and racism in policing tactics. In February, he had settled a lawsuit with the NFL after accusing the league of using his constitutional right to protest peacefully during the Anthem. The NFL released a statement that every one of thirty-two teams need to “stop running, stop running from the truth, stop running from the people.” This keeps NFL commissioner Roger Goodell more in the loop with helping out Kaepernick after his incidents. 

“Around here, we’re ready to play, we’re ready to go anywhere, my agent Jeff Nalley is ready to talk to any team. I’ll interview with any team at any time,” Kaepernick said.  

The NFL said they would have allowed Kaepernick’s representatives to see the Atlanta Falcons’ video team was filmed during the workout. They also claimed that they would have allowed Kaepernick’s team to review both the video that would’ve been sent to all NFL teams and the raw footage. 

This makes sense that Kaepernick would have public workout, which was open to the media and lasted for over 30 minutes. He has heard from representatives from the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, the Detroit Lions, and the 49ers, who all attended the session. 

Time will tell what the future holds for Kaepernick.