A return to the ‘NFL’ all but lost for Colin Kaepernick ?

By Scott McCabe

Colin Kaepernick reached global headlines across the world with his protests against police brutality aimed towards the black community, but does he still have what it takes to make it to the NFL once again?

• Kaepernicks Journey

  • August 26,2016- Kaepernick shows his first form of protest by sitting for national anthem.
  • September 1 – Kaepernick takes a knee for the national anthem.
  • September 5- After gaining worldwide attention for his actions, President Barack Obama speaks out on the issue.
  • September 7 – Kaepernick’s actions come to the attention of Roger Goodell.
  • September 11 – Week one of the NFL Regular season results in more players kneeling in support of Kaepernick.
  • January 1, 2017- Protests continue throughout the season, Kaepernick plays 11 games for the San Francisco 49ers and the team finishes with a losing record [2-14].
  • March 2017- Kaepernick opts out of his contract, thus possibly marking the end of his NFL career.

  Source: The New York Times

Colin Kaepernick could possibly be received as more of an activist than an athlete, his protests were so powerful live on air that it was hard not to notice the one player not standing for the national anthem. Kaepernick has been viewed by a large proportion as the first professional sports athlete to protest against the flag. However, this is not the case.

Mahmoud Abdul Rauf Guard for The Denver Nuggets [NBA], protested back in the 1996 season by not standing for the national anthem. Rauf’s actions resulted in him being fined $31,707. Rauf eventually came to an agreement with the NBA commissioner and would end up standing for the national anthem. Rauf’s actions put his whole career on the line, he would later be traded by the Nuggets and have playing spells in Turkey and various other countries in order to reignite his career. Unfortunately, that spark never occurred and his playing career ended in 2011. http://www.thepostgame.com/mahmoud-abdul-rauf-big3-nba-kaepernick-anthem

A wave of support

Kaepernick was certainly not alone in his views, as much as political leaders and commissioners may have been against Kaepernick and his actions, there was a whole support system for Kaepernick with some extremely influential figures.

Whilst accepting her woman of the year award back in 2019, Megan Rapinoe [ USA ladies professional footballer] conveyed her gratitude for Kaepernick’s actions “It would be a slap in the face to Colin, and to so many other faces, not to acknowledge, and for me personally, to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some over the detriment of others, and frankly is quite literally tearing us apart in this country”. However, this isn’t the first time Rapinoe has protested in solidarity with Kaepernick, back in 2016, Rapinoe also took a knee for the national anthem.

Its not just fellow sport stars who’ve supported Kaepernick; Grammy award winning musician John Legend was another celebrity on a star-studded list who also supported Kaepernick with his Instagram caption #takeaknee.

Divided opinions

As much as Kaepernick had the support of some players within the league such as former 49ers teammate Eric Reid, a rift occurred between two groups.

‘The players coalition’ was set up by Former NFL player Anquan Boldin and Malcom Jenkins who are still active within in the league. The players coalition have ” the collective goal of making an impact on social justice and racial equality at the federal, state and local levels through advocacy, awareness, education, and allocation of resources”. However, Colin Kaepernick is not a member of this organisation, to the surprise of many, he has stayed silent about the players coalition. One member of the group couldn’t hold back his anger; Josh Norman [current NFL player] called out Kaepernick during an interview with ‘The Washington Post’ back in 2018 , ” “When he took a knee, everybody was in shock and everything, but when the bullets start flying, I was trying to figure out where he was at. He was ducking.”

“Get that son of a B**** off the football field , right now“–Donald Trump unleashes his fury to those protesting during the national anthem during a speech in Alabama, 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests

The spotlight placed on Colin Kaepernick would reach new heights when Nike got involved. Before we knew it, Kaepernick was the poster boy for Nike, followed by the statement “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”. This was a pivotal moment in Kaepernick’s protest , he was no longer known as a professional athlete, but as the leader of an increasingly popular movement that was taking the world by storm. It wasn’t long until backlash of Nike’s advert began to arise; owners of Nike products began burning their items and uploading them to social media in protest and the #BoycottNike was born.

The stats don’t lie…

It’s fair to say Kaepernick’s career has taken a different path, but he’s ready to prove all the doubters wrong and make a return to the NFL. There’s no doubt that Kaepernick was a incredibly gifted player back in his playing days, here is a few key stats during his time in the league according to http://www.nfl.com/stats/player; Kaepernick threw 72 touchdowns during his career, and accumulated 12,271 passing yards. If that still doesn’t satisfy you, then perhaps his Super bowl appearance against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2013 season will be enough to justify a return to the league.

Kaepernick has been relentless in his effort for a return to the NFL, he’s called out Roger Goodell [ NFL commissioner] on several occasions

“I’ve been ready for 3 years, I’ve been denied for 3 years.”

“We have nothing to hide. So we’re waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all them to stop running. Stop running from the truth, stop running from the people.”

Kaepernick speaks out to the media in plea to get the attention of ‘NFL’ commissioner Roger Goodell.

Kaepernick has even held tryouts in which he asks the media to tag along so he can showcase his skills during training sessions. Is Kaepernick worth the risk ? As a general manager it would be hard to ignore the baggage that Kaepernick would bring with him, from media platforms, to divides in the dressing room. As much as people may laugh at Kaepernick wanting to make a return, nothing is impossible. Former ‘New England Patriot’ Tight end ‘Rob Gronkowski’, announced that he would be coming out of retirement after an absence and would reunite with his former teammate ‘Tom Brady’ with The Tampa bay Buccaneers.

The NFL Draft also impacts the possible return of Colin Kaepernick to the league. Why take the risk with a player which has been absent for four-years? Instead you could select a young quarterback like ‘Joe Burrow’ for example, who excites fans and can build the foundation of a franchise for the future. Teams in need of a quarterback will usually shop very quickly to find their guy, and the fact its been four-years without any teams offering a contract for Kaepernick conveys the harsh reality that the possibility of him playing in the NFL again is unlikely.

Leaving behind a legacy

Kaepernick’s protest has been felt across the world, whether it be by affecting the brands people buy or impacting the actions of other celebrities. Kaepernick has developed his own campaign ‘Know your rights‘. The campaign was set up to “Raise awareness on higher education, self empowerment, and instructions on how to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.”

It’s fair to say that Kaepernick has put everything on the line. including his career, for standing up for what he believes in. Nobody knows what the future holds for Kaepernicks NFL career. What we do know for certain, is that Kaepernick will always be remembered as one of the first major sports stars to stand up for Police brutality.