On Sunday, the polarizing free agent quarterback/social justice warrior filed a grievance under the NFL’s latest collective bargaining agreement against the owners for collusion. This comes after a slew of would-be signings fell through involving the Ravens, Titans, and Dolphins (among others) over the past several months, giving way to whispers of a league-wide “blackballing” effort against the ex-49er. While most teams attributed their reluctance to either a “lack of fit”, or the availability of a better option, Kaepernick’s latest chess move against the NFL confirms what everyone’s been thinking: he’s not worth the trouble.
And I have to agree with them. As an owner, is having your QB-less franchise tread water for a few games really worth the unwanted media attention and pissed off fan base that comes with having Kaepernick on the roster? Not to me.
And yet, it seems that with every passing day comes a different player calling for Kaepernick’s signing—or in their eyes, justice. This is partly a function of players’ unconditional support for one another, but do they really expect owners to “do the right thing” at their own organization’s expense? Do they truly believe their billionaire employers are willing to compromise all the time and money they’ve poured into their teams just for a few morality points?
Ironically, it was Kaepernick who (figuratively) bent the knee recently, saying he would no longer kneel during the National Anthem if a team was to sign him, but it seems the former field general’s reputation is set in stone. They say winning cures all, but it’s clear that whatever positives Colin Kaepernick might bring on the field pales in comparison to the negatives he carries off of it, and into the locker room, the front office, and beyond.
