Colin Kaepernick

Stephen Brock, Staff Writer

The Colin Kaepernick endeavors that have occurred over the last 3 years have been the subject of an extremely heated debate. This unbridled chaos began when during the national anthem at a preseason game against the Houston Texans, quarterback Colin Kaepernick took knee to protest violence against African Americans by the police.

After the game, Kaepernick told NFL media, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick immediately took fire from fans around the country and became a national controversy as people were outraged over what they called a disrespectful gesture to the soldiers and policemen who risked their lives everyday for our safety.

The Superbowl XLVII-winning quarterback was released in the offseason after that year, spurring debate over whether it was over the protest, or focusing around his talent declining. Recently, Kaepernick invited NFL owners and general managers to watch him practice in order to convince at least one team to sign him. He believed he still possessed the talent to be an NFL quarterback. Unfortunately for the former NFL player, nobody looked his way.

He reportedly did well and according to Jay-Z, who the league partnered up with for means of social justice movements, the NFL’s “loved” commissioner Roger Goodell had been planning for this workout for months in order to encourage teams to give Kaepernick a chance. Yet, not a single NFL team wanted him, even the injury-riddled Detroit Lions signed two undrafted rookies over the 32 year-old. Many other QB-needy teams looked another way over signing him. The Jets, Lions, Bengals, Dolphins, Panthers, and Steelers all could use a quarterback but none of them wanted to pick him up.

Was it truly because he wasn’t talented enough? Or is he being “black-balled,” or rejected by means of secret vote, by the NFL? We may never know, unless of course somebody gives him a chance at some point, but most analysts and former-players agree that this is an unlikely event. But, as with most things in the NFL, you never truly know what will happen. Still, don’t pick him up on your fantasy team anytime soon.