Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Let's call this Kaepernick situation what it is..blacklisting

As the weeks of the offseason drag on and numerous quarterbacks find their way to new teams in the backup or starter role, one quarterback has remained noticeably absent from any free agent signings, Colin Kaepernick. While speculation remains on where Jay Cutler will end up or if he'll just retire, the rumblings on Kaepernick remain stedfast that no team is interested in his services.

How far removed we are from the young sensation who wowed the NFL back in 2012 and 2013. Jim Harbaugh took a chance starting Kaep after Alex Smith went down with a concussion. Kaepernick would lead the team all the way to the Super Bowl that year. The following season he lead the team to the NFC Championship where the team lost to the Seahawks. When the team struggled in 2014, Harbaugh was fired and Kaepernick lost his biggest supporter and ally. Halfway through the next season he would also lose his starting job. He requested to be traded before the 2016 season, a request that was denied by the 49ers, and regained his starting job in week six of the 2016 season. On March 3, 2017, Kaepernick opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began to silently protest by sitting during the National Anthem. His reasoning was simple, why should he stand to celebrate a country that routinely disenfranchises people of color? This silent protest did not go unnoticed and received severe and critical backlash across the league and the media. Several unnamed team executives expressed displeasure and outrage at Kaepernick's bold assertion. Many made it clear that Kaepernick would not be welcome to play on their team. So now with Kaep being a free agent, no team has made the move to sign him. Not one. Even teams in desperate need of a quality starter or even backup have avoided contacting him.

So begins the spin job of the league. Reports surfacing that Kaepernick wants more than $9-$10 million to play for a team despite other reports claiming this assertion is false. Multiple reports that Kaepernick is unsigned because he is not a good quarterback and even reports that Kaepernick was not a good teammate despite winning the Len Eshmont Award for courage in 2016 as voted on by his teammates. At every turn even sport pundit and every football analyst has given their reasons revealed to them by unnamed sources and executives to why Kaepernick remains unsigned. Even President Trump had something to say, claiming he was the reason for Kaep's unemployment.

Not one reporter, pundit, analyst, writer, etc. have claimed to have spoken to Kaepernick directly to hear what he has actually wanted in compensation on incentives to play for another team. Not a single article names Kaepernick as their souce for their assertions. All claim to have sources "inside the league", but none with the player himself. This poses a problem since the same claims were made about running back Adrian Peterson until Peterson himself took to Instagram and dispelled all rumors of him requesting $8 million to play for a team next year.

But all of these stories aside, let's be clear that Kaepernick's protest has gotten him blacklisted by the league. This would not be the first time a prominent professional athlete has found himself being punished for being vocal in his protest of an unjust system. Muhammad Ali was once banned from boxing for three years and had his title stripped because of his protest against the Vietnam War. Though later lauded as a national hero, Ali was seen at the time as a troublemaker. America does not take kindly to those who draw attention to their inequities and injustices in particular towards people of color. Getting blacklisted and called a distraction to your sport is not a new strategy.

Whatever nonsense you believe, some facts are evident. Kaepernick has a passer rating of 88.9 and a 4-2 playoff record for his NFL career. This despite 3 regime and offensive scheme changes. His protest aside, Kaepernick has had some struggles with injury that affected his accuracy and his weight, but not his ability to efficiently and effectively manage and win games even when surrounded by a poor offense and ineffective coaching. If given a chance, Kaepernick could be a solid backup for any team in the league.

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