Colin Kaepernick (Photo : Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
Despite how Colin Kaepernick wishes to return to the NFL after kneeling during the national anthem back in 2016, the league might not be there to welcome him back with open arms.
33-year-old Colin Kaepernick is eager to return to the NFL after a lengthy layoff. However, a source from inside the league informed that the possibility of that occurring is "nonexistent." Although the athlete mentioned "ensuring" he's "prepared to lead a club to the Super Bowl again" in a recent interview with Ebony, NFL insiders have a different viewpoint.
It is reported that the likelihood of Kaepernick joining a team in the approaching future is practically nonexistent. Since the athlete hasn't played since 2016, most of the teams either already have the quarterbacks they desire or can get one without the drama associated with signing him.
The insider stated that in addition, ensuring that he will be able to coexist alongside the team as a whole. The reason being is that there are some who are against his path to social justice.
Kaepernick announced his desire to return to the NFL after being suspended in 2016 for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. "I'm still up at 5 a.m. practicing five, six days a week to ensure I'm prepared to lead another team to the Super Bowl," he told the press. "That is not something I will ever relinquish, regardless of what 32 teams and their partners do to deny me the position."
In 2017, Kaepernick and his former teammate, free agency safety Eric Reid, filed complaints against the league, saying they were denied contracts due to the owners' collusion to keep them out of the league due to their demonstrations. In 2019, they negotiated a private settlement.
In the same year, Kaepernick hosted an open workout for eight NFL clubs to demonstrate his continued football fitness, but no one signed him, and was once again rejected from entering the league. He asserts that he has been kept off the field as a result of his objections.
The once in a blue moon interview comes ahead of the debut of a Netflix series chronicling Kaepernick's formative years. "Colin in Black & White" is set to premiere on October 29. According to Kaepernick, he loved performing in the musical and compared the experience to warming up for a football game.
Kaepernick expressed optimism that the play will connect to young people who have suffered similar hardships as he did as a child.
