Are any hopes of Colin Kaepernick returning to the National Football League officially over? That may in fact be the case, according to recent comments made by the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell.
The controversial former NFL quarterback recently made headlines again as the league had scheduled a public workout for Kaepernick this past November. The event was intended to allow the infamously kneeling athlete to showcase his skills on the field, perhaps prompting a team to take advantage of his free agent status. Prior to the workout, Kaepernick posted the following to Twitter:
I’m just getting word from my representatives that the NFL league office reached out to them about a workout in Atlanta on Saturday. I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday.
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) November 13, 2019
However, the workout, as scheduled, did not go as planned; Kaepnerick bailed on the agreed upon location the day of the event and instead decided to showcase his skills at a different nearby facility.
Regarding the public event, Kaepernick and the NFL had apparently reached an impasse: the nike-sponsored former QB wanted the workout to be open to press, but the NFL was unwilling to accommodate. As noted in Yahoo! Sports, only 8 teams attended the new location of Kaepernick’s workout, whereas around 25 had planned on showing up to the NFL-approved location.
While in Irving, Texas, for one of the NFL’s winter league meetings, Commissioner Goodell spoke with reporters about Kaepernick, bluntly saying: “This was about creating an opportunity. We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, a credible opportunity, and he chose not to take it. I understand that. We’ve moved on.”
Despite a relatively successful tenure in the NFL, which included an appearance in the 2013 NFC Championship game, and his insistence he remains physically capable of performing in the NFL, it seems as though teams are unwilling to accept the controversy that would come with any skills he can still bring to the table.
Colin Kaepernick sill remains without an NFL contract, though, as reported in the Bleach Report, his Nike endorsement does allow for a luxurious lifestyle.
Sources, Fox News, Bleach Report, Yahoo! Sports
Written by Red Blue Divide editorial staff