Free agent QB Colin Kaepernick "remains unemployed" and some "skeptical fans are wondering if the quarterbacks who have landed jobs with teams have one significant asset that Kaepernick does not have: They all stood for the national anthem last season," according to Victor Mather of the N.Y. TIMES. Similar "vexing questions were raised a few years" ago when Michael Sam was all but "ignored by NFL teams after he publicly came out as gay." Browns OT Joe Thomas believes that the teams just "don't want to deal with the potential distractions of having Kaepernick on their roster." Seahawks CB Richard Sherman said on ESPN that he was "'sure' Kaepernick was being blackballed." Kaepernick has "continued to tweet about social issues in recent days, but has been mostly silent about his job search" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28). In Detroit, Dave Birkett notes Lions GM Bob Quinn yesterday "sidestepped a question about whether Kaepernick is being blackballed on a league-wide basis because of his political views and the potential distraction he'd be in the locker room." Quinn said that even if that is the case with some teams, "it's not an issue for the Lions." Quinn: "I don’t know what the 31 other teams really think about that stuff ... that stuff doesn’t factor into my equation in evaluating the player and how he can fit into our team or our scheme" (DETROIT NEWS, 3/28).
FAULT LINES: ESPN's Jeremy Schaap noted Kaepernick "opted out" of his deal with the 49ers and "didn't get kicked out." Schaap: "There is a difference between saying he is being blackballed because of his political beliefs or that it's a strike against him." He added, "There is a difference between a general manager or owner saying, 'We don't want this guy around because of what he did last year,' and them saying, 'We don't want him around because of distractions. We don't care if it's left, right, center if he is causing distractions.'" The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan said, "It's not one thing, but that is a significant part of the reason why he is unemployed. For at least 25% of the league and maybe 50%" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/26). In Chicago, Mike Imrem noted NFL teams can "point to Kaepernick's declining play the past couple of years, his unconventional style of play and the controversy he brought upon himself." However, this is a league where an "average quarterback could be a felon on work release from federal prison and still be signed by some team." If Kaepernick is "good enough to play in the NFL, a team should give him a job regardless of his social activism." Kaepernick is "radioactive around the NFL for being perceived as unpatriotic in a league that markets itself as all-American" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 3/27).
WEIGHING IN: In N.Y., Gary Myers wrote Kaepernick has "been bad for 2-3 years combined with now being such a polarizing figure." That has made it "impossible for him to find a job." He took a "very controversial stand and it came with repercussions" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/26). In Miami, Greg Cote wrote, "I do not believe it’s a bunch of teams secretly agreeing (colluding) on a course of action here." Cote: "I believe it is a bunch of individual cowards deciding on their own they don’t want to take on the challenge of a free-thinking, free-speaking, tatted-up athlete at the single most attention-getting position in sports" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/26). In Sacramento, Matt Barrows writes, "Anyone who says politics plays no role in the NFL, that it’s strictly merit-based and that it’s in no way a reason for Kaepernick’s limbo, isn’t paying attention" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 3/28). In Daytona Beach, Scott Zucker wrote it is "probably a bit naive to assume that his stance, or lack thereof, has to do with his current employment status." But it is "more likely that his play, rather than his politics, have kept Kaepernick from signing a deal." Owners and/or their GMs "may not like or agree with Kaepernick's politics, but rest assured that if he threw 30 or more touchdowns last season, they would be a lot more forgiving of them" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 3/25). SI.com's Michael McCann wrote under the header, "Some Colin Kaepernick Supporters Are Crying Collusion, But What Does That Really Mean?" (SI.com, 3/24).
