NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday said that he has "not spoken directly" with Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti about the team’s interest in signing QB Colin Kaepernick, who remains unsigned, according to Bob Glauber of NEWSDAY. Goodell: "It came up in the (Ravens’) fan forum. Those are independent decisions that the clubs make. They hope to do what is in the best interests of their franchise. ... Steve was talking about the approach they’re taking. Obviously, they’re considering a lot of issues, and they’re going to make that evaluation” (NEWSDAY, 8/1). A Baltimore SUN editorial states that football is a "business, and the decision of whether to sign a quarterback whose political activism in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police brutality offended many fans is, unsurprisingly, a cost-benefit calculation." It is "exactly the same sort of calculation the Ravens made" after Ray Rice’s arrest on domestic violence charges. But what is "disappointing about this situation" is Kaepernick’s "quiet assurance to the Ravens and any other teams who might be in the market for his services that he would stand for the anthem this year." Kaepernick's social activism also "makes him an asset to the community" (Baltimore SUN, 8/1). The Ringer's Michael Lombardi wrote Bisciotti is "clearly juggling" two issues. Lombardi: "The football side and the business side -- that never works" (TWITTER.com, 7/31).
DECISIONS, DECISIONS: CBSSN's Adam Schein said of the Ravens reaching out to Ray Lewis for advice on signing Kaepernick, "My head is spinning. I love Ray Lewis, but he isn’t my moral compass and he shouldn't be yours or the Baltimore Ravens. You’re interested in what the fans think, the same fans who applauded Ray Rice at his first practice after he hit his wife? That's just insane" ("Time to Schein," CBSSN, 7/31). ESPN’s David Jacoby said the statements from Ravens President Dick Cass about possibly bringing in Kaepernick do not “sound like someone who’s deciding whether or not he can play football." They sound like "someone who’s deciding whether or not we want to bring this person in and how the outside world will react to that.” ESPN’s Michelle Beadle: “What hurt this whole argument that he’s not being blackballed is that people have come out and said that the fans consideration and the blowback has been taken into account. Once you admit to that, then all of us go, ‘So it has nothing to do with on the field, it is what you are having to deal with by way of fans,’ and that is when football loses a lot of credibility for fans" ("SportsNation," ESPN, 7/31). ESPN's Mina Kimes: "Why is this level of sanctimony reserved for Colin Kaepernick, who committed no crime? The level of hypocrisy here is absolutely astounding" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 7/31). ESPN's J.A. Adande: "You should consider the fans but I’m a little bit wary of crowdsourcing (them for) personnel decisions.” ESPN's Israel Gutierrez: “To check in on your fans for this is a little bit demeaning, it’s a little bit insulting even to the fan” ("Around the Horn," ESPN, 7/31).
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: FS1's Jason Whitlock said, "I feel bad for Steve Bisciotti and the Ravens. They've made the mistake of being honest and transparent with the media and their fan base and they’re being punished for it. ... They’ve had a transparent interaction with Colin Kaepernick and now they’re being vilified" ("Speak for Yourself," FS1, 7/31). The N.Y. Daily News’ Frank Isola said to give Bisciotti “some credit," as there is "some transparency here that he’s admitting they’re looking into it but they know the ramifications" of signing someone like Kaepernick. But ESPN's Michael Wilbon said teams are “scared because they have sponsors who put pressure on them” and the teams “don’t want to offend those sponsors” (“PTI,” ESPN, 7/31). In DC, Dan Steinberg writes by asking fans for feedback about possibly adding Kaepernick, the Ravens are "flirting with the future of sports decision-making, and it’s both populist and grand." Steinberg: "Why should the hard stuff be left up to coaches, GMs and owners, when they can just crowdsource those headaches, and let the fans and sponsors decide?" It is "possible that the team is just paying lip service to these fan opinions, while actually relying on its football people to make football decisions." This franchise "already knows how to sell potentially explosive personnel decisions to its fan base" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/1).
