NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is among the high-ranking NFL figures who will be "deposed and asked to turn over all cellphone records and emails in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL," according to a source cited by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. NFL owners to be deposed include the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, Patriots' Robert Kraft, Texans' Bob McNair, Seahawks' Paul Allen and 49ers' Jed York. Those owners were selected for depositions "based on their public statements about Kaepernick or player protests during the national anthem." NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent and NFL Senior VP/Player Engagement Arthur McAfee also are expected to be deposed (ESPN.com, 11/5). USA TODAY's Mike Jones reported Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti is "among a group of other owners that Kaepernick has requested discovery items from in advance of deposition." Officials from other clubs "also have been targeted for questioning" (USATODAY.com, 11/3). Jerry Jones on Friday "declined to comment on the topic." He said, "The fact that it is the legal exercise that it is, I can't comment and wouldn't comment about any aspects of it. I'll certainly do whatever I'm advised to do." He added, "I have not been officially served or contacted or anything" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/4).
BUILDING A CASE: YAHOO SPORTS' Charles Robinson cited a source as saying that "'agitation' over the Kaepernick grievance is already building within the league’s legal department, which is building a defense hand-in-hand" with NFL outside counsel Covington & Burling. The source said that league lawyers "fielded a slew of discovery requests" last week, including depositions or records requests "involving NFL owners, teams or coaches." Among them are deposition and records requests for the aforementioned owners and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. There are also records requests for Giants President & CEO John Mara and Chair & Exec VP Steve Tisch, as well as the 49ers, Seahawks, Ravens, Dolphins, Jaguars and Titans. Each request was "apparently made with specific dates in mind, most relating to a team’s communications with Kaepernick’s representatives following his entrance into free agency in March." The inclusion of Mara and Tisch "likely raised some eyebrows, considering the Giants have never pursued Kaepernick." A source said that it is "rooted in comments Mara made" in May, when he "described fan emotions and potential backlash when it came to potentially employing Kaepernick" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/3).
CALLS GAINING MORE VOLUME: NBC's Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison last night urged the Texans to sign Kaepernick after last week's season-ending injury to QB Deshaun Watson. Dungy said, "Sign Colin Kaepernick. You don't have good quarterback play. When you have a mobile quarterback, your offense looks different. There's a mobile quarterback out there to get.” Harrison added, "As a player, I would lose all respect for my coaches and organization if there was a guy that started in the Super Bowl and is better than the guy that we had. ... How do you trust what your coach is trying to sell, the system that he’s trying to sell, when he's not doing everything in his power to win football games? Sign Colin Kaepernick. He gives you a great opportunity, very similar to what Deshaun Watson is” (“FNIA,” NBC, 11/5). USA Today's Christine Brennan notes Kaepernick "is not going to be a good fit for every team, but the fact that he's right now a good fit for no teams is really stunning." ABC's Ron Claiborne: "A lot of teams need quarterbacks. No one is sighing him yet" ("GMA," ABC, 11/6).
