Colin Kaepernick last played in an NFL game in 2016. Although NFL owners have not admitted it, Kaepernick has essentially been blacklisted by NFL teams ever since his departure from the San Francisco 49ers given all of the attention Kaepernick received by the media for kneeling during the national anthem. Given recent Black Lives Matter protests, Kaepernick is “more motivated to play than ever” and is working hard to get back onto an NFL roster.
The 32-year old Kaepernick had an opportunity at a tryout in 2019 for NFL teams to get back into the league, but it was poorly organized – it included Kaepernick’s team changing the location at the last minute, which had many people scratching their heads.
Rumblings have come from numerous NFL players, including Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Seattle Seahawks running back Carlos Hyde.
“I think [the NFL] referenced that they have made mistakes in terms of how they’ve handled peaceful protests and players voicing their opinions,” Ryan said. “I think they’ve recognized that they’ve made mistakes there. And as far as Colin being back in the league, I think he should have every opportunity to. He created awareness for a situation that, it’s taken some time, but people are becoming more active in terms of their response to it. I think, from that standpoint, his protest is being heard at this point, but it’s taken too long. But I think he should have every opportunity to have a job and to have a spot at this point.”
Hyde added: “I think the NFL can start by signing [Kaepernick] back. I think if they sign Kap back, that’ll show that they’re really trying to move in a different direction. Because [he] was making a statement four years ago about what’s going on in today’s world and the NFL didn’t bother to listen to him then, so I think they should start by doing that.”
