Why Seattle Seahawks passed on Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick can’t catch a break.
Even as a ray of hope shined for a possibility to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, Kaepernick has now has been sidelined again. The Seahawks postponed a meeting with Kaep after he refused to agree to a deal to stop kneeling during the national anthem.
The New York Daily News reports that ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Kaepernick’s prospects with the Seahawks have been dashed because of his strong stance on protesting against racial injustice suffered at the hands of police. Kaepernick’s silent kneel during the national anthem has rubbed NFL owners the wrong way and the Quarterback and pretty much been blackballed from playing in the league.
—Black woman promoted to brigadier general, making history—
“The question of how he will handle the anthem this year came up and caused that visit, at the very least, to be postponed, and possibly canceled, depending on how you look at it,” Schefter said on “NFL Live” Thursday afternoon.
Kaepernick was being eyed for an opportunity to serve as a backup QB. Russell Wilson is the star QB on the team.
Kaepernick is unwilling to back down from kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner anthem, Schefter said. That move is what caused the rift between the Seahawks and Kaepernick and caused the meeting to be cancelled, Schefter said. The Seahawks took a stance against outspoken activists Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman and let them go as well.
However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Seahawks instead wants more insight into how Kaepernick plans to balance his job as a quarterback and his role as an activist in the community. He said that’s why the meeting was deferred.
—April Ryan is getting death threats for asking this question about Donald Trump—
Colin Kaepernick has made a name for himself both on and off the field for his ongoing activism. When he was still in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers, he made headlines for taking a knee during the national anthem.
That action spurred on hundreds of similar protests, with athletes across the country taking a knee in protest of race relations in the United States and a failing criminal justice system.
Kaepernick is now suing the NFL, claiming that he was blackballed from being hired after leaving the 49ers because of his activism.
