Colin Kaepernick got his wish to workout for the 32 NFL teams who he alleges have “blackballed” him for protesting police brutality while at work. Kaepernick sued the league, took a settlement, and the NFL relented and staged a workout in Atlanta.
Kaepernick was a “no show” and changed the venue at the last minute. During media questions he challenged the league to “stop running” from him and asked a team to sign him. 2UrbanGirls highly doubts we will EVER see Kaepernick on an NFL team.
It’s not that there aren’t teams that would benefit from him, but do they want all the drama that comes with him and his girlfriend, Nessa Diab, who urged him to protest at work in the first place.
In her business, of being on the radio, it is a more ideal place to discuss issues surrounding police brutality. Her job is to keep up with current events and discuss with her audience. Football players job is to study plays and perform on game days.
Sports figures have a valuable place in the media, which was utilized in the 70’s by sports figures like Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lou Alcindor) and before them by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised their fists in the 1968 Summer Olympics.
“People have asked me over the years, ‘What was the benefit of raising your fist on that stand?’ I’ll tell you. Fighting for social justice is redemptive. Many see sacrifices as negative, but you need to secure your place to achieve progress.”
Tommie Smith
Economic sanctions are the best way to keep “black folks in line” even for bloggers like this author.
Smith and Carlos were immediately kicked off the team after setting world records and receiving medals.
Kaepernick has to understand the NFL’s job isn’t to care about social issues. Their job is to fill football stadiums with people willing to see the best players in their field play football.
Kaepernick played six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and averaged 60% completion rate. The last three seasons he played, the team went 8-8, 5-11 and 2-14. Not exactly a stellar performance after going 12-4 in 2013.
We’ve never questioned Kaepernick’s ability to play, the bigger issue is do the teams want to deal with the controversy surrounding his activism?
Yesterday, Kaepernick got what he wanted, which was to practice for the NFL teams, and he blew it. If these teams wanted him, he would’ve been picked up.
Are the NFL teams “scared” to sign him and was this “workout” staged to shut him up for good?
