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ESPN controlling the narrative
ya aware, CBS, NBC, FOX analyst all sayin da same thing?
Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by hand2handking,
- Start date
ya aware, CBS, NBC, FOX analyst all sayin da same thing?
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Playmakers was a great show. ****** had Omar Gooding injecting urine into his joint for a piss test.
**** was wild. Had to know the NFL was gonna step in.
**** was wild. Had to know the NFL was gonna step in.
SpittaJetLife
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Stephen A Smith radio show a must listen tomorrow lolLmao at Stephen A. saying Eric Reid does nothing but complain and fail to stop the run on Sunday
SpittaJetLife
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Ninja sure loves talking about black related issues but hates black people it seems
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Side bar SAS casual fits be WILD buns
airthompson
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We really gotta stop witch hunting the character of people cuz their stances. Steven A to my knowledge is wrong. But what does demoralizing him do? Let him be ignorant on this issue. However he’s a rook on the board in the grand scheme of things. Those unhappy and on Kaps side need to stay focused on the NFL.
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ninja you an OG and my dawg but your bugging.
your making it seem like the NFL was really really trying for help Kap, c'mon bruhhh the proof is in the pudding.
You honestly think the NFL was trying to help him? by sending him receivers he has no chemistry with? hue Jack and Joe philban to help with the workout?
none of his camera men to show what he's really working with.
I think I read a report that he was supposed to throw 60s balls pause. you honestly think that the NFL film crew would have sent out his best work? they would have sent out his most horrible throws and say " hey we told you he couldn't had play"
and then that could be the proof they need to finish him, and whats up with that waiver clause ? making him sign something about work and he didn't even get proper job offer yet?
I think KAP did the right thing if you ask me, even if he doesn't play the proof of his arm talent and he can play is still there
he honestly put the ball in NFL court by letting everyone see it. from Reg joe's to scouts and it will eventually make its way
to Goddell.
Kap was backed in a corner and did the "right" thing. EVEN IF IT LEADS TO HIM NOT GETTING A JOB
your making it seem like the NFL was really really trying for help Kap, c'mon bruhhh the proof is in the pudding.
You honestly think the NFL was trying to help him? by sending him receivers he has no chemistry with? hue Jack and Joe philban to help with the workout?
none of his camera men to show what he's really working with.
I think I read a report that he was supposed to throw 60s balls pause. you honestly think that the NFL film crew would have sent out his best work? they would have sent out his most horrible throws and say " hey we told you he couldn't had play"
and then that could be the proof they need to finish him, and whats up with that waiver clause ? making him sign something about work and he didn't even get proper job offer yet?
I think KAP did the right thing if you ask me, even if he doesn't play the proof of his arm talent and he can play is still there
he honestly put the ball in NFL court by letting everyone see it. from Reg joe's to scouts and it will eventually make its way
to Goddell.
Kap was backed in a corner and did the "right" thing. EVEN IF IT LEADS TO HIM NOT GETTING A JOB
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- Aug 1, 2004
NFL is multi racial...wanna try that again?
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
its obvious there was definitely an amount of self serving...but so what?
his job was to go there, and prove da nay sayers wrong, sign with a team....THEN continue your soap box if that's what he wants to do..not before b.
by skipping da work out he gave ammo to folks who said he's all about just being a distraction instead of playing...why do that? is da end goal not to be back in da NFL? let's keep it funky.... anyone else gets granted that opportunity and they're crawling over flaming hot coals for a chance like that.
say what you want about Jigga, he got da NFL to da table... Kaepernick just had to come and sit down and deal.
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over 20 team executives were there to see 1st hand was good, on top of being filmed by da Falcons training facility.
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ON FOOTBALL
The N.F.L.’s Tug of War With Colin Kaepernick’s Didn’t Resolve Anything
The two parties did not trust one another before Saturday’s workout fiasco. Not much has changed.
Image
Colin Kaepernick addressed media and supporters who attended his workout on Saturday.
Colin Kaepernick addressed media and supporters who attended his workout on Saturday.Credit...Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
By Ken Belson
Nov. 17, 2019
Updated 7:34 p.m. ET
Colin Kaepernick spent six years in the N.F.L. displaying his abilities and the three years since his ouster arguing with the league over whether his abilities should still merit him a job.
That dispute was as alive as ever on Saturday evening, when he addressed about 100 reporters and friends at a high school stadium outside Atlanta. He had just held a hastily rearranged tryout in front of a handful of team scouts and tens of thousands of others watching online, a vastly different audience than the N.F.L. had originally planned for.
“We have nothing to hide,” he said in a 90-second speech. “We’re waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running, running from the truth, stop running from the people.” Kaepernick did not take questions from reporters.
The most salient truth appears to include this fact: After all the drama and hype of the past week, Kaepernick and the N.F.L. still do not trust each other. A 32-year old quarterback who has repeatedly said he wants to play football still wants to do so on his own terms in a league that doesn’t take well to such players.
ADVERTISEMENT
And so Saturday’s fiasco ended with both sides digging their heels in on principles and very few football questions being resolved. The league and Kaepernick bickered over when the tryout would be held, who would videotape it, who could watch it and even the liability waivers he would have to sign.
Then, at the 11th hour, with two dozen scouts waiting for the quarterback at the Falcons facility an hour north of Atlanta, Kaepernick announced he would hold his own workout an hour’s drive in the opposite direction.
The details of the take-it-or-leave-it tryout the league arranged for Kaepernick last week are just the latest example of how toxic their relationship has become. His skills, which have been debated endlessly for three years, were still “impressive,” according to one of the scouts who watched his workout Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yet after Kaepernick’s on-the-record statement to gathered press, several highly placed N.F.L. sources who requested anonymity raised questions about whether Saturday’s late changes were more about perpetuating the quarterback’s brand as the man who continues to pay the price for protesting on behalf of black people.
That cynicism regarding the quarterback’s intentions was echoed by two previously ardent Kaepernick supporters.
“He don’t want to play, he wants to be a martyr,” Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN television personality who supported Kaepernick’s desire to return to the N.F.L. since he became a free agent in 2017, said in a video he posted to Twitter. “But guess what, it ain’t working this time.”
Jay-Z, the music impresario who nudged Commissioner Roger Goodell to extend the league’s thorny olive branch, is now disappointed that Kaepernick skipped the N.F.L. workout, according to a person who has spoken directly with Jay-Z.
ADVERTISEMENT
At least two teams had serious interest in pursuing Kaepernick if he performed well at the N.F.L. tryout on Saturday, according to a person close to the league officials. After Kaepernick challenged the terms of the workout, interest from those teams evaporated, that person said. A total of eight teams were represented at the outdoor workout.
Still, the comparisons between Kaepernick and the current group of quarterbacks continues. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen were both under scrutiny after poor performances on Sunday, leading to speculation of how their teams might have performed with Kaepernick at the helm.
It is not hard to see why the N.F.L. might still want to wash its hands of Kaepernick and why Kaepernick might not leave his football future to the league’s opaque designs. The quarterback filed a grievance accusing the N.F.L. and its 32 teams of colluding to keep him out, and in February paid Kaepernick several million dollars to settle the case.
So the tug-of-war between the N.F.L. and Kaepernick continues, to the dismay of anyone hoping for a resolution. There seems to be no precedent for this kind of showdown, according to Upton Bell, who has watched the N.F.L. for three-quarters of a century, dating to when his father, Bert Bell, owned the Philadelphia Eagles and was the league’s commissioner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bell has seen the league grapple with gambling scandals, doping epidemics, contract disputes, on-field violence, labor strife, and more. But he has never seen a standoff like this.
“I have been watching the N.F.L. for 74 years,” Bell wrote. “This might be one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen. It’s slapstick comedy.”
But, he added, it would only be funny “if it wasn’t in its own way a serious issue.”
www.nytimes.com
The N.F.L.’s Tug of War With Colin Kaepernick’s Didn’t Resolve Anything
The two parties did not trust one another before Saturday’s workout fiasco. Not much has changed.
Image
Colin Kaepernick addressed media and supporters who attended his workout on Saturday.
Colin Kaepernick addressed media and supporters who attended his workout on Saturday.Credit...Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
By Ken Belson
Nov. 17, 2019
Updated 7:34 p.m. ET
Colin Kaepernick spent six years in the N.F.L. displaying his abilities and the three years since his ouster arguing with the league over whether his abilities should still merit him a job.
That dispute was as alive as ever on Saturday evening, when he addressed about 100 reporters and friends at a high school stadium outside Atlanta. He had just held a hastily rearranged tryout in front of a handful of team scouts and tens of thousands of others watching online, a vastly different audience than the N.F.L. had originally planned for.
“We have nothing to hide,” he said in a 90-second speech. “We’re waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running, running from the truth, stop running from the people.” Kaepernick did not take questions from reporters.
The most salient truth appears to include this fact: After all the drama and hype of the past week, Kaepernick and the N.F.L. still do not trust each other. A 32-year old quarterback who has repeatedly said he wants to play football still wants to do so on his own terms in a league that doesn’t take well to such players.
ADVERTISEMENT
And so Saturday’s fiasco ended with both sides digging their heels in on principles and very few football questions being resolved. The league and Kaepernick bickered over when the tryout would be held, who would videotape it, who could watch it and even the liability waivers he would have to sign.
Then, at the 11th hour, with two dozen scouts waiting for the quarterback at the Falcons facility an hour north of Atlanta, Kaepernick announced he would hold his own workout an hour’s drive in the opposite direction.
The details of the take-it-or-leave-it tryout the league arranged for Kaepernick last week are just the latest example of how toxic their relationship has become. His skills, which have been debated endlessly for three years, were still “impressive,” according to one of the scouts who watched his workout Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yet after Kaepernick’s on-the-record statement to gathered press, several highly placed N.F.L. sources who requested anonymity raised questions about whether Saturday’s late changes were more about perpetuating the quarterback’s brand as the man who continues to pay the price for protesting on behalf of black people.
That cynicism regarding the quarterback’s intentions was echoed by two previously ardent Kaepernick supporters.
“He don’t want to play, he wants to be a martyr,” Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN television personality who supported Kaepernick’s desire to return to the N.F.L. since he became a free agent in 2017, said in a video he posted to Twitter. “But guess what, it ain’t working this time.”
Jay-Z, the music impresario who nudged Commissioner Roger Goodell to extend the league’s thorny olive branch, is now disappointed that Kaepernick skipped the N.F.L. workout, according to a person who has spoken directly with Jay-Z.
ADVERTISEMENT
At least two teams had serious interest in pursuing Kaepernick if he performed well at the N.F.L. tryout on Saturday, according to a person close to the league officials. After Kaepernick challenged the terms of the workout, interest from those teams evaporated, that person said. A total of eight teams were represented at the outdoor workout.
Still, the comparisons between Kaepernick and the current group of quarterbacks continues. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen were both under scrutiny after poor performances on Sunday, leading to speculation of how their teams might have performed with Kaepernick at the helm.
It is not hard to see why the N.F.L. might still want to wash its hands of Kaepernick and why Kaepernick might not leave his football future to the league’s opaque designs. The quarterback filed a grievance accusing the N.F.L. and its 32 teams of colluding to keep him out, and in February paid Kaepernick several million dollars to settle the case.
So the tug-of-war between the N.F.L. and Kaepernick continues, to the dismay of anyone hoping for a resolution. There seems to be no precedent for this kind of showdown, according to Upton Bell, who has watched the N.F.L. for three-quarters of a century, dating to when his father, Bert Bell, owned the Philadelphia Eagles and was the league’s commissioner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bell has seen the league grapple with gambling scandals, doping epidemics, contract disputes, on-field violence, labor strife, and more. But he has never seen a standoff like this.
“I have been watching the N.F.L. for 74 years,” Bell wrote. “This might be one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen. It’s slapstick comedy.”
But, he added, it would only be funny “if it wasn’t in its own way a serious issue.”
The N.F.L.’s Tug of War With Colin Kaepernick Didn’t Resolve Anything (Published 2019)
The two parties did not trust each other before Saturday’s workout fiasco. Not much has changed.
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Colin Kaepernick’s Workout Derailed by Dispute With N.F.L.
Kaepernick moved his tryout at the last moment amid a disagreement with the N.F.L. over media access. Few team scouts followed.
Colin Kaepernick held a workout for N.F.L. teams on Saturday in Riverdale, Ga.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
By Ken Belson
There, in shorts and a black tank top, the former San Francisco 49ers star zipped passes to four receivers running routes on the football field. Eight N.F.L. scouts looked on, one of them later calling the performance “impressive.” As the sun faded and the temperature dropped, a couple hundred people stood along a chain-link fence behind one end zone and cheered.
“Stay focused, man! We believe in you!” one fan yelled.
The question these days is who to believe. Part N.F.L. tryout, part public rally, part media circus, the impromptu workout was put together in a few hours after a contentious week of negotiations between the quarterback and the league. It was the latest twist in a showdown that has captivated the sports world since Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 season.
After signing autographs for fans, many wearing his 49ers jersey, Kaepernick returned to the field and spoke to the media for the first time in years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“I’ve been prepared for three years, I’ve been denied for three years and you all know why,” Kaepernick said. “I’ve been ready. I’m staying ready.”
670 people are talking about this
Then he piled into a van and drove off, leaving as many, if not more, questions about his future as there were when he began the day. Some of the scouts appeared impressed, but does any team want the attention that is likely to come with signing Kaepernick? His arm looked strong, but at this point in the season, which team needs him? And on and on.
As with much of the quarterback’s recent interactions with the league, Saturday’s workout was the result of bad blood poured on bad blood. On Tuesday, the league called Kaepernick’s agent and gave him two hours to accept an offer for Kaepernick to work out at the Falcons’ training facility an hour north of Atlanta in front of all 32 teams — the same 32 teams that have declined to invite him to work out for the past three seasons.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Commissioner Roger Goodell, egged on by Jay-Z, the music impresario who is now advising the league on social justice issues, offered the olive branch to Kaepernick so the teams could see for themselves whether the 32-year-old quarterback still has the skills to play in the N.F.L.
Nike, which works with both Kaepernick and the N.F.L., was all set to run an advertisement featuring the quarterback. Unlike the “Dream Crazy” commercial that ran during the opening telecast of last season, the N.F.L. approved this one.
The ad did not run on Saturday afternoon as planned.
The distrust between the league and Kaepernick is profound and perhaps irreversible. In 2017, Kaepernick accused the league of blackballing him because of his decision to kneel during the national anthem. The two sides settled their differences when the N.F.L. paid Kaepernick a multimillion-dollar settlement in February.
The legal matter settled, teams were freed up to call him. Yet no teams did.
Then, out of the blue, the league offered Kaepernick a one-time chance to show his stuff.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“Something didn’t smell right,” Jeff Nalley, Kaepernick’s agent, said after the workout.
The two sides fought over whether Kaepernick would be provided a list of which N.F.L. personnel would be present. They tussled over whether media would be allowed to watch, and over whether Kaepernick could bring his own film crew to the workout.
Image
After signing autographs for fans, many wearing his 49ers jersey, Colin Kaepernick returned to the field and spoke to football media for the first time in years.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
The final straw was, as it is with so many things involving the N.F.L., a legal affair. Kaepernick and the four receivers signed standard waivers that indemnified the league if they got injured. The N.F.L. sent back a far longer form with a number of other restrictions. Kaepernick’s lawyers rejected what they called an “unusual liability waiver” as a precondition.
At 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, with about two dozen scouts waiting at the Falcons’ facility, Kaepernick announced that the workout would be moved to a high school an hour away. Many scouts threw up their arms and headed straight to the airport. Dozens of reporters and cameramen drove south to the high school field.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Kaepernick arrived around 4:10 p.m. and drove onto the field of the outdoor stadium. The high school, just outside Atlanta, is about 60 miles southwest of the Falcons’ facility.
He came out and stretched, joked with friends and hugged his former teammate Eric Reid, who knelt with Kaepernick when they played for the 49ers. Reid plays for the Carolina Panthers.
While the vibe at the high school was friendly, with cheers and encouragement, the crowd in front of the Falcons’ facility earlier on Saturday was mixed, with protesters on both sides of the main entrance to the Falcons’ practice facility.
On one side, Jim McIntyre stood with a wooden sign that said “Stand Up For the Flag” that he and his wife made the night before. McIntyre, who lives in town, said he supported Kaepernick’s right to free speech but believed his form of protest was disrespectful to the flag, despite Kaepernick’s assertions to the contrary.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
McIntyre said he stopped watching N.F.L. games when Kaepernick and other players began kneeling because it made him uncomfortable. “I really wish the N.F.L. would have a policy to make players stand for the anthem,” he said.
On the other side of the entrance, Scott Brooks sat in a lawn chair holding a handwritten sign that read “I’m With Kap.” Brooks drove two hours from Tennessee to show his support. Wearing Kaepernick’s red 49ers jersey, he said that he agreed with the quarterback’s goal of raising awareness of police brutality against African-Americans.
“I hate to see it overshadowed” by the controversy over his decision to kneel, Brooks said. “He lost his job for not even committing a crime.”
Image
The crowd in front of the Falcons’ facility on Saturday was of mixed opinion, with protesters on both sides of the main entrance to the Falcons’ practice facility.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
About two dozen alumni of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity also arrived to support Kaepernick, who was a member in college. They said they admired his willingness to kneel to shine a light on police brutality against African-Americans.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Some drivers slowed down and honked support, though it was often unclear who they were supporting.
Later at the high school, the only ambiguity was where Kaepernick will go next. Nalley, his agent, said he did not expect many clubs to call.
“I hope so, but to be honest, I’m a little pessimistic because I’ve talked to all 32 teams” already, he said, and none have offered Kaepernick a tryout.
Kaepernick added his own coda that suggests that Saturday’s tryout is only one chapter in an ongoing tug-of-war.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“I’m ready to go anywhere,” he said. “The ball’s in their court. We’re ready to go.”
Kevin Draper contributed reporting from New York.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/16/sports/football/colin-kaepernick-nfl-workout.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/...tion=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
Kaepernick moved his tryout at the last moment amid a disagreement with the N.F.L. over media access. Few team scouts followed.
Colin Kaepernick held a workout for N.F.L. teams on Saturday in Riverdale, Ga.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
By Ken Belson
- Nov. 16, 2019
There, in shorts and a black tank top, the former San Francisco 49ers star zipped passes to four receivers running routes on the football field. Eight N.F.L. scouts looked on, one of them later calling the performance “impressive.” As the sun faded and the temperature dropped, a couple hundred people stood along a chain-link fence behind one end zone and cheered.
“Stay focused, man! We believe in you!” one fan yelled.
The question these days is who to believe. Part N.F.L. tryout, part public rally, part media circus, the impromptu workout was put together in a few hours after a contentious week of negotiations between the quarterback and the league. It was the latest twist in a showdown that has captivated the sports world since Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 season.
After signing autographs for fans, many wearing his 49ers jersey, Kaepernick returned to the field and spoke to the media for the first time in years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“I’ve been prepared for three years, I’ve been denied for three years and you all know why,” Kaepernick said. “I’ve been ready. I’m staying ready.”
NESSA
✔@nessnitty
https://twitter.com/nessnitty/status/1195788563742375937
#Transparency We are ready!!! For teams/media wanting to attend today please contact his agent now
1,388
2:39 PM - Nov 16, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
670 people are talking about this
Then he piled into a van and drove off, leaving as many, if not more, questions about his future as there were when he began the day. Some of the scouts appeared impressed, but does any team want the attention that is likely to come with signing Kaepernick? His arm looked strong, but at this point in the season, which team needs him? And on and on.
As with much of the quarterback’s recent interactions with the league, Saturday’s workout was the result of bad blood poured on bad blood. On Tuesday, the league called Kaepernick’s agent and gave him two hours to accept an offer for Kaepernick to work out at the Falcons’ training facility an hour north of Atlanta in front of all 32 teams — the same 32 teams that have declined to invite him to work out for the past three seasons.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Commissioner Roger Goodell, egged on by Jay-Z, the music impresario who is now advising the league on social justice issues, offered the olive branch to Kaepernick so the teams could see for themselves whether the 32-year-old quarterback still has the skills to play in the N.F.L.
Nike, which works with both Kaepernick and the N.F.L., was all set to run an advertisement featuring the quarterback. Unlike the “Dream Crazy” commercial that ran during the opening telecast of last season, the N.F.L. approved this one.
The ad did not run on Saturday afternoon as planned.
The distrust between the league and Kaepernick is profound and perhaps irreversible. In 2017, Kaepernick accused the league of blackballing him because of his decision to kneel during the national anthem. The two sides settled their differences when the N.F.L. paid Kaepernick a multimillion-dollar settlement in February.
The legal matter settled, teams were freed up to call him. Yet no teams did.
Then, out of the blue, the league offered Kaepernick a one-time chance to show his stuff.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“Something didn’t smell right,” Jeff Nalley, Kaepernick’s agent, said after the workout.
The two sides fought over whether Kaepernick would be provided a list of which N.F.L. personnel would be present. They tussled over whether media would be allowed to watch, and over whether Kaepernick could bring his own film crew to the workout.
Image
After signing autographs for fans, many wearing his 49ers jersey, Colin Kaepernick returned to the field and spoke to football media for the first time in years.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
The final straw was, as it is with so many things involving the N.F.L., a legal affair. Kaepernick and the four receivers signed standard waivers that indemnified the league if they got injured. The N.F.L. sent back a far longer form with a number of other restrictions. Kaepernick’s lawyers rejected what they called an “unusual liability waiver” as a precondition.
At 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, with about two dozen scouts waiting at the Falcons’ facility, Kaepernick announced that the workout would be moved to a high school an hour away. Many scouts threw up their arms and headed straight to the airport. Dozens of reporters and cameramen drove south to the high school field.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Kaepernick arrived around 4:10 p.m. and drove onto the field of the outdoor stadium. The high school, just outside Atlanta, is about 60 miles southwest of the Falcons’ facility.
He came out and stretched, joked with friends and hugged his former teammate Eric Reid, who knelt with Kaepernick when they played for the 49ers. Reid plays for the Carolina Panthers.
While the vibe at the high school was friendly, with cheers and encouragement, the crowd in front of the Falcons’ facility earlier on Saturday was mixed, with protesters on both sides of the main entrance to the Falcons’ practice facility.
On one side, Jim McIntyre stood with a wooden sign that said “Stand Up For the Flag” that he and his wife made the night before. McIntyre, who lives in town, said he supported Kaepernick’s right to free speech but believed his form of protest was disrespectful to the flag, despite Kaepernick’s assertions to the contrary.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
McIntyre said he stopped watching N.F.L. games when Kaepernick and other players began kneeling because it made him uncomfortable. “I really wish the N.F.L. would have a policy to make players stand for the anthem,” he said.
On the other side of the entrance, Scott Brooks sat in a lawn chair holding a handwritten sign that read “I’m With Kap.” Brooks drove two hours from Tennessee to show his support. Wearing Kaepernick’s red 49ers jersey, he said that he agreed with the quarterback’s goal of raising awareness of police brutality against African-Americans.
“I hate to see it overshadowed” by the controversy over his decision to kneel, Brooks said. “He lost his job for not even committing a crime.”
Image
The crowd in front of the Falcons’ facility on Saturday was of mixed opinion, with protesters on both sides of the main entrance to the Falcons’ practice facility.Credit...Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
About two dozen alumni of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity also arrived to support Kaepernick, who was a member in college. They said they admired his willingness to kneel to shine a light on police brutality against African-Americans.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Some drivers slowed down and honked support, though it was often unclear who they were supporting.
Later at the high school, the only ambiguity was where Kaepernick will go next. Nalley, his agent, said he did not expect many clubs to call.
“I hope so, but to be honest, I’m a little pessimistic because I’ve talked to all 32 teams” already, he said, and none have offered Kaepernick a tryout.
Kaepernick added his own coda that suggests that Saturday’s tryout is only one chapter in an ongoing tug-of-war.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“I’m ready to go anywhere,” he said. “The ball’s in their court. We’re ready to go.”
Kevin Draper contributed reporting from New York.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/16/sports/football/colin-kaepernick-nfl-workout.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/...tion=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
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“I really wish the N.F.L. would have a policy to make players stand for the anthem,” he said.
Why? Kap was essentially blackballed without a policy anyway? These people are something else man I swear.
Why? Kap was essentially blackballed without a policy anyway? These people are something else man I swear.
RustyShackleford
Supporter
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People's criticism of Kaep is basically that he didn't play along with the NFL's bad faith PR event, so somehow that proves he doesn't want to really get back on the field.
It amazes me that some people don't realize how asinine that argument is.
It amazes me that some people don't realize how asinine that argument is.
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The sad part is no one is hitting on the fact there was no script for the workout. All you hear is how tough the qb position is to play and how it takes timing and rapport with the receivers your throwing too.
The nfl provided none of that. You watch the scouting combine and any other workouts the script is clear around expectations.and guys literally have docs of them working out just to pass the interview especially at the qb position for a draft ranking
I have a hard time believing that any starting qb in the league would've had a chance to make this work on a saturday with short notice.
And it's funny how it's the same 50+ aged black men from a different era speaking about how he missed an opportunity. Those same people are out here telling everyone they need to go to college for success they are out of touch with the plight of this generation and rely only on there experiences and dont seek to understand where this gen is coming from.
Kap ain't wrong for not showing up. But I think it's time he takes his talents elsewhere.
Stephan a and brown from CBS would be called cornballs and not even know it. Two non-athletes with no understanding of where he is coming from. That is why Shannon Sharpe is a breathe of fresh air.
Jay-z dont even realize he is a pawn in this pr stunt. He doesnt even understand the operational side of the league and how teams operate. This has never been done and aside from sunday, saturday is the worst day to host something like this.
The nfl repeatedly gets to flip flop on stances and no one sticks to calling them out gotta love democracy. The dollar wins every time.
The nfl provided none of that. You watch the scouting combine and any other workouts the script is clear around expectations.and guys literally have docs of them working out just to pass the interview especially at the qb position for a draft ranking
I have a hard time believing that any starting qb in the league would've had a chance to make this work on a saturday with short notice.
And it's funny how it's the same 50+ aged black men from a different era speaking about how he missed an opportunity. Those same people are out here telling everyone they need to go to college for success they are out of touch with the plight of this generation and rely only on there experiences and dont seek to understand where this gen is coming from.
Kap ain't wrong for not showing up. But I think it's time he takes his talents elsewhere.
Stephan a and brown from CBS would be called cornballs and not even know it. Two non-athletes with no understanding of where he is coming from. That is why Shannon Sharpe is a breathe of fresh air.
Jay-z dont even realize he is a pawn in this pr stunt. He doesnt even understand the operational side of the league and how teams operate. This has never been done and aside from sunday, saturday is the worst day to host something like this.
The nfl repeatedly gets to flip flop on stances and no one sticks to calling them out gotta love democracy. The dollar wins every time.
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Here’s a good short read
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Inside the Disintegration of Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Workout
Between issues over a liability waiver and the event’s transparency, the acrimony between Kaepernick and the NFL proved insurmountable for the unprecedented event
Colin Kaepernick staged his own workout at an Atlanta-area high school in front of cameras and reporters. Photo: Todd Kirkland/Associated Press
By
Andrew Beaton
Updated Nov. 17, 2019 4:38 pm ET
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Colin Kaepernick’s NFL-sanctioned bid to return to the league after three years in exile unraveled before it even began.
Kaepernick arrived in Atlanta on Friday to feature his abilities at a league-organized workout on Saturday that had an unlikely goal: landing him an NFL contract. Kaepernick has been a free agent since 2016, the season he led players in controversial social-justice protests during the national anthem. But suddenly, the league was offering him a showcase at the Atlanta Falcons’ practice facility, an unprecedented trial open to all of the teams that have shunned him.
But about an hour before the workout was set to begin, Kaepernick pulled out. His representatives chafed at a league-written waiver he was asked to sign, concerned it could broadly sign away his right to legal recourse over anything related to the workout and his employment in the league.
The NFL then balked at a different waiver proposed by Kaepernick’s lawyer at the last minute, deeming it inadequate, and his team’s request to make the workout open to the media for transparency. Along the way, Nike Inc. —both an NFL sponsor and prominent Kaepernick endorser—was caught in the middle of the rancor.
So Kaepernick staged his own workout at an Atlanta-area high school in front of cameras and reporters. Eight teams came, versus the 25 who were to attend the league-sanctioned workout.
The event’s misfire was an explosion of the deep-seated mistrust that has existed for years between these two parties. Kaepernick has alleged the NFL and its 32 teams colluded to keep him unsigned ever since he launched player protests during the national anthem against social issues such as police brutality while a member of the San Francisco 49ers. His grievance was settled earlier this year, but he and his representatives have continued to hammer at a single point: no team, during his unemployment, had even offered to work him out.
“I’ve been ready for three years, I’ve been denied for three years,” Kaepernick said after his event.
The league, in a critical statement issued shortly after its event fell apart, said: “We are disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout.”
This account of the high-profile failure is based on interviews with several participants on all sides of the dispute. The workout was organized last Tuesday, but its origins date back over a month, people familiar with the discussions said. That’s when, in October, Kaepernick’s agents had issued a statement reiterating his desire to play, his statistical qualifications and his readiness for an opportunity.
That prompted some teams—accustomed to trying out anyone they like under normal circumstances—to ask the league about Kaepernick’s status. They were curious to scout him but skittish about the polarizing attention inviting him in could bring, the people said.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s frustrations over the issue led him to push for an option in which no one team had to shoulder responsibility for auditioning Kaepernick. The league proposed a Saturday workout in which every team would be invited and would be filmed for everyone to review. Kaepernick agreed and a memo was sent out to all teams.
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But disagreements arose almost immediately. Kaepernick’s team pushed to move the workout to another day, believing it would be difficult for player-personnel executives to attend on a Saturday. The NFL held firm on the timing, but agreed to other concessions, such as Kaepernick’s request to run the drills with his own wide receivers.
Still, both sides moved ahead. Kaepernick flew in from the West Coast and trained for the event in the Atlanta area on Friday. His representatives had extensive discussions with the people running the workout, including former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson. The sides also discussed the questions he would be asked during an interview. On Saturday afternoon, NFL executives were optimistic enough that they privately touted a Kaepernick ad for Nike that was pegged to the event
But then more problems cropped up. Kaerpernick’s representatives asked for the event to be open to the media to “ensure transparency.” They also said in a statement that the NFL asked Kaepernick to sign “an unusual liability waiver that addresses employment-related issues.” The waiver was first sent on Wednesday, and there were discussions about it Friday night, when the league believed any changes to it would be minor.
But on Saturday, the problems proved insurmountable. At issue: language that Kaepernick’s team believed could be used against them in potential future litigation over employment issues, a person familiar with their thinking said. Instead of simply addressing standard injury concerns, the NFL’s waiver included broad language that Kaepernick would forfeit any claims against the league and its teams “related directly or indirectly” to the workout, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Around noon, just three hours before the event, Kaepernick’s representatives sent their own waiver. It was shorter and simply addressed injury risk, according to a copy reviewed by The Journal. At about 2 p.m., they learned the NFL was not going to sign it.
The NFL later called it “insufficient.” The league believed it needed the broad language to properly protect its own liabilities and felt it had to include language protecting the league against potential workers compensation claims if Kaepernick was hurt, two people familiar with the discussions said.
“The waiver was too broad for Kaepernick to sign,” said David Weinstein, a lawyer and former prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida. “The NFL was trying to bait him into signing an agreement which would have prevented him from filing another collusion lawsuit.”
Colin Kaepernick went through a series of passing drills during his workout. Photo: Austin Mcafee/Zuma Press
The league said it learned at about 2:30 p.m., at the same time the public did, that Kaepernick would not attend the NFL’s event.
The league then issued a blistering public attack on Kaepernick’s move. In that statement, the league suggested Nike was involved in how things had played out: “Nike, with Colin’s approval, requested to shoot an ad featuring Colin and mentioning all the NFL teams present at the workout.”
But Nike quickly rebutted that. The company did not have a camera crew at Kaepernick’s planned workout, a Nike spokesman said. The company was caught off guard and “confused” for being called out by the NFL, one person familiar with the matter said. Rather, the company had asked for permission to use the names of NFL teams that were attending the workout in potential content pegged to the event.
As the league-sponsored workout came unglued, Kaepernick’s team scrambled to find a new location for him to run the drills, a person familiar with the matter said. They called in favors with area contacts—Kaepernick’s non-profit, “Know Your Rights” has done work in Atlanta recently—and that took them to Charles Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., just south of Atlanta.
At 4 p.m., an hour later than his scheduled NFL workout, Kaepernick’s own event kicked off. Media was in attendance and there was a live stream on YouTube. Eight teams, fewer than a third that had planned to attend the original event, made the hour trip from the Falcons’ complex.
The NFL said its workout was what Kaepernick has “consistently said he wants—an opportunity to show his football readiness and desire to return to the NFL.”
Kaepernick worked out, signed gear for fans and finished by making brief remarks. He said he was waiting for the 32 teams, their owners and Goodell to “stop running.”
“I’ve been ready, I’m staying ready,” he said. “The ball is in their court.”
—Khadeeja Safdar contributed to this article.
Write to Andrew Beaton at andrew.beaton@wsj.com
https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-disintegration-of-colin-kaepernicks-nfl-workout-11574025817
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The whole thing was a setup..anyone who thinks otherwise is either dense, ignorant, or just hates Kap and what he stands for and doesn't want to admit it......Or all three.
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Playmakers was a great show. *****s had Omar Gooding injecting urine into his joint for a piss test.
**** was wild. Had to know the NFL was gonna step in.
I remember when Paul Tagliabue publicly trashed Playmakers, I knew it was a wrap. ESPN's TV deal with the NFL was up in a few years and they didn't want to lose that contract.
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NFL & Kap both tried to use this as a play for press... that man don't wanna play in the NFL... his current route is for profitable
NFL Owners don't want him in the league, but I think if he didn't make the demands & changes to the practice someone would have signed him. Not out of goodwill but because these same **** heads who were screaming boycott the NFL would have went out in droves to give the NFL their money for Kap Jerseys/Games.
Whole **** is a spectical now, and the convo is no longer about police brutality & it hasn't been for some time.
Kunta ain't grab 60 M's from Nike my man, but finesse in peace.
NFL Owners don't want him in the league, but I think if he didn't make the demands & changes to the practice someone would have signed him. Not out of goodwill but because these same **** heads who were screaming boycott the NFL would have went out in droves to give the NFL their money for Kap Jerseys/Games.
Whole **** is a spectical now, and the convo is no longer about police brutality & it hasn't been for some time.
Kunta ain't grab 60 M's from Nike my man, but finesse in peace.
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Ninja stop posting opinion pieces that no one will read...just post the link.
My eyes hurt trying to scroll this page looking for actual responses
My eyes hurt trying to scroll this page looking for actual responses
