Colin Kaepernick's reps blast NFL for ignoring him, say they got 'little to no response' from all 32 teams despite him being ready to return
On Thursday, the representatives of NFL player Colin Kaepernick released a memo debunking the false narratives circulating in the media regarding the free-agent quarterback's career and how he has not been given ample opportunities to return to the big league after his peaceful protest by taking a knee in 2016.
Reps Jeff Nalley and Jasmine Windham said in their memo that Colin had received “little to no response” about possible opportunities to play in the NFL despite him being ready to get back into the game at the drop of a hat. “Not a single team has offered Colin a job since the 2016 season, in which he began as a peaceful protest," it said. “Not a single team has brought Colin in for a workout. Seattle brought Colin in for a visit but did not work him out. Afterward, [Seahawks coach] Pete Carroll said Colin is a ‘starter in this league.’ No other NFL team has interviewed or worked out Colin the past 3 seasons, despite other false statements in the media to the contrary.”
The memo then went onto clarify a number of rumors surrounding why the 31-year-old football player had been absent from the game for so many years, including dispelling the misconception that Colin had demanded a higher salary for playing. They also mentioned the circumstances under which he had to opt out of his contract after the 2016 season.
“Colin opted out after his conversation with the 49ers GM John Lynch, who told Colin they were going to cut him and publicly stated, ‘I don’t want to characterize it as he made a decision to leave here… You can opt out, we can release you,’" they said. "Colin opted out prior to free agency to maximize potential employment opportunities and because the 49ers would have cut him prior to the start of the 2017 season."
The memo was tweeted by Colin's former colleague and friend Eric Reid, who also took a knee along with him during the controversial protest that divided the nation at the time. "'There have been so many false narratives in the media regarding Colin, we believe it’s important to set the record straight, again.' Please read this!! Don’t believe the lies being told about my brother .@Kaepernick7" Reid captioned the post.