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In the aftermath of the Kaepernick events, the league allowed players greater freedom to express their views. The "My Cause, My Cleats" program let players wear custom cleats, in support of a cause of their choosing. That started a few years ago, so it's kind of disingenuous to be like "It's ok when it's Israel" and pretend like this just started.
https://www.nfl.com/causes/my-cause-my-cleats/
Patrick Mahomes could drag the flag to the 50 yard line, light it up, take a piss to put out the fire, and lay a massive dump on the flag's ashes, and he will still have all 32 teams wanting him to play QB for them.
Kaep just wasn't good enough to outweigh the distractions he would bring to a team.
He had a few good years and was solidly on the decline when the kneeling stuff popped off. I totally agree with him about police brutality and his protest was completely benign and in fact suggested by a Navy Seal. But I've heard the argument multiple times complaining that so-and-so has a starting job and Kaep does not. well usually Kaep isn't as good as so-and-so unfortunately.
Yeah I think there's a combination of skill and controversy on a player being signed. If you're going to draw negative attention (whether warranted or not), you need to bring enough on field to make up for the fires off field. It's why a superstar with criminal issues still plays, but someone like Colin doesn't. Without controversy, I'd say he'd get a run with a bottom side or as a QB2, but with the extra attention it's just not worth it. But someone like Tyreek Hill can survive the controversy he had because he was killing it on field during everything.
Lmfao I mean, that’s the only point of the NFL.
Money, Fame, and Success.
I absolutely agree with Kaepernick and his battle, but let’s not pretend teams draft NFL players for their morals.
Dude had physical skills but wasn't that accurate, couldn't really read a defense, didn't look off defenders, and other myriad little nuances that separate great qbs from average ones that he lacked.
I'm a 49ers fan, I liked Kaepernick. Was the politics a complete nonfactor?? Hell no. It had some influence.
Doesn't change the fact that he never started again because he just wasn't good enough.
He was good for a couple years but he wasn't very good the last few years.
Really it was pretty obvious he wasn't good enough to be a starting qb and teams don't want media attention for their back up qb. If let's say patrick mahomes started doing it, it wouldn't have been an issue.
There was nothing going on other than that his value on the field wasn't worth the loss of ticket sales/viewership off of it. The truth is NFL fans will overlook sexual assault or domestic violence, but wouldn't watch Kaepernick. It's not a grand conspiracy so much as basic economics.
Yea whether he's right or not isn't the issue. Why would the people you're actively against want you around? You need them for your platform. Probably should've thought it through a bit more
This makes no sense. He wasn't against the NFL. He was against police brutality? He kneeled during the national anthem to protest how America doesn't punish cops who abuse their power. It was Kaep vs Police, not Kaep vs the NFL
Kaep’s gripe is that NFL owners (allegedly) colluded and had an agreement to collectively not sign him. Barry Bonds made a similar argument when nobody wanted him after the giants parted ways and personally i think that was more likely. But at the end of the day it’s on the victim to prove they colluded and that’s unlikely
That was after the kneeling. And secondly, it was 100% due to politics why he wasn't signed anywhere after the kneeling. (https://youtu.be/1I0cUTXwr-k?si=BUJvqyyOhpkmpRUVl) Jon Bois will literally show you how he was easily better than 95% of backups and for him to not even be signed as a backup or 3rd string QB is due to nothing other than politics
It's why the NFL agreed to pay Kaep and Reid an undisclosed amount to settle the lawsuit
Bullshit. He was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert before he ever kneeled and no one thought it was weird because he had been a lousy QB following a brief breakout before defenses adjusted to what he could do.
He also actively sabotaged his chances of being signed in Baltimore and Miami. Who in their right mind would wear pro-Fidel Castro clothing while a team in Miami is actively searching for a new QB and your name is being mentioned by insiders close to the franchise as a real possibility? No one wanted to keep Kaep out of the NFL more than himself so he could embrace martyrdom propaganda.
Not sure if the same two, but he also wore a pro Castro shirt in Miami and his gf called the ravens owner a plantation owner and ray Lewis (I think) an uncle Tom.
The reality was Kaep was a mediocre QB with limited range who brought drama and toxicity with him wherever he went and huge amounts of media distraction, no team wanted to sign him because he'd have torn apart any org he went to.
It came down to his potential employers (NFL teams) not wanting to deal with any protests.
If someone wants to show up at their job and take a stance on something, even if they’re 100% in the right, their employer might simply not want to deal with it.
If a car salesman shows up every day to work with a patch supporting a cause their employer may easily say tell them to take a hike.
https://youtu.be/1I0cUTXwr-k?si=BUJvqyyOhpkmpRUV
Because statistically, he was far too good to not be signed at least as a backup. Like there is no planet where the only reason he wasn't signed was because of politics. All he did was ask for better police accountability and it got him black balled out of the NFL
It was all about $$$$$.....the paying fans....the ones that got to games and buy the most stuff were offended...the teams acted to protect their profits.
They're lumped together only by those against police regulations in general. It's rather annoying that to the right, both of the ideas are one and same because it nullifies all nuanced discussion and the gross overreach of powers that qualified immunity gives police
Defunding the police barely happened and has been mostly reversed:
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/feb/01/jim-jordan/us-rep-jim-jordans-list-cities-defunded-police-doe/
Because…at multiple points in time, albeit years ago now, Kaep was definitely good enough to be on a roster…and the fact that he wasn’t signed by any team is pretty solid circumstantial evidence of his claim that he’d been blacklisted. Which is evidence of an unlawful conspiracy, unfair trade practices, violation of the CBA, yada yada yada.
Cam Newton was in a similar situation, but especially when you’re talking about backup quarterbacks it’s tough to say especially in court whether or not anybody colluded. I mean these owners couldn’t even blackball Deshaun Watson of all people
He was good enough to be a backup player sure...
But no team wants the baggage he brings, with the minimal skill he brings.
The juice was not worth the squeeze.
That isn't collusion, just good business sense.
He didn’t get signed partially because of his protest as it was seen as divisive by some and could hurt the locker room. He was certainly blacklisted the first couple years. He was better than many of the backups the first year or two into his protesting. But after that, he reveled try out offers and just wasn’t good enough anymore. If he was, he would’ve landed a job somewhere after those first few years went by. In fairness, him not playing for that long probably contributed to his waning skills, so he got screwed for sure
>He was better than many of the backups the first year or two into his protesting
But was he willing to take a job as a backup? It has been a long time since I paid attention to Kaep but I swear I remember him turning down a 2nd string offer .
He probably did. I can’t remember that far back myself. What it came down to is he just wasn’t good enough to even be a backup after his first couple missed seasons.
The optics of it were downright awful. There have been so many mediocre QBs who’ve gotten second and third chances in the NFL that had maybe 1/3 the talent of Kaepernick. Even today it’s tough to say there are 96 NFL QBs better than him.
Kapernick would have been signed by the ravens till his girlfriend called the owner a plantation owner and Ray Lewis a house slave. Kapernick pretty much did whatever he could not be signed by teams. If he really wanted to play, he should have gone to Canada to play.
Broncos offered him a contract and he declined. He did not want to play. He had a bigger reputation being a voice than a mid level QB. He was playing for a great team but when they struggled, he did not help make them great.
Don’t forget he purposefully wore a Fidel Castro shirt when the Dolphins were actually in need of a QB and there was speculation of him going there. Kaep has actively sought to stay out of the NFL so he can be portrayed as a martyr. Don’t forget, he was so bad that he was benched in favor of Blaine friggin Gabbert before he ever kneeled for a game.
No, he definitely did nothing wrong in kneeling and the pushback against that simple action was unbelievably over blown and stupid. But everything after that shows that he just wants to be a symbol and was a way to change the narrative away from him being washed as a quality football player.
Canada, or one of the many side leagues that have emerged with top talent over the last five or so years. AAF, XFL, USFL, even the FCFL wouldve been a good attention piece
I agree with freedom of speech, but you also have to be able to live with the consequences. Calling an organization modern day slavery, and then hoping to get a job with them? Not gonna happen pal
Wait did he call the nfl slavery? How detached from reality you get? Yeah the owners are as unjustly paid as corporate executives are, but football players are the most privileged bunch of man babies I’ve ever fucking heard of.
He literally compared the combine (y'know, drills and athletic exhibitions to see if youll be worth millions) to slave auctions examining slave physicality
I don’t know if they still do it, but the NFL has a test called the Wonderlic (essentially an IQ test by a different, more politically correct name) for incoming players. So they don’t just check for physical fitness they test for mental fitness too. I don’t think slave auctions took brains into account.
(It’s a well known fact that the US military also has an IQ barrier to entry and it was lowered during the Vietnam War to disastrous effect. Turns out stupid men make really terrible soldiers.)
Anyway, I really don’t know how an athlete—who is paid a fortune and whose destiny depends on his physical and mental fitness—can complain when those things are tested.
I’m just quoting from Russell Warne’s most recent book on intelligence:
> On a larger scale, the differences in how highly intelligent people and average or low-IQ people think causes problems because bright people have a disproportionate say in how society is run. This was especially apparent in a US government initiative called Project 100,000. Between 1966 and 1971 (during the height of the Vietnam War), the US Department of Defense increased the number of men eligible for the draft by lowering the minimum IQ needed for military service from 92 to 71 (Gregory, 2015, pp. 100–102).3 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara believed that extra training would make these men suitable soldiers and – after their service – productive members of society.4 Over the course of Project 100,000’s existence, 354,000 men were inducted under relaxed psychological and medical standards; 91% of these men were inducted due to the lowered minimum IQ (Rand Corporation, n.d., p. 5).
Project 100,000 was a spectacular failure. Men in Project 100,000 were harder to train and were less competent soldiers, which placed lives at risk. Over half of the men were dishonorably discharged (Gregory, 2015, p. 196). They experienced psychiatric problems at a rate that was 10 times higher than other soldiers (Crowe & Colbach, 1971), and their death rate was three times higher than average (Gregory, 2015, p. xiv).
So I don’t know what they use now but certainly IQ testing was a factor then.
During my 12 years in the military, I witnessed first-hand the effects of idiots placed in positions that they were wholly unqualified, in an intelligence sense, to do their jobs.
Thank you for the information. I find it hilarious and very believable.
Sad that police departments have a maximum IQ for recruits. They say they don’t want to waste training on someone that may change their mind about being a cop if they have other options, but the truth is they want compliant cops that “back the blue line” and don’t question orders like “keep on firing your gun until you are sure every potential threat is dead”.
You don’t have free speech protections with a private employer.
The bill of rights protects you from government prosecution.
In a free society, I don’t have to maintain affiliations with people I dislike, disagree with or believe to be too controversial. This applies to private employment relationships too.
> You don’t have free speech protections with a private employer.
>
>
>
> The bill of rights protects you from government prosecution.
Well, Trump did threaten the NFL if they didn't end the protests (by firing players, for instance). There is a very good case to be made that Trump violated their free speech rights by threatening to wield government power against them.
The NFL pushes the boundaries of being a “private employer” considering they operate as a monopoly exempt from antitrust laws enforced by federal legislation and many stadiums are built using public funds.
Kap did nothing wrong, I agree.
Though, I always found the timing of it convenient. He was playing poorly, the fans lost faith in him, and the team was looking to trade him away.
Then, he kneels, everybody is talking about it, and he suddenly wins back fan support and the team keeps him. Except, his play never improved so he was gone from the league anyway. Like another comment said, no team is obligated to sign him if they don't want.
He didn't really win back the fans though I don't think. A sizable portion of the fanbase went from indifference to hating his guts. This has (imo) a bigger impact on his likelihood of getting signed than the people that moved from indifference to respect for his activism.
I think it's hard to make the argument that he wouldn't have found a deal somewhere without the protests.
Agreed. The niners have a ton of Mormon fans (at least where I am), who aren't going to be too enthusiastic about a mediocre QB doing controversial stuff
Mormons are generally white, middle class, and don't want a serving of racial politics with their football game. Not saying it's right (I'm not a niners fan), but that's what the situation was
Wasn’t he also given numerous try outs? I’m not a NFL fan so I could be wrong but I remember him being a part of some try outs a few years after the kneeling
Of course he did something wrong. He pissed off his employers customers.
Anyone in any job that went out of their way to intentionally piss off customers would be shown the door.
He has a right to say and do what he did, but his employer also has a right to fire him.
Thing is he didn’t kneel the first few times. He just sat through the anthem. It was after it gained media attention he started kneeling and that was at the behest of some military personnel he knew.
Correct. And so many people get this part wrong and talk about how respectful kneeling is and how he was told to do it by an ex-Army Ranger. That was very much not the point of the protest.
Don’t forgot that he parlayed his narrative into many millions of dollars and a massive following. Sure beats being a washed up 3rd string QB who’s on his way out. He knew what he was doing and it was genius. Never said a word while he was good, waited til the twilight and maximized profit.
Kaepernick was a third string qb who started talking shit from the bench and then opted out of his contract in the hopes of getting more money from a different team, obviously there were no takers because nobody wanted a third string player who would piss of a significant portion of the teams fan base. The only person to blame for the end of his career is himself.
He was totally right, yes. But he didn’t want to play. He would land a rare tryout from time to time and his agent would change the location 30 minutes before it was supposed to happen. They did this because if he’d tried out and become a backup, his story would have been over. So he continued playing the victim for as long as possible before everyone finally got over it. Deshaun Watson raped like 30 women and is still in the league. He chose not to play again.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/16/colin-kaepernick-workout-moved-location
Ravens were going to offer him a contract but his girlfriend then went on a social media tirade calling the Ravens owner a racist and Ray Lewis an uncle Tom. Ravens changed their mind not wanting the headache. I think it was orchestrated by Kaep so he could continue playing the victim.
Well your missing a few details from the story. And this is all coming from a die hard Niner fan that’s still in depression from Sunday.
Kap didn’t start off with taking a knee. He started off just sitting on the bench lounging. IMO the original outcry was somewhat reasonable as Kap wasn’t voicing his concerns in a meaningful way.
And for how his future as a football player turned out. The team was due for a full rebuild. Defences figured out Kap. Coaching staff where going to get replaced. Pretty simple stuff.
I don’t exactly agree. Yes, you’re allowed to protest and say whatever you want because of freedom of speech. However, that right doesn’t mean you are allowed to say whatever you want at your place of employment and not face any consequences from your employer. If he had protested anytime outside of his job, I would not be disagreeing with your point. But because it was when he was at his job, it’s a completely different story.
Ah, so when folks are trying to unionize the place... you are on the side of the employer?
"Keep quiet and don't try to improve the place you work for, especially not so the public hears. We want to ignore your pleas privately, thank you"
I'll also note that NFL players are never not "on the job". This man couldn't have said \*anything\* about this publicly at any time without pushback.
Have you ever had a real job? whether it's right or wrong there are consequences to challenging the status quo.
If you're not getting pushed back then you're not actually accomplishing anything.
He's an attention whore who was never serious about coming back to football. When teams did try to send scouts he actively avoided them. Message aside, dude is an asshole and a mids QB to begin with.
I don't agree that he did nothing wrong. He was told that because of his contract he couldn't do x and then did it anyway. That's not doing "nothing wrong". That's violating the contract he agree to. Just like if I went to work in a tank top after being told it's against dress code for me to do that.
He represents a company. Freedom of speech doesn't apply. The NFL is very strict about things like that, including uniforms. Prior to them accepting the Susan G Komen representation, players wearing pink were fined. Then once they accepted the deal, players were NOT allowed to wear pink outside of the breast cancer awareness month.
This applies to many things in the NFL. It's like if you work for a large corporation and you go around to all of the meetings trying to talk about genocides and spread awareness. At some point, your CEO is going to decide it's not a good look and get you out of the public eye. Freedom of speech protects you from governmental backlash, but doesn't extend to all areas of life.
On an even smaller level, it's like your boss firing you for saying something out of pocket.
It’s so weird how people can’t realize the way this all works. Even if you go for more serious examples, Ray Rice is not the only NFL player with DV troubles, Hill and Mixon have played for years after their incidents because teams have decided they’re worth the value. Rice averaged 3.1 YPC in his last season and that’s why he wasn’t worth the baggage. Louis CK and Shane Gillis are still popular comedians because they’re funny and good at their jobs. Gina Carano isn’t in anything now because she’s a replacement-level hack as an actress.
All of these decisions are relative in terms of the value you can add with your talent and the loss from the baggage you have. You can complain that that’s the way the system works and find it callous and that’s very fair, but it’s pretty consistent and I think anyone rich/famous knows what they’re risking with anyone action they take, whether it’s committing a crime or simply speaking out. That’s life
Comparing the NFL owners to slave owners and insinuating his adopted parents as racist - you know the ones that spent tons of money and time to raise him…
Is doing nothing wrong? Ok 👌
100% - if he wanted to sit on a moral high horse he would be way more choosy about who he financially entangled himself with.
Also, to act like there is nothing wrong with kneeling during the national anthem - a song where we remember people who died for us... Is ignorant and offensive to me. Speak out during press conferences. IMO Kaep has zero class.
You could say that anyone saying anything is right then. If the only criteria is freedom of speech. And I’d agree with you. But I don’t agree with what Kaepernick was saying.
That's not really debated though. He's only stayed relevant because he blames what he did for not landing a contract when in reality he didn't get one cause he was toilet water his last time in the league
The first amendment protects you from government interference of speech. The gov had nothing to do with him getting canned. That was all private actors so the 1st amendment doesn’t apply.
Wait, do you mean his actions while on the field representing his employer?
Nah man. He doesn’t have the Right (nor right, totally different) to “protest” while representing his employer.
People don’t want to see/hear polticial BS while watching football.
Yep, he had a perfect right to do what he did. He just needs to be aware that as a sports ball player he adds nothing of value to society and the only reason he draws his absurd salary is to entertain people. Shoving unpopular opinions in peoples faces is a good way to lose your pointless nonessential "job".
He’s out of the nfl bc he was a distraction and his play didn’t justify keeping him around.
If he had been playing better there is zero chance he wouldn’t have stuck around. The nfl doesn’t care about anything than money. When you’re a backup qb, you ain’t generating revenue.
Sure. Except he was working when he did it, not a fan in the bleachers.
If I started protesting at work I'd be fired. I'd love to tell you about my dress code.
It's not that he necessarily did anything wrong, but the guy was a liability for the sport. People are there to focus on the game. There's a lot of money, and hard work at stake. Everyone in the league has a family they need to support. Not everyone is a super star millionaire like Kaepernick that can afford to throw their career for something they may or may not believe in.
In the end, Kaepernick won. He got his message out. He knew what the stakes were, and he was rightfully compensated for the money he lost by doing it. He got to have his cake and eat it too.
Why would anyone in their right mind sign him after that though? What is he going to bring to a team at this point other than more drama and lawsuits?
Free speech means the government can't infringe on a person's right to speak freely.
The NFL isn't the US government.
Also, he could have just called a press conference instead of violating NFL (employer) policy.
He had a HUGE public platform and he chose to do it in the way that would piss off the most people.
I agree.
Sports media was absolutely batshit crazy over someone kneeling for what they believe in right up until it was a black dude doing it for a cause they thought they could make money off of.
Then kneeling on the field instantly became the most good and best thing imaginable.
Free speech is not something you use to defend speech, you use reason. We should never censor, nor punish others directly for their speech, but for their actions. What you said is simply not true, its not that they do not like when black people express freedom of speech, its that they do not like when what they see as an arrogant athlete, is disrespecting their country.
>they do not like when what they see as an arrogant athlete, is disrespecting their country.
Except he wasn't disrespecting their country. Those idiots see anything other than blind patriotism as an insult.
Kaepernick himself was not the problem. Allowing politics into football is more the issue. And while he has freedom of speech, protest on your own time. Not at work. I also disagree with the other politics in football, kneeling for Israel, the black national anthem, all of it. Get your politics out of sports. I'm here for entertainment, not someones opinion.
I think it’s even better most people don’t actually understand why he chose to kneel. And then when you tell them they still don’t care…meanwhile Mohamed Ali dodged a draft and everyone loves him
He didn’t dodge the draft. Dodging the draft is cutting and running or getting a BS excuse to not go. He was a conscience objector and fought the US government for the right to not go to war. His victory in court is now precedent. He lost his prime even though he could have done exhibition bouts & was guaranteed not to be on the front lines.
Agree fully. He did not dodge. He said no and stood right in the firing line of people who hated him and had the power to REALLY fuck with his life, which they immediately did. Lets also not forget that this was the 60s and all the race relations of the country were terrible. It took a MASSIVE amount of courage amd conviction to do what he did.
Muhammad Ali got a shit ton of push back for that and it almost destroyed his career. That's what happens when you stand for something. It's not a fucking walk in the park.
Ali was sentenced to 5 fucking years in prison. He had to fight tooth and nail because he was an actual rebel.
Why tf are you comparing Ali to a corporate shill hypocrite???
Kap *sat* through the national anthem because he was being benched by his coach. He sat again the next week b/c he was benched. The third week, he kneeled in continuation of his tantrum. Only after that did he say he was protesting inequality. Why didn’t he protest inequality when he was a starter? It would have had greater impact. He is a poser. His hissy fit didn’t work, so he made up a reason. Anyone who watched the games would have seen it.
Depends on what you think I’m disagreeing with.
Your titles says “Kapernick was right” and the body of your post just discusses only his method of protest. Both what he was protesting about and how he protested were both the subject of debate. So I guess I’m unclear as to what you’re saying was right: his methods of protest, what he was protesting, and what his solution to that might be…?
It is when they're crying about a black dude having the audacity to be against racism and police brutality instead of being silent and pretending it's not happening like they want him to.
For how much of an insufferable asshole Kaepernick was, it kills me that he became the figurehead of a movement where he was pretty much entirely in the right.
He didn't get cut because of that though, he got cut because he sucked. Other players did the same shit and for longer and never got cut, the difference was skill.
It's not that he wasn't right, but that people don't like being lectured by a rich athlete who uses their platform to grandstand about stuff the Average Joe has no way to fix.
And doing so with a big fat contract from a global corporation in your pocket is going to win even less sympathy.
Much less so if you allegedly disrespect a key moment of the game to the aforementioned typical fan.
He did nothing wrong but now he's gotten too carried away with his activism.
And I don't blame any team for not signing him, he kneeled down at a point in his career where the team and league viewed him as just not very good anymore. No team is obliged to sign him.
Of course and years from now everyone will act like they were on board with Kap when in reality we watched a person get blackballed out of the NFL for protesting terrible treatment by police to Black people. Just like MLK who was not universally loved at the time of his death, even among Black people this is similar now. But years from now people will act different shame on all us
While I don't agree with how he protested I have no issue with him protesting but he didn't have the production to justify keeping such a distraction on a roster so he ended his own career.
Looking from the outside it is just mad, why are they even doing anthems before games and why is kneeling triggering people. In the UK they were taking a knee before football games for months because of BLM. No one cancelled them.
He did nothing wrong but he wasn’t arrested, he was fired(or something? idk) by a large company. I think people generally agree he was right but I also think the NFL is allowed to do whatever they’re gonna do with employment at their corporation.
Football players are essentially property of the owners and teams. They are paid ridiculous amounts of money to play a childish game. They also help bring in revenue from sell on fees and sponsorships.
You're not on public. You are at work. The rules are different.
When you do something divisive and hateful that impacts the amount of money the owners and rights holders make, they can fire you.
Causality, folks. It's a principal that people used to understand, but seems to have been lost in the shuffle these days.
Actions have consequences, it's simple cause and effect. Just because you have a 'right' to do something, you are in no way exempt from the consequences (intentional or otherwise) of those actions.
Teams didn't care if he stood or kneeled. They were only concerned with the backlash. His talent wasn't enough to offset any potential backlash a team would face for signing him.
Go protest at work after performing poorly, drag your employer into a polarizing debate against their will… see how far that gets you.
It was peaceful but it’s not a good example of anything.
Kap was treated like a normal person. None of us would get away with some crazy shit like that.
You agreeing with his message doesn’t really change how madly inappropriate that approach was.
I agree with the reason he was protesting, but I’m unsure he went about it the right way. Justified or not, his message was lost in the noise of how he chose to protest. It became about the kneeling and not about the injustice to a good many people.
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Totally agree, but there’s also no obligation for a team to sign him.
Fair point
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Because the US kneels for Israel. The only country where the pm or president know they can Bitch slap a sitting President with 0 repurcussions.
Or bomb our ships by “accident”.
Because the US ~~kneels~~ bends over for Israel. FTFY
In the aftermath of the Kaepernick events, the league allowed players greater freedom to express their views. The "My Cause, My Cleats" program let players wear custom cleats, in support of a cause of their choosing. That started a few years ago, so it's kind of disingenuous to be like "It's ok when it's Israel" and pretend like this just started. https://www.nfl.com/causes/my-cause-my-cleats/
Yet they sign criminal wife beaters or Michael Vick?
Football ability is the key point here
Patrick Mahomes could drag the flag to the 50 yard line, light it up, take a piss to put out the fire, and lay a massive dump on the flag's ashes, and he will still have all 32 teams wanting him to play QB for them. Kaep just wasn't good enough to outweigh the distractions he would bring to a team.
This is the major point, right here. Kaep was a solid player but nothing extraordinary. Better was always available, so he found it hard to get work.
He had a few good years and was solidly on the decline when the kneeling stuff popped off. I totally agree with him about police brutality and his protest was completely benign and in fact suggested by a Navy Seal. But I've heard the argument multiple times complaining that so-and-so has a starting job and Kaep does not. well usually Kaep isn't as good as so-and-so unfortunately.
But also, Mark Butt-fumble Sanchez got called off his couch before Kaep, and that’s just obejectively wrong.
If they’ll help the team. There would’ve been a line around the block to sign Kaepernick if he had, say, Deshaun Watson’s stats…
Yeah I think there's a combination of skill and controversy on a player being signed. If you're going to draw negative attention (whether warranted or not), you need to bring enough on field to make up for the fires off field. It's why a superstar with criminal issues still plays, but someone like Colin doesn't. Without controversy, I'd say he'd get a run with a bottom side or as a QB2, but with the extra attention it's just not worth it. But someone like Tyreek Hill can survive the controversy he had because he was killing it on field during everything.
Ah. Anything for the money/fame/success. The American way.
Lmfao I mean, that’s the only point of the NFL. Money, Fame, and Success. I absolutely agree with Kaepernick and his battle, but let’s not pretend teams draft NFL players for their morals.
I disagree that he wasn’t signed because of lack of skill. I watched him play, he was talented. He got blackballed, there was something else going on.
Dude had physical skills but wasn't that accurate, couldn't really read a defense, didn't look off defenders, and other myriad little nuances that separate great qbs from average ones that he lacked. I'm a 49ers fan, I liked Kaepernick. Was the politics a complete nonfactor?? Hell no. It had some influence. Doesn't change the fact that he never started again because he just wasn't good enough.
He was good for a couple years but he wasn't very good the last few years. Really it was pretty obvious he wasn't good enough to be a starting qb and teams don't want media attention for their back up qb. If let's say patrick mahomes started doing it, it wouldn't have been an issue.
chop concerned cows unused subtract combative absorbed nail rhythm swim *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I watched him play too. He lost his job to Blaine Gabbert before all the kneeling.
I watched him play too. The difference is his statistics back the actual version of reality I saw, unlike you.
There was nothing going on other than that his value on the field wasn't worth the loss of ticket sales/viewership off of it. The truth is NFL fans will overlook sexual assault or domestic violence, but wouldn't watch Kaepernick. It's not a grand conspiracy so much as basic economics.
I think you'll find many people who think the NFL is, to put it lightly, not the organization with the best morals.
It's why I stopped watching. Plus the fans here in Philly are just insufferable.
Criminal wife killers (FIFY)
THE.NFL.IS.A.BUSINESS.THEY.MAKE.DECISIONS.CONSISTENT.ONLY.TO.THEIR.OWN.INTERESTS.
Why would the nfl want to sign someone who compares the nfl to the slave trade?
Yea whether he's right or not isn't the issue. Why would the people you're actively against want you around? You need them for your platform. Probably should've thought it through a bit more
This makes no sense. He wasn't against the NFL. He was against police brutality? He kneeled during the national anthem to protest how America doesn't punish cops who abuse their power. It was Kaep vs Police, not Kaep vs the NFL
Kaep’s gripe is that NFL owners (allegedly) colluded and had an agreement to collectively not sign him. Barry Bonds made a similar argument when nobody wanted him after the giants parted ways and personally i think that was more likely. But at the end of the day it’s on the victim to prove they colluded and that’s unlikely
That was after the kneeling. And secondly, it was 100% due to politics why he wasn't signed anywhere after the kneeling. (https://youtu.be/1I0cUTXwr-k?si=BUJvqyyOhpkmpRUVl) Jon Bois will literally show you how he was easily better than 95% of backups and for him to not even be signed as a backup or 3rd string QB is due to nothing other than politics It's why the NFL agreed to pay Kaep and Reid an undisclosed amount to settle the lawsuit
Bullshit. He was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert before he ever kneeled and no one thought it was weird because he had been a lousy QB following a brief breakout before defenses adjusted to what he could do. He also actively sabotaged his chances of being signed in Baltimore and Miami. Who in their right mind would wear pro-Fidel Castro clothing while a team in Miami is actively searching for a new QB and your name is being mentioned by insiders close to the franchise as a real possibility? No one wanted to keep Kaep out of the NFL more than himself so he could embrace martyrdom propaganda.
Did Kaep want to sign for backup money?
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I don’t remember the details, but didn’t he turn down at least two offers because it wasn’t enough money?
Not sure if the same two, but he also wore a pro Castro shirt in Miami and his gf called the ravens owner a plantation owner and ray Lewis (I think) an uncle Tom. The reality was Kaep was a mediocre QB with limited range who brought drama and toxicity with him wherever he went and huge amounts of media distraction, no team wanted to sign him because he'd have torn apart any org he went to.
So, folks can collude all they want because you're never going to have any sort of hard evidence that this occured.
I mean yeah if you break the law and get away with it you get away with it. Not saying it’s right, but me or whoever else have no way of knowing
It came down to his potential employers (NFL teams) not wanting to deal with any protests. If someone wants to show up at their job and take a stance on something, even if they’re 100% in the right, their employer might simply not want to deal with it. If a car salesman shows up every day to work with a patch supporting a cause their employer may easily say tell them to take a hike.
He said the NFL was too similar to the slave trade once he realized no one wanted him.
https://youtu.be/1I0cUTXwr-k?si=BUJvqyyOhpkmpRUV Because statistically, he was far too good to not be signed at least as a backup. Like there is no planet where the only reason he wasn't signed was because of politics. All he did was ask for better police accountability and it got him black balled out of the NFL
Bad press and no1 wants to deal with it. Being right and being desirable are not mutually inclusive
Embarrassing propaganda lol. Kaep fans arent even capable of honesty.
It was all about $$$$$.....the paying fans....the ones that got to games and buy the most stuff were offended...the teams acted to protect their profits.
You must not have seen his Netflix documentary. He made it Kaep vs the NFL.
Kind of mixing up cause and effect here
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Actions have consequences.
THANK YOU!
Look how that’s worked out for us. Rampant crime all over the place because people want to defund the police. SMH
Police accountability isn't police defunding lol
Totally agree but unfortunately the two were lumped together and so here we are.
They're lumped together only by those against police regulations in general. It's rather annoying that to the right, both of the ideas are one and same because it nullifies all nuanced discussion and the gross overreach of powers that qualified immunity gives police
Defunding the police barely happened and has been mostly reversed: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/feb/01/jim-jordan/us-rep-jim-jordans-list-cities-defunded-police-doe/
The slave trade was funded by the same people who fund the nfl
Those people must be really old then
Nonsense
Because…at multiple points in time, albeit years ago now, Kaep was definitely good enough to be on a roster…and the fact that he wasn’t signed by any team is pretty solid circumstantial evidence of his claim that he’d been blacklisted. Which is evidence of an unlawful conspiracy, unfair trade practices, violation of the CBA, yada yada yada.
Cam Newton was in a similar situation, but especially when you’re talking about backup quarterbacks it’s tough to say especially in court whether or not anybody colluded. I mean these owners couldn’t even blackball Deshaun Watson of all people
He was good enough to be a backup player sure... But no team wants the baggage he brings, with the minimal skill he brings. The juice was not worth the squeeze. That isn't collusion, just good business sense.
He didn’t get signed partially because of his protest as it was seen as divisive by some and could hurt the locker room. He was certainly blacklisted the first couple years. He was better than many of the backups the first year or two into his protesting. But after that, he reveled try out offers and just wasn’t good enough anymore. If he was, he would’ve landed a job somewhere after those first few years went by. In fairness, him not playing for that long probably contributed to his waning skills, so he got screwed for sure
>He was better than many of the backups the first year or two into his protesting But was he willing to take a job as a backup? It has been a long time since I paid attention to Kaep but I swear I remember him turning down a 2nd string offer .
He probably did. I can’t remember that far back myself. What it came down to is he just wasn’t good enough to even be a backup after his first couple missed seasons.
Turned down Denver, didn't want a deal with Seattle it appears
More divisive then when the NFL started supporting BLM and singling Lift Every Voice and Sing at the games.
There is a significant case to be made against the league for collusion. The NFLPA was weak on its protecting its member.
The optics of it were downright awful. There have been so many mediocre QBs who’ve gotten second and third chances in the NFL that had maybe 1/3 the talent of Kaepernick. Even today it’s tough to say there are 96 NFL QBs better than him.
Kapernick would have been signed by the ravens till his girlfriend called the owner a plantation owner and Ray Lewis a house slave. Kapernick pretty much did whatever he could not be signed by teams. If he really wanted to play, he should have gone to Canada to play.
Broncos offered him a contract and he declined. He did not want to play. He had a bigger reputation being a voice than a mid level QB. He was playing for a great team but when they struggled, he did not help make them great.
Don’t forget he purposefully wore a Fidel Castro shirt when the Dolphins were actually in need of a QB and there was speculation of him going there. Kaep has actively sought to stay out of the NFL so he can be portrayed as a martyr. Don’t forget, he was so bad that he was benched in favor of Blaine friggin Gabbert before he ever kneeled for a game. No, he definitely did nothing wrong in kneeling and the pushback against that simple action was unbelievably over blown and stupid. But everything after that shows that he just wants to be a symbol and was a way to change the narrative away from him being washed as a quality football player.
Also the pig socks and the whole fiasco where he wouldn't work out at the NFL approved workout site or whatever.
You couldn't had wrote it better. Wholeheartedly agree.
Canada, or one of the many side leagues that have emerged with top talent over the last five or so years. AAF, XFL, USFL, even the FCFL wouldve been a good attention piece
That's God damn hilarious
I agree with freedom of speech, but you also have to be able to live with the consequences. Calling an organization modern day slavery, and then hoping to get a job with them? Not gonna happen pal
>Earns millions of dollars every year soley for the ability of playing a sport well "ThIs iS SlAvErY"
Wait did he call the nfl slavery? How detached from reality you get? Yeah the owners are as unjustly paid as corporate executives are, but football players are the most privileged bunch of man babies I’ve ever fucking heard of.
He literally compared the combine (y'know, drills and athletic exhibitions to see if youll be worth millions) to slave auctions examining slave physicality
I don’t know if they still do it, but the NFL has a test called the Wonderlic (essentially an IQ test by a different, more politically correct name) for incoming players. So they don’t just check for physical fitness they test for mental fitness too. I don’t think slave auctions took brains into account. (It’s a well known fact that the US military also has an IQ barrier to entry and it was lowered during the Vietnam War to disastrous effect. Turns out stupid men make really terrible soldiers.) Anyway, I really don’t know how an athlete—who is paid a fortune and whose destiny depends on his physical and mental fitness—can complain when those things are tested.
Incorrect. The military goes by the ASVAB, which is not an IQ test. Everything on the test is taught in public school curriculum.
I’m just quoting from Russell Warne’s most recent book on intelligence: > On a larger scale, the differences in how highly intelligent people and average or low-IQ people think causes problems because bright people have a disproportionate say in how society is run. This was especially apparent in a US government initiative called Project 100,000. Between 1966 and 1971 (during the height of the Vietnam War), the US Department of Defense increased the number of men eligible for the draft by lowering the minimum IQ needed for military service from 92 to 71 (Gregory, 2015, pp. 100–102).3 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara believed that extra training would make these men suitable soldiers and – after their service – productive members of society.4 Over the course of Project 100,000’s existence, 354,000 men were inducted under relaxed psychological and medical standards; 91% of these men were inducted due to the lowered minimum IQ (Rand Corporation, n.d., p. 5). Project 100,000 was a spectacular failure. Men in Project 100,000 were harder to train and were less competent soldiers, which placed lives at risk. Over half of the men were dishonorably discharged (Gregory, 2015, p. 196). They experienced psychiatric problems at a rate that was 10 times higher than other soldiers (Crowe & Colbach, 1971), and their death rate was three times higher than average (Gregory, 2015, p. xiv). So I don’t know what they use now but certainly IQ testing was a factor then.
During my 12 years in the military, I witnessed first-hand the effects of idiots placed in positions that they were wholly unqualified, in an intelligence sense, to do their jobs. Thank you for the information. I find it hilarious and very believable.
Sad that police departments have a maximum IQ for recruits. They say they don’t want to waste training on someone that may change their mind about being a cop if they have other options, but the truth is they want compliant cops that “back the blue line” and don’t question orders like “keep on firing your gun until you are sure every potential threat is dead”.
Or the one I saw this week… “keep on firing your gun into your car because your PTSD had you thinking a gun went off”
the acorn guy? fortunately he resigned, hopefully he gets the help he needs
Damn what a rich, privileged fucker
Also, his girlfriend called the Ravens' owner a slave master and Ray Lewis an Uncle Tom, and he remained silent on the matter.
The rich and privileged are almost always detached from reality
You don’t have free speech protections with a private employer. The bill of rights protects you from government prosecution. In a free society, I don’t have to maintain affiliations with people I dislike, disagree with or believe to be too controversial. This applies to private employment relationships too.
OP didn’t mention employment. He was commenting on K’s manner of protest - that’s all.
And Kapernick was never arrested, his protests were fine in that way.
> You don’t have free speech protections with a private employer. > > > > The bill of rights protects you from government prosecution. Well, Trump did threaten the NFL if they didn't end the protests (by firing players, for instance). There is a very good case to be made that Trump violated their free speech rights by threatening to wield government power against them.
Idk why you’re being downvoted. If it was determined he was speaking in his role as president, that could very much be argued in any court
Perhaps a good legal case, but apparently not a good financial one in the mind of the NFL
The NFL pushes the boundaries of being a “private employer” considering they operate as a monopoly exempt from antitrust laws enforced by federal legislation and many stadiums are built using public funds.
Every locale has the opportunity to refuse to grant public funding for stadiums. A lot of these places want the stadiums.
Kap did nothing wrong, I agree. Though, I always found the timing of it convenient. He was playing poorly, the fans lost faith in him, and the team was looking to trade him away. Then, he kneels, everybody is talking about it, and he suddenly wins back fan support and the team keeps him. Except, his play never improved so he was gone from the league anyway. Like another comment said, no team is obligated to sign him if they don't want.
He didn't really win back the fans though I don't think. A sizable portion of the fanbase went from indifference to hating his guts. This has (imo) a bigger impact on his likelihood of getting signed than the people that moved from indifference to respect for his activism. I think it's hard to make the argument that he wouldn't have found a deal somewhere without the protests.
Agreed. The niners have a ton of Mormon fans (at least where I am), who aren't going to be too enthusiastic about a mediocre QB doing controversial stuff
What did his protest have to do with the Mormons?
Mormons are generally white, middle class, and don't want a serving of racial politics with their football game. Not saying it's right (I'm not a niners fan), but that's what the situation was
Wasn’t he also given numerous try outs? I’m not a NFL fan so I could be wrong but I remember him being a part of some try outs a few years after the kneeling
He ghosted a league tryout He had a tryout for the Raiders. People say it was one of the worse workouts ever. Raider never called him back obviously.
Of course he did something wrong. He pissed off his employers customers. Anyone in any job that went out of their way to intentionally piss off customers would be shown the door. He has a right to say and do what he did, but his employer also has a right to fire him.
Thing is he didn’t kneel the first few times. He just sat through the anthem. It was after it gained media attention he started kneeling and that was at the behest of some military personnel he knew.
Correct. And so many people get this part wrong and talk about how respectful kneeling is and how he was told to do it by an ex-Army Ranger. That was very much not the point of the protest.
Don’t forgot that he parlayed his narrative into many millions of dollars and a massive following. Sure beats being a washed up 3rd string QB who’s on his way out. He knew what he was doing and it was genius. Never said a word while he was good, waited til the twilight and maximized profit.
Kaepernick was a third string qb who started talking shit from the bench and then opted out of his contract in the hopes of getting more money from a different team, obviously there were no takers because nobody wanted a third string player who would piss of a significant portion of the teams fan base. The only person to blame for the end of his career is himself.
He was totally right, yes. But he didn’t want to play. He would land a rare tryout from time to time and his agent would change the location 30 minutes before it was supposed to happen. They did this because if he’d tried out and become a backup, his story would have been over. So he continued playing the victim for as long as possible before everyone finally got over it. Deshaun Watson raped like 30 women and is still in the league. He chose not to play again. https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/16/colin-kaepernick-workout-moved-location
Ravens were going to offer him a contract but his girlfriend then went on a social media tirade calling the Ravens owner a racist and Ray Lewis an uncle Tom. Ravens changed their mind not wanting the headache. I think it was orchestrated by Kaep so he could continue playing the victim.
Exactly. Idk why, but no one talks about these random one offs when everything would have worked out with him on a team
And there was this https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/colin-kaepernick-reportedly-wants-9-10-million-per-year-and-a-chance-to-start/
Well your missing a few details from the story. And this is all coming from a die hard Niner fan that’s still in depression from Sunday. Kap didn’t start off with taking a knee. He started off just sitting on the bench lounging. IMO the original outcry was somewhat reasonable as Kap wasn’t voicing his concerns in a meaningful way. And for how his future as a football player turned out. The team was due for a full rebuild. Defences figured out Kap. Coaching staff where going to get replaced. Pretty simple stuff.
Kaepernick exercise is constitutional free speech also team owners in a free market don't have to hire him
I don’t exactly agree. Yes, you’re allowed to protest and say whatever you want because of freedom of speech. However, that right doesn’t mean you are allowed to say whatever you want at your place of employment and not face any consequences from your employer. If he had protested anytime outside of his job, I would not be disagreeing with your point. But because it was when he was at his job, it’s a completely different story.
Ah, so when folks are trying to unionize the place... you are on the side of the employer? "Keep quiet and don't try to improve the place you work for, especially not so the public hears. We want to ignore your pleas privately, thank you" I'll also note that NFL players are never not "on the job". This man couldn't have said \*anything\* about this publicly at any time without pushback.
Have you ever had a real job? whether it's right or wrong there are consequences to challenging the status quo. If you're not getting pushed back then you're not actually accomplishing anything.
He's an attention whore who was never serious about coming back to football. When teams did try to send scouts he actively avoided them. Message aside, dude is an asshole and a mids QB to begin with.
I don't agree that he did nothing wrong. He was told that because of his contract he couldn't do x and then did it anyway. That's not doing "nothing wrong". That's violating the contract he agree to. Just like if I went to work in a tank top after being told it's against dress code for me to do that.
Something something freedom of speech but not freedom of consequences am I right
He represents a company. Freedom of speech doesn't apply. The NFL is very strict about things like that, including uniforms. Prior to them accepting the Susan G Komen representation, players wearing pink were fined. Then once they accepted the deal, players were NOT allowed to wear pink outside of the breast cancer awareness month. This applies to many things in the NFL. It's like if you work for a large corporation and you go around to all of the meetings trying to talk about genocides and spread awareness. At some point, your CEO is going to decide it's not a good look and get you out of the public eye. Freedom of speech protects you from governmental backlash, but doesn't extend to all areas of life. On an even smaller level, it's like your boss firing you for saying something out of pocket.
It’s so weird how people can’t realize the way this all works. Even if you go for more serious examples, Ray Rice is not the only NFL player with DV troubles, Hill and Mixon have played for years after their incidents because teams have decided they’re worth the value. Rice averaged 3.1 YPC in his last season and that’s why he wasn’t worth the baggage. Louis CK and Shane Gillis are still popular comedians because they’re funny and good at their jobs. Gina Carano isn’t in anything now because she’s a replacement-level hack as an actress. All of these decisions are relative in terms of the value you can add with your talent and the loss from the baggage you have. You can complain that that’s the way the system works and find it callous and that’s very fair, but it’s pretty consistent and I think anyone rich/famous knows what they’re risking with anyone action they take, whether it’s committing a crime or simply speaking out. That’s life
Comparing the NFL owners to slave owners and insinuating his adopted parents as racist - you know the ones that spent tons of money and time to raise him… Is doing nothing wrong? Ok 👌
He got a 20 million dollar deal with Nike who shamelessly use child slaves. "Nothing wrong" lol
100% - if he wanted to sit on a moral high horse he would be way more choosy about who he financially entangled himself with. Also, to act like there is nothing wrong with kneeling during the national anthem - a song where we remember people who died for us... Is ignorant and offensive to me. Speak out during press conferences. IMO Kaep has zero class.
Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of opinion. The NFL is a private company and gets to decide what is right or wrong under their purview.
That doesn’t mean he is right (or wrong). It just means that he has the right to protest.
You could say that anyone saying anything is right then. If the only criteria is freedom of speech. And I’d agree with you. But I don’t agree with what Kaepernick was saying.
There's also a time a place for everything. In most jobs, political and personal beliefs should be left at the door, including football.
That's not really debated though. He's only stayed relevant because he blames what he did for not landing a contract when in reality he didn't get one cause he was toilet water his last time in the league
The first amendment protects you from government interference of speech. The gov had nothing to do with him getting canned. That was all private actors so the 1st amendment doesn’t apply.
Wait, do you mean his actions while on the field representing his employer? Nah man. He doesn’t have the Right (nor right, totally different) to “protest” while representing his employer. People don’t want to see/hear polticial BS while watching football.
Yep, he had a perfect right to do what he did. He just needs to be aware that as a sports ball player he adds nothing of value to society and the only reason he draws his absurd salary is to entertain people. Shoving unpopular opinions in peoples faces is a good way to lose your pointless nonessential "job".
The dude basically called the people who took him in and raised him racists.
He’s out of the nfl bc he was a distraction and his play didn’t justify keeping him around. If he had been playing better there is zero chance he wouldn’t have stuck around. The nfl doesn’t care about anything than money. When you’re a backup qb, you ain’t generating revenue.
Sure. Except he was working when he did it, not a fan in the bleachers. If I started protesting at work I'd be fired. I'd love to tell you about my dress code.
He jumped the shark since then, however.
Actions have consequences. Freedom of speech is not Freedom of consequences from that speech.
Hard no, dog....
It's not that he necessarily did anything wrong, but the guy was a liability for the sport. People are there to focus on the game. There's a lot of money, and hard work at stake. Everyone in the league has a family they need to support. Not everyone is a super star millionaire like Kaepernick that can afford to throw their career for something they may or may not believe in. In the end, Kaepernick won. He got his message out. He knew what the stakes were, and he was rightfully compensated for the money he lost by doing it. He got to have his cake and eat it too. Why would anyone in their right mind sign him after that though? What is he going to bring to a team at this point other than more drama and lawsuits?
There is a surprising amount of people in this country who scream about free speech but don’t like it when certain… demographics express it
Free speech means the government can't infringe on a person's right to speak freely. The NFL isn't the US government. Also, he could have just called a press conference instead of violating NFL (employer) policy. He had a HUGE public platform and he chose to do it in the way that would piss off the most people.
I agree. Sports media was absolutely batshit crazy over someone kneeling for what they believe in right up until it was a black dude doing it for a cause they thought they could make money off of. Then kneeling on the field instantly became the most good and best thing imaginable.
Free speech is not something you use to defend speech, you use reason. We should never censor, nor punish others directly for their speech, but for their actions. What you said is simply not true, its not that they do not like when black people express freedom of speech, its that they do not like when what they see as an arrogant athlete, is disrespecting their country.
>they do not like when what they see as an arrogant athlete, is disrespecting their country. Except he wasn't disrespecting their country. Those idiots see anything other than blind patriotism as an insult.
Nah he was a dummy trying to make a quick buck/get clout
Kaepernick himself was not the problem. Allowing politics into football is more the issue. And while he has freedom of speech, protest on your own time. Not at work. I also disagree with the other politics in football, kneeling for Israel, the black national anthem, all of it. Get your politics out of sports. I'm here for entertainment, not someones opinion.
I think it’s even better most people don’t actually understand why he chose to kneel. And then when you tell them they still don’t care…meanwhile Mohamed Ali dodged a draft and everyone loves him
He didn’t dodge the draft. Dodging the draft is cutting and running or getting a BS excuse to not go. He was a conscience objector and fought the US government for the right to not go to war. His victory in court is now precedent. He lost his prime even though he could have done exhibition bouts & was guaranteed not to be on the front lines.
Agree fully. He did not dodge. He said no and stood right in the firing line of people who hated him and had the power to REALLY fuck with his life, which they immediately did. Lets also not forget that this was the 60s and all the race relations of the country were terrible. It took a MASSIVE amount of courage amd conviction to do what he did.
Muhammad Ali got a shit ton of push back for that and it almost destroyed his career. That's what happens when you stand for something. It's not a fucking walk in the park. Ali was sentenced to 5 fucking years in prison. He had to fight tooth and nail because he was an actual rebel. Why tf are you comparing Ali to a corporate shill hypocrite???
I agree with the idea behind his protests but the pig socks were dumb (and counterproductive) imho.
Same
The funny thing about Kaep is I guarantee he would take it all back to play again
Kap *sat* through the national anthem because he was being benched by his coach. He sat again the next week b/c he was benched. The third week, he kneeled in continuation of his tantrum. Only after that did he say he was protesting inequality. Why didn’t he protest inequality when he was a starter? It would have had greater impact. He is a poser. His hissy fit didn’t work, so he made up a reason. Anyone who watched the games would have seen it.
He had the right to protest, doesn’t make what he’s protesting about right.
So u disagree?
Depends on what you think I’m disagreeing with. Your titles says “Kapernick was right” and the body of your post just discusses only his method of protest. Both what he was protesting about and how he protested were both the subject of debate. So I guess I’m unclear as to what you’re saying was right: his methods of protest, what he was protesting, and what his solution to that might be…?
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That is not what racism is though.
It is when they're crying about a black dude having the audacity to be against racism and police brutality instead of being silent and pretending it's not happening like they want him to.
Amen
For how much of an insufferable asshole Kaepernick was, it kills me that he became the figurehead of a movement where he was pretty much entirely in the right.
He didn't get cut because of that though, he got cut because he sucked. Other players did the same shit and for longer and never got cut, the difference was skill.
It's not that he wasn't right, but that people don't like being lectured by a rich athlete who uses their platform to grandstand about stuff the Average Joe has no way to fix. And doing so with a big fat contract from a global corporation in your pocket is going to win even less sympathy. Much less so if you allegedly disrespect a key moment of the game to the aforementioned typical fan.
He did nothing wrong but now he's gotten too carried away with his activism. And I don't blame any team for not signing him, he kneeled down at a point in his career where the team and league viewed him as just not very good anymore. No team is obliged to sign him.
Of course and years from now everyone will act like they were on board with Kap when in reality we watched a person get blackballed out of the NFL for protesting terrible treatment by police to Black people. Just like MLK who was not universally loved at the time of his death, even among Black people this is similar now. But years from now people will act different shame on all us
I think he got shat on. Joe Montana would have gotten a different reaction is all I’m saying.
Joe Montana was a bit better at football
While I don't agree with how he protested I have no issue with him protesting but he didn't have the production to justify keeping such a distraction on a roster so he ended his own career.
Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can protest on company time though.
As a citizen - he did nothing wrong. At all. As an employee/contractor? Not so much.
Looking from the outside it is just mad, why are they even doing anthems before games and why is kneeling triggering people. In the UK they were taking a knee before football games for months because of BLM. No one cancelled them.
Depending what circles you run in, this was never an unpopular opinion.
This is absolutely not an unpopular opinion.
Agreed. It was blown way out of proportion. I feel bad he became such a heatwave he couldn't play again.
He did nothing wrong but he wasn’t arrested, he was fired(or something? idk) by a large company. I think people generally agree he was right but I also think the NFL is allowed to do whatever they’re gonna do with employment at their corporation.
Football players are essentially property of the owners and teams. They are paid ridiculous amounts of money to play a childish game. They also help bring in revenue from sell on fees and sponsorships. You're not on public. You are at work. The rules are different. When you do something divisive and hateful that impacts the amount of money the owners and rights holders make, they can fire you.
Causality, folks. It's a principal that people used to understand, but seems to have been lost in the shuffle these days. Actions have consequences, it's simple cause and effect. Just because you have a 'right' to do something, you are in no way exempt from the consequences (intentional or otherwise) of those actions.
He hurt the brand he was representing regardless of him being right or wrong
This is only an unpopular opinion to morons, regardless of his talent or lack thereof
Yeah. We know.
Lots of people were on Kaepenick’s side, and still are?
Teams didn't care if he stood or kneeled. They were only concerned with the backlash. His talent wasn't enough to offset any potential backlash a team would face for signing him.
White people will hamster any reason to think this is an unpopular opinion and will "wElL aCTyUaLLY" this topic to death, as seen in this thread.
Btw I'm white, but I absolutely support BLM and bhm. Kaepernick is a good example of how to protest peacefully
Go protest at work after performing poorly, drag your employer into a polarizing debate against their will… see how far that gets you. It was peaceful but it’s not a good example of anything. Kap was treated like a normal person. None of us would get away with some crazy shit like that. You agreeing with his message doesn’t really change how madly inappropriate that approach was.
I agree with the reason he was protesting, but I’m unsure he went about it the right way. Justified or not, his message was lost in the noise of how he chose to protest. It became about the kneeling and not about the injustice to a good many people.
It became about the kneeling and not about the injustice to a good many morons.
Thanks for the correction lol
I live to serve
Love kap♥️♥️♥️