Will we see American hero Colin Kaepernick back on the NFL field?
As reported on sources, the Las Vegas Raiders offered Colin a workout. ESPN reports he is working out for a Raiders club owned by Mark Davis. Davis previously said Colin “deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League. I still stand by it. If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team, I would welcome him with open arms.”
The outlet also reports, Derek Carr is the Raiders’ starting quarterback, so Colin would be competing “for a reserve spot in the QB room.” Colin said he would be OK signing with a team as backup. Colin said, “Yeah. I know I have to find my way back in. So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup that’s fine, but that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”
The Know Your Rights founder’s last pro football game was in 2016, the same year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Since then, Kaepernick hasn’t been back on the NFL field, even though they claim they encouraged teams to look at Kaepernick. In 2019, Kaepernick worked out in front of multiple NFL teams in Atlanta, but no team workouts or offers came from it.
Despite Colin seemingly being blackballed, he remained a prominent figure in sports. Nike continued to endorse Colin. In 2018, they featured him in a campaign with the famous words, “believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” This year, Colin was featured in Nike’s 50th-anniversary commercial, titled Seen It All, directed by Spike Lee. It pays homage to past stars from the last 50 years.
Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid filed collusion grievances against the NFL, saying they were blacklisted because of protests during the anthem at games. They settled in 2019. Details of the settlement were not disclosed when the deal was reached Feb. 15.
Earlier this year, Spike Lee announced he’s teaming up with ESPN to direct a multipart documentary on Colin. It’ll feature exclusive interviews and access to his personal archive, ESPN reports. Fans will get to see never-before-seen footage from Kaepernick’s archive to provide “a full, first-person account of his journey.” No title or release date as of yet. We’ll keep you posted.
Last year, Colin teamed up with Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay, for a Netflix six-part series, Colin In Black and White. It tells the story of Colin in his early years before becoming a football star and civil rights icon. He’s also the narrator of the series. He talks about his challenges growing up, like being the biracial adopted son of white parents in a conservative Southern California town.
More than five years after becoming a free agent, Colin Kaepernick is finally getting a tryout — with the Las Vegas Raiders. https://t.co/46Yeq2k2IV
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 25, 2022
Hopefully, Colin gets everything he wants; he certainly deserves it.