Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season when he initiated the national anthem protests around the league.
Kaepernick has found himself in the news a lot recently after comments made by Drew Brees indicating that those who protest during the anthem are showing disrespect. Others have come out in favor of Kaepernick in hopes that he can return to the NFL.
Richard Sherman on Colin Kaepernick
Sherman never played a game with Kaepernick in San Francisco. In fact, the two were bitter rivals during the former’s days with the Seattle Seahawks. Kaepernick was exiled from the league more than a year before Sherman signed with the 49ers.
Even then, the future Hall of Fame cornerback is throwing his support behind Kaepernick in a big way.
This comes on the heels of New Orleans Saints star safety Malcolm Jenkins indicating that the NFL should apologize to Kaepernick for blackballing him.
NFL national anthem protests
There’s renewed interest in the protests Kaepernick spearheaded back in 2016, which included him taking a knee during the anthem. Said protests targeted racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. Since the murder of George Floyd two-plus weeks ago, protesters in the streets have taken a knee in front of authorities to show their solidarity with Kaepernick.
The backdrop here is a strong likelihood that we will see protests pop up once again when the 2020 NFL season comes calling in September. There’s now more widespread support for said protests, as Sherman previously pointed out.
Colin Kaepernick returning to the NFL?
The other backdrop here is a stronger possibility that Kaepernick might in fact be employed by an NFL team this coming season. He’s been training for a return. Recent reports suggest that something could very well be in the cards.
Colin Kaepernick stats
The former Super Bowl quarterback last suited up back in 2016. While he posted a disastrous 1-10 record in 11 starts, it must be noted that San Francisco boasted pretty much an expansion-level roster under one-and-done head coach Chip Kelly.
Kaepernick tallied 18 total touchdowns and four interceptions that season. From purely an on-field perspective, the quarterback should be in the NFL. But as we have seen with the debate that has now raged almost a half-decade, there’s other extenuating circumstances involved.