Colin Kaepernick, who last played in the NFL in 2016, continues to train daily with hopes of returning to the league. This, according to girlfriend, Nessa Diab.
Despite not playing professionally for nearly a decade, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback remains committed to maintaining his physical fitness and fine-tuning his skills.
Diab tells TMZ Sports that Kaepernick trains “all day, every day,” and his focus on a comeback has not wavered.
“Nothing has changed! Nothing!” she added regarding her beau’s training regimen.
Kaepernick believes he can still contribute to an NFL team, though some fans and critics question his age and time away from the game.
Colin Kaepernick – So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance
Kaepernick, known for leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013, has faced challenges returning to the NFL, partly due to his 2016 kneeling protests against racial injustice. In his mind, anyway.
The now-37-year-old Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers following the 2016 NFL season to pursue a career in activism. He has not been in the league since losing to the Seattle Seahawks on January 1st, 2017, capping off a brutal 2-14 season for the team.
In an interview with NPR, the former Niners QB said he “will forever miss” football and “continue to train for” a return to the NFL.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to be in a position where I look back and have to question whether or not I gave it my all to try to pursue that,” he said. “I will make sure that the reason I’m not playing is not because of my work ethic or commitment, but because I was held out of it.”
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Takes More Than Commitment
It’s a very simplistic idea to suggest that giving it your all with your ‘work ethic or commitment’ should be an automatic ticket back into the NFL.
Colin Kaepernick was already statistically declining in his last three injury-free seasons (2013, 2014, and 2016). His average yards per attempt, number of touchdowns, and adjusted QBR all dropped.
Not to mention, his career in activism was already taking priority. Kaepernick became a figure of controversy when he began kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games in 2016 to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
And did we mention the 49ers were 2-14 in his final season? While Kaepernick likes to suggest he was “held out” of the league, he actually began 2016 on the bench, had already been protesting the anthem in pre-season games that year, and was then named a starter again in week 6.
The 49ers were 1-10 in games in which he started. That included a game against the Bears in Week 13, in which he threw a career-low 4 yards and was sacked 5 times before being benched.
They went back to him as a starter twice that season despite the protests and he still opted out of his contract. That is far from being ‘held out’.
What do our readers think? Does Kaepernick deserve another shot? Or is he simply not good enough to make an NFL roster right now?
