Roger Goodell gave his annual “State of the League” address Wednesday afternoon, and as expected, Colin Kaepernick was a hot topic.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s last appearance on an NFL field came in Week 17 of the 2016 season, but that hasn’t stopped him from making an impact on the game. Even without No. 7 suiting up, his protest of police brutality and systematic racism spread throughout the league catching the attention of the NFL commissioner and even President Donald Trump.
Many believe Kaepernick has been blackballed by the NFL because he has not been signed by teams in need of quarterback help, even though other seemingly lesser quarterbacks have. Because of this, the 31-year-old has an ongoing collusion lawsuit against the NFL.
Goodell was asked Wednesday afternoon about Kaepernick’s continued absence from an NFL roster.
“I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick, or any other player, can help their team win, that’s what they’ll do,” Goodell said. “They want to win and they make those decisions individually, to the best interest of their club.”
Kaepernick’s attorney Mark Geragos went on the “Today Show” Thursday morning and blasted Goodell for his mischaracterization of the situation.
“I think the commissioner was roasted appropriately on social media yesterday,” Geragos said. “Anybody who believes that will believe that Mark Sanchez was a better choice, or some of the other, how shall I put it delicately, people that were well past their prime that were signed this year.
Geragos also noted that Kaepernick still wants another crack at football.
“Yes. I have seen him over the course of the last year work out almost religiously,” he said. “He should be playing, wants to play and that’s why we pursued this.”
With no signs of the bad blood slowing down, who knows what will happen next between the NFL and Kaepernick.
