Roger Goodell had a lot thrown at him during his “State of the League” address Wednesday.
The NFL commissioner was peppered with questions regarding the infamous no-call in the NFC Championship Game and whether the league would consider extending replay review.
But one question seemed to make Goodell squirm the most.
Goodell was asked why he thinks Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, and the commissioner did his best to side-step the question by putting the responsibility on the teams.
“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 told reporters, via Sports Illustrated. “They want to win and they make those decisions individually in the best interest of their club.”
Goodell later emphasized: “Our clubs are the ones that make decisions of players they want on their roster.”
Kaepernick remains unsigned since opting out of his contract in 2017. The quarterback garnered quite a bit of attention when he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest social injustice.
Amid speculation that the 31-year-old was being blackballed for his stances, the NFL Players’ Association filed a grievance against the NFL on his behalf.
The more time passes, the less likely it is Kaepernick would be able to jump in and positively affect a team on the field, not to mention a media storm will follow the quarterback wherever he goes.
