Colin Kaepernick: publicity over football?
Sydney Taylor, Staff Writer
photo courtesy of unsplash.com
In mid-November, Colin Kaepernick worked out for eight NFL teams at a high school in the hopes of proving he still is good enough to be picked up by one of the teams and rejoin the NFL. Tristan Tuttle, fifth year senior, said, “I hope he never plays football again. He disrespected the country and the people who fight for him to even be able to play football on Sunday.”
If the name itself did not ring a bell, maybe a rewind to 2016 will clear things up. It is late August at a preseason NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. The National Anthem starts playing and all eyes and cameras are on Kaepernick who is kneeling on the sideline.
After all the support and backlash he received during that season, Kaepernick was not signed back on with the 49ers in 2017. Kaepernick has been a free agent since.
Back to present day and Kaepernick wants to have a private practice to show off his skills and prove he is still good enough to be playing in the NFL. This practice was through the NFL and set up to be at the Atlanta Falcons training facility. He wanted to be able to film his workout and share it publicly, but when the NFL declined his request he last minute changed locations to a local high school. Where only eight out of the 25 teams followed him.
The workout consisted of him throwing for 45 minutes, not proving he has anything special or better than what he left the league with. This was nothing that the coaches have not already seen from him.
The NFL teams that were there told a reporter that this workout did not change anything. He had been out of the league too long and the way he went about the workout location change was just another indication that he would be bringing drama with him.
Christy Beaman, senior, said, “I mean he basically got black balled in the NFL for standing up for something he believed in which doesn’t seem fair.” Beaman then followed the statement with, “However, if they gave him another chance and he didn’t perform then that’s on him.”
The Detroit Lions were one of the eight teams in attendance at the practice and seemed to be eying Kaepernick but as of November 30th the Lions went in a different direction by signing 25-year-old Kyle Sloter. So far none of the teams that attended the practice have called back Kaepernick along with the other 25 teams that received his tape.
PR stunts don’t always go the direction people plan, especially when dealing with high level sports that require a “put-up or shut-up” attitude and athletic ability. True colors tend to surface during public affairs especially with something as controversial like this plays out. The public can’t help but wonder if Kaepernick just wants to get his name put back out in the world or if he genuinely just wants to play football.
