Colin Kaepernick Works Out For 8 Team Reps, Tells NFL Owners To ‘Stop Running’
“I’ve been ready for three years.”
Colin Kaepernick‘s much-publicized workout in front of NFL reps was kind of weird, but ESPN reports that it went off pretty smoothly in some respects. Kaepernick easily demonstrated he was still in good shape and still has a cannon of an arm.
He also demonstrated that while he wants to play, he’s still the kind of guy who will readily challenge authority.
This Colin Kaepernick deep ball during his workout was beautiful. pic.twitter.com/HOZnclngZZ
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) November 16, 2019
From ESPN:
“I’ve been ready for three years,” Kaepernick said. “I’ve been denied for three years. We all know why I came out here. [I] showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So we’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people.
“We’re out here. We’re ready to play. We’re ready to go anywhere. My agent, Jeff Nalley, is ready to talk [to] any team. I’ll interview with any team at any time. I’ve been ready.”
This is a guy who wants a job but definitely wants his potential employers to know he’s not changing who he is to get it.
"I've been ready for three years, I've been denied for three years. … We're ready to play, we're ready to go anywhere."
—Colin Kaepernick says he'll be waiting to hear from the NFL, Roger Goodell and the 32 teams. pic.twitter.com/6FTAKTtgV4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 17, 2019
How was it weird? For one thing, Kaep and his people changed the venue from the Atlanta Falcons’ Flowery Branch, GA facility to Charles R. Drew High School, which is roughly 60 miles away.
For another, reps from just a handful of teams were there, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.
RapSheet’s Ian Rapoport tweeted a breakdown of how the former 49ers QB did, according to “high-ranking evaluators” who observed him:
The https://t.co/iLSuC0HswN story on Colin Kaepernick’s workout has been updated with reaction from four high-ranking evaluators who viewed it. Here is a breakdown: https://t.co/DqcvDWfRgJ pic.twitter.com/PaDUz4WJzB
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 17, 2019
The overall takeaway from that report was “Good showing. Thought he looked like he did when he was last on the field.”
One person was reportedly not happy with the whole thing: Jay-Z.
The rap mogul was key in getting Kaepernick this opportunity, and XXL reports that he felt like it was turned into a publicity stunt:
A source close to the situation tells XXL that Jay thinks Kaepernick turned a “legit workout” into a publicity stunt. The workout is one sportscaster Dan Patrick says Jay-Z pressured the league into doing following backlash from the rapper’s partnership with the NFL.
The NFL issued a statement as well, in which they expressed disappointment “that Colin did not appear for his workout” at the Falcons facility.
We’ll know for sure if this was simply a “stunt” if Kaepernick remains unsigned at the end of the season.
Even if he does land with a team, it seems a sure bet he’ll remain as controversial as ever.
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