Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016, the year he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, is scheduled to train Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders. tell league sources on ESPN.
It will be Kaepernick’s first training session with an NFL team since he was exiled, and it will be the first time the former star quarterback has visited a team since flying to Seattle to meet with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017. before he let them pass the opportunity to sign it.
Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, which was the only school to offer him a scholarship, and now the Nevada professional team is the only one in the NFL that is open to giving him another chance. to the civil rights activist.
Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the footsteps of his father, Al Davis, who is active in civil rights. Al Davis became the first NFL owner in the modern era to hire a black-headed coach at Art Shell, a female CEO at Amy Trask, and also became the second NFL owner to hire a head coach in Latin to Tom Flores.
2 Related
The NFL had said it encouraged teams to take a look at Kaepernick. But Kaepernick has not only not signed a contract with any team, but has not received a single training session until what is now scheduled for Wednesday.
Mark Davis told ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez in June 2020 that he would give his “blessing” if the Raiders office or coaches wanted to add Kaepernick.
Derek Carr is currently the Raiders’ starting quarterback, who also replaced Jarrett Stidham earlier this month in a deal with the New England Patriots. Las Vegas also has quarterback Nick Mullens, who signed with the Raiders this offseason.
Kaepernick, 34, recently pitched unselected receivers for NFL scouts in the middle of Michigan’s spring game at the invitation of Jim Harbaugh, his former coach with the San Francisco 49ers.
Another potential link with Kaepernick is Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, who was an assistant to the 49ers between 2013 and 2016.
In an interview with the “I Am Athlete” podcast, Kaepernick noted that the two former Niners coaches, Harbaugh and Chip Kelly, said he “improved the locker room,” contrasting the narrative that it would be a distraction for any team that he signs.
“That 2016 season, my senior year, my teammates voted me the bravest and most inspiring player,” he said. “So when you talk about the people in the building, you never realize I’ve been a distraction. It never came out that I’ve been a problem for the people I’ve played with.”
Kaepernick also said in the interview that today’s NFL should be more “aligned” with its social views, given the league’s position on other issues related to racial relations in the United States.
“You have ‘End Racism’ on the back of your end zone. You have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on your helmet. Everything I’ve said should be aligned with what you’re saying publicly,” he said. “It’s a $ 16 billion business. When I first knelt down, my T-shirt reached number 1. When I made the deal with Nike, its value increased by $ 6 billion. Six thousand million.With a B.
“… So if you talk about the business side, it shows [it’s] beneficial. If you talk about the game band, come on in, let me compete. From here you can evaluate me. The NFL is supposed to be a meritocracy. Come on in, take a look. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you. “
Kaepernick said he finally wants to win a championship after getting so close with the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, where San Francisco fell short on a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.