Colin Kaepernick Says He Misses Training With Pro Players, 'Ready' For NFL Return
Colin Kaepernick recently opened up about his continued desire to return to the NFL, saying that he misses training with professional football players.
The activist and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback tweeted on Sunday that he has been training and is “ready” for a return to the NFL. He played his last game in the league on Jan. 1, 2017.
“For the past 5 years I’ve been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself,” he wrote. “I’m really grateful to my trainer, who I’ve been throwing to all this time. But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners.”
“Who’s working?? I will pull up,” he added, calling on professional players to train with him.
For The past 5 years I’ve been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself. I’m really grateful to my trainer, who I’ve been throwing to all this time. But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners.
Who’s working?? I will pull up— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) March 13, 2022
Kaepernick has notably remained unsigned by any NFL team since he became a free agent after the 2016 season. The activist had led a wave of peaceful protests by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem at NFL games in 2016 to protest racial injustice.
The NFL has been widely accused of blackballing Kaepernick for his activism. He settled a collusion case with the league in 2019 after he filed a grievance against them two years prior.
In 2019, the league offered to hold a workout for Kaepernick, where they asserted that representatives from all 32 teams were invited to attend at the time. But the workout turned into a debacle when Kaepernick and the league disagreed with a number of terms in the arrangement. In the end, the player worked out in front of representatives from eight teams.
Kaepernick’s Twitter request to train with NFL players gained some traction this week.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett tweeted back on Sunday, writing, “Let’s do it bro! Me and my brother will come run routes for you!”
Let’s do it bro! Me and my brother will come run routes for you! https://t.co/MPvZTKA8PG
— Tyler Lockett (@TDLockett12) March 13, 2022
Kaepernick posted a few clips of his workout with Lockett on Twitter on Tuesday.
The quarterback also received a public response from football trainer Rischad Whitfield, who tweeted to Kaepernick on Monday that he’s “ready to work for sure!”
Kaepernick tweeted that he plans to train with Whitfeld later on Tuesday.
Criticisms over the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick were reignited last month when Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ― who stoked controversy for misleading the public about his COVID-19 vaccination status over the summer ― won the Associated Press MVP award.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
