Colin Kaepernick worked out in front of NFL scouts and media members on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, the first significant step in some time in his quest to find a new home in the league.
Yet many, including Dallas Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn, think it’s embarrassing that Kaepernick has to go through a scheduled workout like that in the first place.
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“He should never even have been in this position for having your voice heard,” Quinn said Friday, via USA Today. “Took his team to the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, done all that stuff. For him to go through all he had to go through for making a stance, which the media took and ran with and put him in this situation?
“It’s kind of embarrassing to America that this guy got to go re-prove himself over making a stance on something that still hasn’t been confronted in today’s world.”
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the league since 2016, when he first started taking a knee during the national anthem at games to take a stance against police brutality and social injustices in the United States. He was essentially blackballed from the league in the years that followed, and only settled his collusion lawsuit against the NFL earlier this year.
His workout, which the NFL initially set up, didn’t go off without a hitch, however. Kaepernick moved the workout to a new location on Saturday to allow the media to watch the event — something the NFL wasn’t going to allow — in an effort to maintain a “transparent and open process.” The NFL released a statement after the fact saying that it was “disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout,” even though the workout still took place in front of representatives from at least 20 teams.
It’s unclear whether the workout on Saturday will be enough to convince a team to sign Kaepernick. Either way, though, it looks like the 32-year-old still has the support of players across the league.
“Hell yeah, that’d be dope,” Cowboys safety Byron Jones said about a possible Kaepernick return, via USA Today. “Of course. A big quarterback like that who can run and make plays outside the pocket? I remember in college watching him play like, ‘This dude’s amazing.’
“Hopefully he’s still got it.”
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