Colin Kaepernick: Grievance filing sets stage for next battle with NFL
Colin Kaepernick has a tough battle in front of him to prove NFL ownership was and is colluding against him, and things could get heated.
The rumor of Colin Kaepernick filing a grievance against the NFL and ownership is the next phase of the off-field battles surrounding the 2017 season. The story surrounding Kaepernick and his continued push against the league is well-documented. For Kaepernick, this will be a difficult fight to win and continues to put him in a position to be demonized to fans. But it’s a fight that he must make at this point in the conversation.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this grievance is that Kaepernick and his legal team need to prove that there is a clear attempt by the league and NFL ownership to keep him out of the league. While it is clear that Kaepernick does have the abilities to contribute for many teams struggling with quarterback play, that is not enough for him to win such a major decision.
The filed grievance points towards pressure from President Donald Trump to keep Kaepernick out of the league. While Trump does continue to verbally attack players for kneeling during the national anthem, it is difficult to link those actions to collusion throughout the league. The NFL has yet to release a statement about Kaepernick’s grievance, but Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken about the matter in previous interviews.
”The things we are always about are meritocracy and opportunity,” Goodell said as reported by Fox Sports. ”I want to see everyone get an opportunity, including Colin. Those are decisions that are made by football people.”
It’s clear that some teams have made questionable decisions in the quarterback carousel that happens every postseason. While Kaepernick sits on the sideline, the likes of Brian Hoyer, Scott Tolzien, Tom Savage, Mike Glennon and others were signed to deals. Kaepernick’s stats and experience present him as a better option than these players. Some point towards his salary expectations as reasons why teams are hesitant to sign him, but that narrative has never been confirmed.
This grievance will likely keep Kaepernick out of the league; even as injuries and bad play create openings across rosters in the NFL. At the same time, NFL leadership ponders the idea of creating a rule that requires players to stand during the national anthem. To many, this seems like a move to silence players taking a peaceful stand to oppose the social injustice that occurs within the communities they represent.
Even though players, owners and more took a stand against Donald Trump’s statements on Sept. 24, it’s clear that moment was nothing more than grandstanding for headlines. The attempts to hijack the conversation and draw attention away from the real reason this movement started has been successful in many ways.
In many ways, this is why Kaepernick must continue the battle through the grievance. It’s a battle that may cost him his professional career, which is a risk he’s openly accepted. It wouldn’t be the first time that an athlete has attempted to push for social change, to lose much of their prime competitive years. Examples stand like John Carlos, Tommie Lee Smith, Kurt Flood, Muhammed Ali and others. In the end, Kaepernick may find himself likened to this group of famed sports icons for taking a stand in the face of opposition.
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The way this grievance plays out is a compelling story to watch across the sports industry. This is about more than throwing a football; it’s about the blatant attempts to silence a movement meant to draw attention to a maligned people within the United States. Whether the offended majority wants to believe it or not, sports are about more than what happens on the field.