Colin Kaepernick snubbed by Seahawks after refusing to stop national anthem protests: report
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colin Kaepernick was reportedly snubbed by the Seattle Seahawks after he declined to say if he would stop his national anthem kneeling protests. (AP/Reuters)
The Seattle Seahawks reportedly postponed Colin Kaepernick’s trip to a pre-season camp with the team after the embattled quarterback told the team he would not stop his national anthem kneeling protests.
The team is thinking about allowing Kaepernick to try out for a spot on the team but they have not made any decisions, a source told ESPN.
Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, was contacted by the Seahawks around two weeks ago to make a trip to the team’s center and practice. A source told ESPN the trip was put off after the Seahawks argued about Kaepernick’s anthem protest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It's unclear what day the quarterback was supposed to practice with the team.
The team reportedly asked Kaepernick if he would continue his protest if he was signed to the NFL again and he was “unwilling to give that assurance to them.”
Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 to 2017 season as part of a protest against police brutality while he was with the San Francisco 49ers. Many other NFL players joined his protest, which angered many — most notably President Trump, who said Kaepernick should have been “suspended” for kneeling.
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"The NFL should have suspended him for one game and he would have never done it again," Trump told Fox News Sean Hannity in October. "They could have then suspended him for two games and they could have suspended him again if he did it a third time, for the season, and you would never have had a problem."
On Tuesday, Kaepernick attended a deposition with NFL lawyers in New York.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In October, Kaepernick filed a grievance case accusing NFL owners of colluding against him to keep him out of the league under a collective bargaining agreement. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers following the 2016 to 2017 season and has remained unsigned.
Since Kaepernick opted out of his contract, no NFL team has contacted him to join the team. The Baltimore Ravens were reportedly thinking about signing him last year but decided not to go forward.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following news of the snub, ESPN senior correspondent Jemele Hill began tweeting about the report. Hill tweeted, “You mean it wasn’t just a football decision? :clutches imaginary pearls.”
“He’s such a locker room cancer that his teammates gave him the Len Eshmont Award, which is given to the player who best exemplifies courage and inspiration. Great point by you,” Hill tweeted to a social media user.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.