Seattle Seahawks coach hints the team is interested in picking up Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick just might return to football.

By David Icke Turner

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters there have been discussions regarding the team picking up former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Player acquisitions of such high profile are not often made public until there are substantive considerations. 

“I got a phone call today asking and inquiring about the situation,” Carroll said. “I know somebody is interested so we’ll see what happens with that.”

Kaepernick met with the Seahawks in 2017 yet was not picked up. Carroll expressed regret for not signing the QB then. “The fact that it didn’t work out for us, I figured he’d wind up starting somewhere for sure and it just didn’t happen. I regret that that didn’t happen in some fashion. I wish we had contributed to it because the guy deserved to play.”

Colin Kaepernick, of course, became a household name when he began kneeling during the US national anthems to bring light to racial injustice and police violence against African-Americans. Kaepernick became a free-agent in 2017 yet no NFL teams were willing to sign him. This has been seen by many as both an attempt to silence Kaepernick as well as an unwillingness on behalf of the NFL to engage this subject. Despite the precedence for kneeling before the flag as a respectful act, the protest act was seen as ‘anti-American’ by those who refuse to recognize racial injustices in the country. Of course, President Trump predictably seized upon Kaepernick’s protest to make yet another foray into the culture war.  He described Kaepernick and others who kneeled during the anthem as “sons of bitches”. The NFL offered little to no support to Kaepernick and was later jointly sued by him and teammate Eric Reid for collusion. The NFL later settled the suit for $10 million dollars. 

The NFL has since done an about-face. 

Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell proclaimed “Black Lives Matter” in a video last week posted to NFL social channels. He said “ the NFL is open to working with Kaepernick in battling systemic racism.” 

History will look back at the NFL’s refusal to back Kaepernick as a needless blunder. In light of what we have seen in recent weeks, the NFL’s likelihood of staying on schedule seems more likely every day. With hundreds of thousands participating in densely packed protests across the country, some see little justification left to cancel large events.

Politics aside, it would be unprecedented for a player to return after 4 years and make huge strides in the game. There is no telling what the QB’s performance would look like after such a long hiatus. Needless to say, all eyes will be on him.  

Perhaps he can find a place to stay in the Chappell Hill Autonomous Zone.