Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL since January 1st, 2017, and as the NFL preseason kicks off this week, Kaepernick took the opportunity to remind the world that he’s still grinding for an opportunity to rejoin the league. Earlier this week, Kaepernick shared a workout video, which running count of the number of days (889 and counting) he’s been “denied work.”
The video reignited the daytime TV debate over whether Kaepernick should be signed by an NFL team, but after so many NFL teams have found excuses not to sign Kaepernick since his last game, it seems unlikely he’ll step on the field in the coming season.
President Donald Trump was asked on Friday whether Kaepernick should be signed by an NFL team. Trump – who once tweeted that players who kneel during the national anthem should be suspended without pay – said he’d “love” for Kaepernick to be back, but believes NFL owners would have signed him if he was “good enough” to play.
Reporter: “Should Colin Kaepernick get an opportunity to play in the NFL?”
President Trump: “Only if he’s good enough. Yeah, if he’s good enough. Why would he play… if he’s good enough, and I think if he was good enough – I know the owners. I know [Patriots owner] Bob Kraft. I know so many of the owners. If he’s good enough, they’d sign him. I know these people. They would sign him in a heartbeat. They will do anything they can to win games.
So I’d like to see it. Frankly, I’d love to see Kaepernick come in if he’s good enough. But I don’t want to see him come in because somebody thinks it’s a good PR move. If he’s good enough, he will be in.”
Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL was settled in February, and he had not made any public statements about his future in football until releasing the video this week. His message is clear: “Still Ready.”
