The NFL’s decision to organize a private workout for Colin Kapernick on Saturday in Atlanta is not what it looks like on the surface. Mostly it feels like a guy inviting an old girlfriend to dinner and getting her hopes up at the thought of reconciling when he really has no interest besides ending the relationship on good terms. He wants her to *think* he’s a good guy so she tells all her friends that he isn’t the lying and manipulating pig they all know him to be.
Those were my first thoughts after hearing about the “opportunity” for Colin Kaepernick, who has been out of football for more than two seasons, whiteballed by the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and lethality.
And, yes, they definitely got his hopes up high as he tweeted:
https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7/status/1194415935890894848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
But upon closer inspection it appears the NFL has made a chess move that Bobby Fischer would admire.
ESPN’s Adam Shefter tweeted that several executives with teams have reached out as a courtesy to Colin Kaepernick’s representatives saying they couldn’t attend Saturday’s workouts, saying they were confused by the NFL’s purpose in scheduling it on a Saturday and on five days’ notice.
Well, I’m not confused at all. The NFL is fully aware that the majority of teams do not typically conduct workouts on Saturdays, when all the real decision-makers are scouting college players or traveling with their clubs for Sunday’s games. Which is why Kaepernick’s team requested to have it on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, the request was denied.
The NFL has basically told Kaepernick to take it or leave it, leaving themselves with a no-lose situation no matter how Saturday plays out. Here’s a walk through every scenario.
Kaepernick declines the NFL’s offer of a workout
If Kaepernick refuses to accept the NFL’s less-than-ideal terms, the NFL’s spin will be: We tried to offer him a chance to come back to the NFL, but he declined. We’re not whiteballing him from the league. We would welcome him back with open arms. Look at the great lengths we went to in order to provide him with an opportunity to resume his playing career. We can’t force him to play. We’ve done all we could.
Kaepernick doesn’t perform well during the workout
The spin will be: While we respect the fact that Kaepernick has a desire to resume his NFL career, the numbers are what they are. He didn’t physically perform well enough to be in the NFL. It would be unfair to the other quarterbacks if we put him in the league despite this poor performance at his workout. He has to be able to have a balance between being an activist, which we all respect, and being able to perform at the level of a professional NFL player. We will do everything we possibly can to further the cause that he raised through our efforts with The Players Coalition (which we generously donated millions of dollars to our Players Coalition social justice program “Inspire Change” and our partnership with Jay Z and Roc Nation to bring actionable items to make a difference. We wish Colin Kaepernick good luck in all his future endeavors.
Kaepernick doesn’t promise to stand for the national anthem
Saturday’s workout, like most pro day-style workouts, will include an interview session in addition to the on-field workout. Let’s say Kaepernick doesn’t guarantee to teams he will stand for the national anthem.
The spin will be: Well, we wanted to give him a job, but he just was unwilling to convince teams that he wouldn’t be a distraction. Teams want to win football games, and we can’t force them to accept someone who won’t even agree to follow the rules, which clearly state that a player is to either remain in the locker room or stand respectfully at attention for the anthem. We have acquiesced to his right to express himself by giving him the option of remaining in the locker room, against the President Of The United States and our fans who want to see players stand and honor our veterans and respect this wonderful country we live in that affords NFL players to receive million dollar contracts they enjoy. We have done all we could possibly do and apparently, it’s still not enough.
Kaepernick is signed by a team on the condition he never kneels again
What if Kaepernick accepts a contract on the condition he stands for the anthem and never kneels again, as some sources have speculated will be asked of him. Then it will be: This fraud who you have idolized and held up as a hero is nothing but a phony. He was paid by Nike to tell everyone to “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything” but doesn’t follow his own advice. He’s no Ali, he is only about the money. And you will see every Right Wing Conservative commentator across the country run with this narrative as they take their victory laps because they have discredited someone who had become a cultural icon.
Kaepernick is signed by a team, no strings attached
The spin will be: We, along with the help of our most trusted ally Jay-Z, have been successful at proving to the world that we are truly a league that values black people, black lives and freedom of expression. We are going to continue our plan for progress as we set up concert series across the country with Roc Nation and deliver inspirational messages and actionable items towards a greater tomorrow. By putting this issue to bed, we along with Jay Z and Roc-nation will continue our goal to Make The NFL Great Again.
Like back in the day when Don King would be patiently waiting at ringside to embrace whichever fighter won, jumping into the ring with a big smile and open arms regardless of the outcome, that’s exactly the no-lose situation what the NFL has set up which will in addition extricate themselves from the PR catastrophe they made for themselves. It’s taken three long years to get there, but the NFL’s long national nightmare is over. They win the no matter the outcome. Well played Roger Goodell
The disingenuous decision to organize a last-minute workout for Kaepernick brilliantly creates a
no-lose situation that will extricate the NFL from the PR catastrophe it made for itself. Well played Roger Goodell