When Colin Kaepernick opted out of his final year with the San Francisco 49ers, he probably didn't expect to find himself sitting at home two weeks after NFL free agency started with no team interested in signing him. The former 49ers quarterback was only a few years removed from an NFC Championship run and he is now unemployed. When asked about Kaepernick, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said that he feels Colin has been blacklisted.
Colin Kaepernick's controversial 2016
In 2016, there was a huge racial divide between classes and races in the United States.
While the Black Lives Matter movement built steam, some athletes chose not to stand during the National Anthem, instead kneeling. Colin Kaepernick was one of these players and was steadfast in his silent protest of the treatment of African-Americans in this country. While many players knelt down, it was Kaepernick that seemed to get the most attention, with people blasting him for his silent protest, claiming he was insulting America by doing so. While Kaepernick has said that he proved his point and hoped he brought some awareness to his protest, he said that he will stand in 2017 during the National Anthem. It hasn't mattered in free agency because even the New York Jets, a team that is starving for a good quarterback, chose not to sign Colin.
Richard Sherman's opinion of Kaepernick
Richard Sherman has never been one to keep quiet about controversial circumstances. When the Seattle Seahawks cornerback was asked about Colin Kaepernick, he told ESPN exactly what he thought of the situation. Sherman said that no one wanting Kaepernick makes it pretty clear that NFL teams have blacklisted him.
He pointed to Matt Schaub as someone who played horribly one season and still found a team the next year, saying that proves it has nothing to do with football talent. Much like Spike Lee said before him, Richard Sherman believes that Colin Kaepernick deserves to play in the NFL. Sherman said that Colin will have to settle on being a backup for whoever signs him but has the talent to start for a team in the NFL if anyone gives him a chance.
