This week, Baltimore Ravens’ General Manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh publicly admitted to floating the idea of signing Colin Kaepernick, perhaps the most infamous player in NFL history short of O.J. Simpson. In case there is someone out there who doesn’t know who Kaepernick is, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was fired because he refused to stand for the National Anthem.
While his on-field performance was occasionally flashy but mostly mediocre, his bad-actor pregame performances during the Pledge of Allegiance became extraordinarily memorable as San Francisco 49ers fans and Americans all over the country punished the team for Kaepernick’s nationally syndicated flip-off of America.
Now, Ravens’ management has voluntarily taken the Kaepernick ball and ran with it.
Owner Bisciotti must make call
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is now the focus of the story since it will be his burden to block or not block his general manager and coaching staff’s potential decision to sign the NFL’s most unpopular player. Either way, the Ravens lose. Just floating such a trial balloon to sports media was a bit like a boy scout slapping a 1,200 lb. grizzly in the face for raiding his cooler. The only thing The Ravens needed to do about Kaepernick was to ignore him, but they chose to slap the grizzly.
The only way Newsome and Harbaugh could chase away more fans and sponsors on any given game day would be to plant stink bombs in the stadium and order all beer to be served warm.
While it could be argued that Kaepernick was unfairly blacklisted for his unpatriotic beliefs and public behavior, the Ravens are now in a lose/lose situation, all for a questionable second-string quarterback who hasn’t shown anyone he is football ready since getting sacked by the San Francisco 49ers.
Kaepernick would distract team's rank-and-file
Even if Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s back is healed enough for him to hit his stride, and enough receivers, signing Kaepernick would be a huge distraction to rank-and-file players as cameras focused his every expression, waiting and baiting him to fumble from the sidelines.
The Baltimore area is rife with police and racial controversies and the Ravens may find it difficult to fly above controversy this coming season with Kaepernick.
Potential fan and sponsor boycotts aside, whether Bisciotti blocks the signing or not, the Ravens have taken the Kaepernick controversy and ran with it. No Hail Mary thrown to the media will change that.
