Bradley Beal entered the most important discussion in American sports on Saturday. It only took one word, but it was enough. The Washington Wizards guard was simply responding to a story he saw about Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who claimed Colin Kaepernick would have already had a job if he was in the NBA, rather than the NFL. It would appear that Beal agrees with the premise wholeheartedly.

Beal speaks up

Beal has a pretty active Twitter account, but he doesn't generally delve into topics that can be considered political, despite the fact that he plays in the nation's capital.

This is one topic that people are having a hard time avoiding, though. So when the NBC Sports story about Kaepernick came across his feed, he hit the "Quote Tweet" button, editorializing with one extra word.

Beal is more than entitled to his opinion, but there is a historical precedent suggesting he may be wrong. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was a decent basketball player, collecting "Most Improved Player" honors during his career. But midway through his career, Abdul-Rauf began to refuse standing during the national anthem, citing it as a violation of his Islamic beliefs. He was temporarily suspended by the NBA before working out a compromise, but he was virtually out of the league within a year.

The modern NBA may provide a different landscape, but the historical precedent for Kaepernick is not good.

Cuban on Kaepernick's situation

In an interview originally conducted by the Washington Post, the Mavericks owner shed light on his Kaepernick opinion. He claimed that NBA players would be free to "exercise their constitutional rights." He also cited the status of basketball as a worldwide game that brings in people of different cultures and walks of life.

His comments came as NBA players descended to South Africa for an international competition. Additionally, some players made remarks or protested on behalf of Kaepernick last season.

It has become increasingly clear that Kaepernick is being blackballed from the NFL, either via collusion or individual owners struggling in the face of some pressure.

Quarterbacks are already suffering injuries around the league, yet lesser quarterbacks are being signed. Beal has clearly had enough. He will likely go back to a political-free zone on his Twitter account, but there is now no doubt about where Beal stands in sports' most pressing controversy.
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