It has been confirmed that Colin Kaepernick, free agent and former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, filed a collusion suit against the NFL on Monday, October 16, 2017. In a statement to CNBC, Kaepernick’s attorney, Mark Geragos, explains, "We can confirm that this morning we filed a grievance under the CBA on behalf of Colin Kaepernick."
Kaepernick has been under severe media scrutiny since refusing to stand for the National Anthem out of protest for, what he feels, is oppression towards people of color. Now, he is once again in the media spotlight, creating media buzz over his decision to file the suit.
Kaepernick has been a free agent since March, when he was not re-signed with the NFL during the off season.
Possible speculation for the organization’s decision is that Kaepernick has become distracted by the protest uproar, and his athletic performance has suffered as a result. In an interview with CNBC, Geragos explains why Kaepernick’s decision was the right one, “this was done only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives.”.
The collusion suit targets all 32 owners, and Kaepernick hopes to eliminate the current, Collective Bargaining Agreement and also ‘protect’ future NFL players from what he claims is racial discrimination.
Does Kaepernick have a case?
Dictionary.com defines collusion “as, “secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.” Kaepernick believes that the organization is in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, claiming that they have been collaborating in order to prevent him from working for the NFL.
There were multiple teams that passed on signing the quarterback, including: The Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and the Miami Dolphins, but the owners deny that the current Kaepernick chaos has anything to do with their decisions.
If Kaepernick is successful
If Kaepernick succeeds, the outcome could result in the early termination of the agreement, according to Article 69, Section 2 of the CBA.
In respect to the collusion, article XVII(a)(1) of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement states that any club, employee, or agents affiliated with the NFL are allowed to come together witht the intent of limiting or preventing individual decision-making, which is what Kaepernick is accusing the organization of.
Kaepernick himself has yet to release a statement.
