The signing that pushed Kaepernick into dramatic legal challenge

THE smoking gun in exiled star Colin Kaepernick’s legal scrap against an NFL conspiracy with US President Donald Trump has been revealed.

‘Murrica.

BRANDON Weeden was all the proof Colin Kaepernick needed.

According to a Pro Football Talk report, Kaepernick decided to charge the NFL with collusion after the Titans signed Weeden two weeks ago. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the league arguing that the NFL, at the behest of President Trump, had conspired to keep him out of the league after he became the face of the players’ national anthem protests.

Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers this off-season after a marginal season in San Francisco, where the team went 1-15. But there is little doubt that the 29 year old is more talented than some of the quarterbacks in the league, and Weeden will now be the face of that contention.

The 34 year old struggled mightily in chances he got with the Browns, Cowboys and Texans between 2012-2015. Weeden spent last season as the third-stringer behind the dynamic duo of Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage in Houston, whereas Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns compared to 4 interceptions.

“I know he’s not familiar with our offence,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said of Kaepernick when asked about the possibility on Oct. 4.

But heck, even Weeden thought that Kaepernick is deserving of an opportunity.

“(Kaepernick’s) had a heck of a career. He played in a Super Bowl. Obviously, he’s done a lot of really good things,” Weeden told the Tennessean after he was signed.

“I think us as players, we all kind of firmly believe that he’s a good enough player to play in this league.

The dude can still play.

“Me, myself, I feel like I have the ability to play in this league as well. I’ve never really lost that confidence. I don’t point fingers, if things have gone my way, things haven’t gone my way. But I continue to keep doing the same thing every day. I kind of worry about me and kind of go from there.”

The Titans’ signing of Weeden became necessary when starter Marcus Mariota hurt his hamstring. Mariota is expected to return Monday night against the Colts, pushing Matt Cassel back to a reserve role and likely ending Weeden’s time with the team.

Aaron Rodgers’ broken collarbone will bring another wave of frustration for Kaepernick supporters as Green Bay turns to the inexperienced Brett Hundley to start and unknown Joe Callahan, who was promoted from the practice squad on Monday, as the No. 2.

Yahoo Sports speculated, though, that Kaepernick going forward with the grievance would end his chances, slim as they may have been, of signing with an NFL team for the foreseeable future.

Kaepernick is the originator of the anthem movement, which he began last year to protest police brutality and the treatment of minorities in the United States.

Thrust of grievance filed by Kaepernick’s lawyers against #NFL. Alleges league blackballed him and were further coerced by @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/vebjjJT0yk

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) October 16, 2017

The grievance, obtained by Yahoo Sports, argues Kaepernick is no longer in the NFL as a retaliation for his stance as the face of the national anthem movement and his “advocacy for equality and social justice and his bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States.”

Further, the grievance says the owners’ revenge came in “calculated co-ordination” with Trump. In March, Trump took credit for Kaepernick not having a gig, bragging to a Kentucky audience about a report that said, according to Trump, “NFL owners don’t want to pick him up because they don’t want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump.”