NFL’s Roger Goodell changes direction on Colin Kaepernick

The NFL has changed direction on Colin Kaepernick by arranging a workout for the controversial quarterback.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Picture: AP

Whenever NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been asked why Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned after nearly three years, his answer has always been the same: Don’t ask me, ask the teams. The NFL, he has stressed, doesn’t get involved in player personnel decisions.

“I’ve said it many times privately and publicly,” Goodell said in Atlanta before the last Super Bowl, “our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they want to have on their roster. They make that individually.”

So it was a jarring shift this week when the NFL suddenly orchestrated a highly unusual workout for Kaepernick and invited all 32 teams to attend it on Saturday at the Atlanta Falcons’ training facility. The event was arranged after at least two teams checked with the league about Kaepernick’s status, rather than simply contacting him for a workout.

The event marks a sharp pivot by Goodell, who saw it as a solution to dual pressures: Kaepernick’s team has continued to belabour the complete absence of his opportunities, while teams had reached out to his office and were potentially interested in him.

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This is the third season that Kaepernick has been unable to land an NFL contract after leading protests during the national anthem to call attention to issues such as police brutality. By arranging the workout, Goodell went from saying it was out of the league’s purview to deciding that it should organise a showcase for Kaepernick in front of talent evaluators.

But the event may be better understood as political theatre rather than as a football exercise. Even in the wake of Kaepernick’s since-settled grievance, which alleged the league and its teams colluded to keep him unsigned because of his outspoken political views, Kaepernick’s camp has publicly barbed the NFL with a simple fact: since he became a free agent, not even one team has worked him out.

This week’s offer of a workout was an attempt to fix that — or, perhaps, quiet him. Kaepernick tweeted on Tuesday night that he was “just getting word” about the event and that he “can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs” from teams.

The tweet sounds optimistic — or was a subtle jab — because of the event’s timing. Head coaches and general managers aren’t likely to attend on a Saturday, the day before NFL games and when key talent evaluators typically observe college football games. A suggestion to move the workout to a Tuesday was rebuffed by the league, a person familiar with the conversations said.

The workout, which will be run by the organisers who put on the NFL’s annual scouting combine, will technically be a football exhibition for the 32-year-old Kaepernick to demonstrate his skills, which have not been on display since he last played in the 2016 season. That year he rocked the NFL by leading player protests to call attention to social and racial issues, such as police brutality, during the national anthem.

The plan to offer Kaepernick a workout came together quickly, and partly because Kaepernick has continued to publicly pressure the league to give him a chance.

In October, Kaepernick’s agents reiterated he has been training rigorously and remains eager to play.

“It is difficult to think of another young player in NFL history with statistics and character as impressive as Colin’s not being given an opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster after what he has accomplished,” they said in a statement.

According to two people familiar with the matter, that prompted at least two teams to reach out to the league office and ask: What’s the status of Colin Kaepernick?

Those inbound calls moved Goodell to re-evaluate his stance, these people said. Goodell, they added, believed a league-organised workout — which would also be filmed and sent to teams — was an opportunity to address his building frustration over Kaepernick’s complaint that no team would even let him try out. Goodell couldn’t force a team to sign Kaepernick, but he could lay the groundwork. He then consulted with at least some owners before going ahead with the idea.

On Kaepernick’s side, though, there were doubts about the legitimacy of the event, one person familiar with the discussions said. They felt forced into giving a quick answer, with the league needing a response before it planned to send out a memo to all 32 teams about the event. They also questioned why it had to be held this upcoming Saturday and didn’t understand why interested teams simply contact him directly, as is the standard procedure for any free agent.

“It feels disingenuous,” said Panthers safety Eric Reid, Kaepernick’s close friend and former 49ers teammate who has continued to demonstrate during the anthem. “At this point, it feels like a PR stunt.”

But by staging the event this way, the league subtly shifted the pressure back to Kaepernick. If he declined to participate because he interpreted the event as a charade, then it could look like he was rejecting the exact opportunity he had been clamouring for.

Kaepernick agreed, hoping that it wouldn’t be a “PR stunt,” the person said. To guard against that, his team asked the league for a list of executives or coaches planning to attend and believed they would get that. A person familiar with the league’s thinking says the NFL didn’t promise that, but multiple clubs have committed to attend already.

That full list remains unclear. Dolphins coach Brian Flores said on Wednesday that his team does diligence on all available players and would have a representative there. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the same, noting Atlanta did not organise the workout even though it is the host. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he didn’t know if the Patriots would be represented.

Kaepernick rose to stardom with the 49ers, taking them to the Super Bowl and another NFC Championship game. Although his play — and the team’s record — diminished in ensuing years, his statistical resume compares favourably to other quarterbacks who have been signed since he and San Francisco parted ways.

The outcome of Saturday’s event, which is closed to the public, could have deep ramifications for the NFL. The movement Kaepernick catalysed turned the league into a political lightning rod and drew America’s most popular sport into a direct feud with no less than President Trump, who assailed the protests as unpatriotic and the league for allowing them to continue.

At the same time, Kaepernick’s continued absence from the NFL has raised persistent questions over whether he has been effectively blackballed because of the demonstrations he launched. The NFL, before the start of this season, partnered with Jay-Z’s entertainment firm Roc Nation on a deal that sought to amplify the league’s player-led social justice initiatives. That deal also showed Kaepernick’s polarising clout, when the pact received a sharp reaction and the famed rapper found himself amid the internal firefight that has surrounded Kaepernick’s unemployment in the NFL.

Kaepernick’s views have made him a powerful political icon. Nike, an NFL partner, made Kaepernick the face of a charged advertising campaign a year ago. Later, Nike held back sales of a shoe featuring the Betsy Ross flag after Kaepernick raised concerns that to some it could be seen as a symbol of hate.

All of which is why the most explosive part of Saturday’s event may not be the workout itself — but Kaepernick’s interview with evaluators afterwards.

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