Kaepernick Sues NFL Over Collusion To Deny Him Employment

[AngeloV]

I don't understand the economics of this. Could an NFL owner actually lose a meaningful amount of money by signing or playing Kaepernick? The fat TV contract wouldn't be affected, and even if a lot of fans followed through on threats to stop buying tickets (which I doubt), there is excess demand in most markets. It seems quite possible that he just isn't well regarded any more.

My opinion, but I believe this is nothing more than to use OV's phrase, a bunch of Good ole boy Billionaires, that are buddies with the biggest knob of a president of all time, saying they aren't going to let this black man stand for what he believes in on their watches. It's ridiculous.

[PullTogether73]

My opinion, but I believe this is nothing more than to use OV's phrase, a bunch of Good ole boy Billionaires, that are buddies with the biggest knob of a president of all time, saying they aren't going to let this black man stand for what he believes in on their watches. It's ridiculous.

Couldn't disagree more.

You have a cause for which you want to fight/promote?
Fine.
Do it on your own time in your own place.
Don't bring your politics or cause to work.

As for collusion, I don't see any upside for any team to bring in a guy who insists on using a team's workplace to promote his personal cause(s) - no, not even the possibility of winning more games - so there doesn't have to be collusion among the owners. CK's lack of employment is due to the controversial/divisive nature of what he is doing, and no owner should want a part of that.

To be clear, it is not the cause for which he is fighting that is the problem, it is the tactic and place that he uses that is the problem. Don't confuse the two.

[jerrym]

Couldn't disagree more.

You have a cause for which you want to fight/promote?
Fine.
Do it on your own time in your own place.
Don't bring your politics or cause to work.

As for collusion, I don't see any upside for any team to bring in a guy who insists on using a team's workplace to promote his personal cause(s) - no, not even the possibility of winning more games - so there doesn't have to be collusion among the owners. CK's lack of employment is due to the controversial/divisive nature of what he is doing, and no owner should want a part of that.

To be clear, it is not the cause for which he is fighting that is the problem, it is the tactic and place that he uses that is the problem. Don't confuse the two.

Actually, the problem is more complicated than you suggest.

As noted in the video accompanying the following article, the NFL agreed in its collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2009 that players have the right to protest. The NFL confirmed this right in 2016 and reiterated it in 2017. This right is meaningless if NFL teams can avoid hiring players on that basis. The CBA also contains a clause barring teams from colluding to impose discipline on a player.
The Seahawks may have been working with the rest of the league to make Kaepernick's lawsuit go away by reaching a settlement allowing him to play if he did not kneel during the anthem again or they may have simply been making the offer in the hope that it would help win the collusion arbitration case. On the other hand, Seattle has accepted players who were outspoken in the past and may have been more willing to accept him until pressure from other teams or the league office overruled this.
The reason they need an experienced backup is illustrative in itself. They have been quite willing to accept other players with much more severe, even criminal, problems in the past. Their #1 backup QB, Trevor Boykin, was kept despite repeated criminal activity until the MeToo movement made this untenable.

The Seahawks needed a backup after cutting Trevone Boykin over a domestic violence incident. Before the domestic violence accusation, Boykin was with the Seahawks two seasons despite separate arrests on drug charges and resisting arrest after a bar fight that got him suspended from TCU’s bowl game. Kaepernick has no known arrests.
The Seahawks, who once drafted defensive end Frank Clark after he was arrested for a domestic violence accusation and kept Clark after he injured a teammate in a practice fight.

https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-si...140726239.html

[AngeloV]

Couldn't disagree more.

You have a cause for which you want to fight/promote?
Fine.
Do it on your own time in your own place.
Don't bring your politics or cause to work.

As for collusion, I don't see any upside for any team to bring in a guy who insists on using a team's workplace to promote his personal cause(s) - no, not even the possibility of winning more games - so there doesn't have to be collusion among the owners. CK's lack of employment is due to the controversial/divisive nature of what he is doing, and no owner should want a part of that.

To be clear, it is not the cause for which he is fighting that is the problem, it is the tactic and place that he uses that is the problem. Don't confuse the two.

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm of the opinion that I am 100% correct on this and feel you are totally underestimating the views of the owners down there.

[Argo57]

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm of the opinion that I am 100% correct on this and feel you are totally underestimating the views of the owners down there.

The CFL’s history of giving QB’s a chance based on skill instead of exclusion based solely on skin colour allowed the likes of Bernie Custis, Chuck Ealey, Condredge Holloway, Warren Moon, Roy DeWalt etc a chance to display their skills without prejudice is only one of many reasons the CFL is the best North American football league!

[AngeloV]

The CFL’s history of giving QB’s a chance based on skill instead of exclusion based solely on skin colour allowed the likes of Bernie Custis, Chuck Ealey, Condredge Holloway, Warren Moon, Roy DeWalt etc a chance to display their skills without prejudice is only one of many reasons the CFL is the best North American football league!

100% agree with this. I remember the way Randall Cunningham had to prove himself when he first played for the Eagles. They would put him in on 3rd and 10+ yard situations to take advantage of his athleticism. He proved himself, but man did he take a pounding which I'm sure wasn't great for his career. It's no wonder he burnt out. Luckily he was able to get a 2nd wind when he wound up in Minnesota. Buddy Ryan was such an idiot.

[argolio]

Buddy Ryan was such an idiot.

Definitely when it came to offensive football.

[jerrym]

A number of NFL owners, GMs and coaches have been deposed in the Kaepernick lawsuit. Since this involves testifying under oath, lying under these circumstances could result in a charge of perjury. I suspect that the NFL may reach an out-of-court settlement in the long run as the $30 million asked for in the lawsuit is chicken feed to the NFL compared to the problems generated by the lawsuit, the issue of the national anthem, and dealing with the NFL Players Association over violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, as with most legal matters, this will take time.

Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones has been vocal at times in his position regarding the issue of players kneeling during the national anthem. The collusion case isn’t about his personal views, however; it’s about whether the NFL’s teams engaged in a concerted effort to avoid Kaepernick for his role at the forefront of the anthem protests.
Again, collusion means coordination. If teams decide on their own not to pursue a player for a given reason, it’s not an issue. If coordination happens (possibly with the league office serving as the conduit) regarding the avoidance of a given player, it’s a potential violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, regardless of the precise reason for the coordination.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Jones would be prevented from espousing his personal views about the situation during his deposition. Though the substance of his testimony isn’t known, it’s possible that he decide to speak about how the NFL got into this mess, how the NFL should have gotten out of it, and what the NFL should do about it moving forward.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ion-grievance/

Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones, Troy Vincent, Robert Kraft, Bob McNair, John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome, Stephen Ross, Pete Carroll and John Schneider reportedly testified earlier in the Kaepernick collision case.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) May 16, 2018

[OV Argo]

The CFL’s history of giving QB’s a chance based on skill instead of exclusion based solely on skin colour allowed the likes of Bernie Custis, Chuck Ealey, Condredge Holloway, Warren Moon, Roy DeWalt etc a chance to display their skills without prejudice is only one of many reasons the CFL is the best North American football league!

And yet the CFL continues to still basically write-off or exclude Canadian QBs from real competition at the position. There were a few Black QBs who got a brief look in the NFL way back, but mostly it wasn't serious. Just like the CFL is STILL not really serious about giving Canadian Qbs "a chance to display their skills without prejudice" - or else the very best would get drafted and /or CFL try-outs year in year out. Picton was not drafted this year and I suspect his try-out is more just a feel good PR stunt by Popp; Hugo Richard from Laval (better pro QB prospect than Picton IMO) was not drafted either and got ZERO CFL consideration. And meanwhile that stiff Shitz is a leading contender to start for the Als and CFL teams have - again - signed a whole pile of young American QBs for TC try-outs ?

The Canadian QB situation with the CFL has been compared by some to the old NFL situation/attitude towards African American QBs; the comparison is still very valid IMO, and I'm not sure how this can be denied or avoided.

[Wobbler]

My opinion, but I believe this is nothing more than to use OV's phrase, a bunch of Good ole boy Billionaires, that are buddies with the biggest knob of a president of all time, saying they aren't going to let this black man stand for what he believes in on their watches. It's ridiculous.

Maybe a little of both. There are probably some teams who really don't think he'd help them, and then some owners who have an... old-fashioned view of patriotism, let's say.