Friday, March 25, 2022

Is the shameful NFL ownership blacklisting of Colin Kapernick over his protest of police violence against blacks softening? Does Kapernick have support of black players, as suggested by his finding workout partners to prove he still has NFL-level skills? A number of teams might well think of using his skills, if still sharp, as they have starting quarterback vacancies per off-season happenings.

 Seattle Seahawks have traded their former starting quarterback, Russ Wilson. (Another "Seattle" link.)

Houston Texans have parted ways with their former starting quarterback,  Deshaun Watson.

Pittsburgh Steelers had their long-time starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger  retire.

Any team can use a first rate starting or backup quarterback because injury worry is a constant in NFL play. Two questions cause cross-confusion. First:  Is Kapernick still a starting quality player? Second: Given intervening times, George Floyd's murder on video by Minneapolis cops, etc., will the racist boycott against Kapernick be quelled as better NFL publicity for selling the product than a continuation of the isolation Kapernick has been made to suffer?

Sports Illustrated:

Colin Kaepernick’s national tour of playing with NFL players will continue in Seattle, he announced via Twitter on Tuesday. 

“Headed to Seattle to get some work in with Aaron Fuller tomorrow!” Kaepernick said in the tweet. 

The former 49ers quarterback posted a screenshot of the Seahawks wideout replying to his Instagram story with the text, “Slide out to Seattle!! Need that work @Kaepernick 7.” Needless to say, it looks like he’s taking him up on his offer. 

Fuller was signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2020 and has been waived and re-signed by the team several times. He has never registered any NFL regular season stats. 

[...] Fuller is the latest NFL talent that Kaepernick has worked out with this offseason as he continues to look for an opportunity in the league that he hasn’t played in since 2016. Other players he’s worked out with include Saints wide receiver Jalen McCleskey, Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett, Bears quarterback Justin Fields, free agent quarterback Josh Dobbs and Giants signal-caller Tyrod Taylor.

Houston workout. Listing players there. Crabgrass has not researched from the names whether all the workout players in the "tour" supporting Kapernick are black, entirely so, or with some supportive white players joining in solidarity.

Given "Rooney Rule" origin, and Roethlisberger's retirement, Kapernick ending up in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin (the longest tenured black head coach trailing only Bill Belichick's tenure, yes/no?), and possibly winning a Super Bowl from there; that  would be a fine ending to the suffering Kapernick has endured over an act of conscience.

It's time. Right the wrong. Put the man back on the money train.