Colin Kaepernick’s Return to NFL is Finally Happening?

Players are coming up in favor of Kaepernick’s return-to-play. The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is also in favor of encouraging teams to sign quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The former 49ers quarterback has not played since he started the protest against racial inequality by kneeling down during the national anthem in the 2016 season. But, with each passing day, his return to the NFL is looking more like a reality — the momentum has already begun. There’s a buzz in and around the league that many teams are interested in taking him back into the team for season 2020. This move is clearly in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by the police by kneeling down on his neck for around nine minutes. Like the countless voices coming against racial discrimination, the NFL is looking forward to supporting the cause. The league is encouraging teams to support Kaepernick and is also talking about supporting the crusade he has championed over the years.

About Kaepernick.

Colin Rand Kaepernick is a football quarterback and an American civil rights activist. He played six seasons in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers. In the 2016 season, he knelt down during the national anthem as a gesture of protest against police brutality, and racial discrimination. He sat down instead of standing (which is the customary practice) during the U.S. national anthem during the 49ers' third preseason game in 2016. Kaepernick did the same way throughout the regular season whenever the anthem was played. While some players and people from the fraternity were happy about what he did, some did not like his protest.

After this, the protest spread like wildfire and soon it became a moment. In September 2017, the protest even intensified when president Trump wanted the NFL to fire such players who protest during the national anthem. After the end of the season, he became a free agent and was not signed by any team. Kaepernick filed a case against the league in November 2017 for colluding and conspiring to keep him away from the league. In February 2019, he withdrew the case after a confidential settlement with the league. His protest against police brutality & racial discrimination after the death of George Floyd in police custody has again become the talk of the town.

Kaepernick’s return to the League.

The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in an interview said it would be entirely the team’s take on whether it’s signing Kaepernick. He showed his willingness to work with Kaepernick against racial discrimination and other social issues he has been a part of. Goodell said, “Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it's going to take a team to make that decision. But I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that.”

The league is open to welcome him even if he is more interested in continuing to work on social issues & racial discrimination. The NFL wants Kaepernick to be a part of the league and help us with better ideas on creating a landscape where there is no space for social injustice at any point in the play. Goodell said that he is welcome to guide the league to find solutions to some really complex problems that have been hovering around for quite some time.