Luckily for Colin Kaepernick, he still has allies in professional football.
Seahawks’ Defensive End Michael Bennett has been effusive in his Kaepernick-praise, and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis recently reached out to give support.
Now Kaepernick’s old team is offering sage advice for the free agent quarterback.
Newly minted 49ers General Manager John Lynch chimed in by saying Kaepernick needs to do an interview to help people better understand his commitment to the game.
From Niners Nation:
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch made a KNBR appearance on Tuesday, and he had plenty to discuss.
[…]
Lynch chatted with Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger, and Radnich asked him a question about Colin Kaepernick. There is a running narrative about whether or not Kaepernick wants to play football as much as he wants to work for social change. Radnich asked Lynch about that, offering up this question:
{Now, as an outsider since we’re talking quarterbacks. You look at Kaepernick. If he really was committed to getting back into the league, both his agent and Kaepernick, would he be back in the league by now? If he was fully committed, if that was the number one thing on his mind.}
Lynch offered up an interesting response, based on his own conversation(s) with Kaepernick. The two spoke at least once this offseason, and regardless of how many times they spoke, Lynch was able to form impressions about the quarterback. Lynch had this to say:
{I don’t know the answer to that, Gary. And I would tell you with my conversations with Colin, he is fully committed to wanting to be in this league. I also, in my private conversations, and I won’t communicate too much of what we’ve talked about, but I will communicate that I gave that opinion to Colin myself. I think, you are having a little bit of an image crisis in terms of not so much what you did last year, but people are wondering, is this most important to you, at a position where the guys that succeed at that position are the guys that live it, breathe it, the CEOs that play that position.
And I think there is a perception that football’s not on the top of his list. And so, my communication with Colin was that your best effort, I think the way you could best help yourself is to not have someone talk for you, not have statements, but go sit down and do an interview, and let people know exactly where you stand. Because he makes a compelling case as to how bad he wants to be in the league when you talk to him. And so, I’ll leave it at that, but we did have those discussions and I think that would help him.}
If Kaepernick is serious about continuing his NFL career, he’ll sit down for an in-depth interview and lay everything out.
Until then, the media will have no choice but to speculate on what he’s thinking and how that affects the 32 NFL teams.
It’s time for Kaepernick to grow up and not consider brief tweets and retweets as substantive and sufficient forms of expressing himself.
Who needs him or even wants him!
It appears the answer is no one.
I may be “no one”.., but I want him on the Cardinals.
Still.., what does a 68 yr old Native Phoenician know anyway?
Given the hateful rhetoric on this thread.., don’t bother answering the question.
Colin WHO???
Also good advice for the president: Stop considering tweets and re-tweets as substantive and sufficient forms of expressing himself.
THIS IS ABOUT AN AH QUARTERBACK AH
Glad you straighted the fool out. Our President is not a dog in this fight. This is about a fool who hates the USA while the USA made him a hero. No gratitude.
disagree.
colin NEITHER “hates the US” nor
is he benefitting from his demonstration.
in fact, he has SACRIFICED for his demonstration.
as a conservative, i expect liberals to be “knee-jerk”.
your response reminds me that my fellow conservatives
can be, on occasion, “knee jerk” themselves.
give the kid a break.
let the punishment fit the crime.
CERTAINLY, 90% of ALL public figures including ALL news media types consider tweeting a “substantive and sufficient form of expressing” since they tweet on a regular basis.
Where have you been?
FK THE SCUMBAG
HE ruined his career, not anybody else. He’s toxic now, & anybody that signs him is going to lose a LOT of fans. He is entitled to his free speech, but NOT on the ‘job’. If he’d said in an interview that he hated the way that police were clashing with blacks, or something of that type, most people wouldn’t have batted an eye. but, to diss our National Anthem, & our flag like he did, was way over the line. Most NFL fans are highly patriotic, & won’t put up with that kind of shenanigan during a game. They watch football to forget about politics & all the other bad stuff that is in the news on a daily basis, & this jerk brought politics to the forefront on national t.v. & just before the game. So I doubt very seriously if he ever gets to play again. we’re all sick of athletes that make millions of dollars trying to tell US how we should live, & this dissing the anthem & the flag was just too much.
You wrote it. I agree. Being against the USA mean you need to leave the USA. He is free to leave. We allow people to leave the USA. The bad guy countries do not allow people to leave. Why is that? Every half way smart person would leave the bad countries.
Given the current state of race relations and the media’s INCENDIARY portrayal of it.., it’s not surprising that a portion of young African Americans might be caught up in the madness.
To conclude that the act of kneeling during our National Anthem means the kneeler hates America is, arguably, irrational and, DEFINITELY unChristian.., especially since he has denied that his demonstration reflects that sentiment.
I like the young man. While misguided.., he has faced the controversy head on. And I’m willing to bet that the VAST majority of Cardinal players would welcome a kid who made a mistake. Just look at the Honey Bear.
Anyway.., I understand your anger. I’m pretty angry myself.., angry at the tone of the African American Community and their attitude towards the White Community.
However I blame the leaders of the Black Community for spreading the race-baiting crap . To them I direct my anger and contempt.., NOT at some young, intelligent talented pro-athlete who happened to swallow the crap.
All media people want a sit down discussion. This is media serving only. Colin has been taken in by media PC thinking crap. Reality is much different. Colin needs to get with clear thinking. Until that happens he is a goner. He had his time in the spot light, and that time is over. I hope he invested his money well so a comfortable future in certain for him. Rental property income is what he needs.
No real American Football Fan wants this “Anti-American” POS on their team! His disrespect for our Flag, which has special meaning to our Military personnel, shouldn’t be tolerated for any reason! Let him leave the Country and support or disrespect the flag of the Country where he goes!
As an Arizona Cardinal fan.., I’d LOVE to have Kaepernick.
SURELY, if Palmer goes down, he would lend a FAR greater possibility
for victory than Palmer’s current back-up [I like Stanton but.., GET REAL].
I served during Vietnam and could care less about his kneeling during
the National Anthem. If anything.., it brings out our Patriotic beliefs.
Additionally.., he CERTAINLY isn’t the only Pro Football player who supports his naive position nor who supports similar crazy ideas.
Phoenix is a fantastic place for him given it will expose him to a more moderate political environment which is WHOLLY lacking in San Francisco.
Though I thoroughly disagree with Colin’s political positions.., I recognize it reflects a quality I admire… COURAGE.
Sorry, it takes no courage to be a whiner and an America hater.
Haven’t heard him whine much.
Additionally.., given the current state of race relations and the media’s INCENDIARY portrayal of it.., not surprising that a portion of young African Americans might be caught up in the madness.
To conclude that the act of kneeling during our National Anthem means the kneeler hates America is, arguably, irrational and, DEFINITELY unChristian.., especially since he has denied that his demonstration reflects that sentiment.
I like the young man. While misguided.., he has faced the controversy head on. And I’m willing to bet that the VAST majority of Cardinal players would welcome a kid who made a mistake. Just look at the Honey Bear.
Anyway.., I understand your anger. I’m pretty angry myself.., angry at the tone of the African American Community and their attitude towards the White Community.
However I blame the leaders of the Black Community for spreading the race-baiting crap . To them I direct my anger and contempt.., NOT at some young, intelligent talented pro-athlete who happened to swallow the crap.
I say.., give the kid a break.
Another BLackl OVERPAID misfit ignoring America’S TRADITIONS AND VALUES.! POLITICS DOESN’T BELONG IN THE SPORTS ARENA!! Period!!!!!! DESPICABLE!!!!!!
Colin doesn’t have the temperament to be an athlete.He is physically gifted ,but he doesn’t have a mind that can carry him.