The NFL continues to suffer from the anti-American anthem protests.
The league’s brand drops every day the issue lingers.
Now the NFL just got some news that took the anthem problem from bad to worse.
Colin Kaepernick’s Big Shift
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made a radical shift.
Before he began the protest in 2016, he had a different reputation.
Kaepernick received criticism for kissing his Christian-themed tattoos after scoring touchdowns.
He also took heat for poor media awareness. He once wore a Miami Dolphins hat and didn’t understand why 49ers fans were mad.
He tweeted a bad joke after a hurricane killed several people off the Gulf Coast.
He also entangled himself in soap opera drama involving teammates and women.
Then Kaepernick took a knee and suddenly became the “wokest” athlete in American history.
The Unwanted
Kaepernick originally burst into the league.
During his second year, he took over mid-season and led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
But after that Super Bowl loss, Kaepernick’s play steadily declined.
By the middle of the 2015 season, Kaepernick found himself on the bench after terrible plays.
Going into the 2016 season, he was on the brink of fading into irrelevance.
But the protests gave him a new lease on life.
Kaepernick’s new identity as some sort of thought leader gave him respect.
Other players copied him and took a knee.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even tried to meet in secret with Kaepernick to discuss the anthem protests that distressed the league.
Stadium attendance, television ratings, and advertising revenue all dropped.
But Kaepernick claimed awards and praise from leftist foundations and the mainstream media.
His left-wing supporters swore he was still the quarterback that played great in the Super Bowl.
But his play clearly showed he was a backup.
The circus around him deterred teams from picking him up as a free agent.
Because no team wants a backup quarterback to be a distraction.
Collusion Delusion
Kaepernick didn’t accept the fact that nobody wanted him, so he sued the league for collusion.
The NFL attempted to have the case thrown out in summary judgment.
But an arbitrator allowed the case to move forward.
Kaepernick will get what he truly wants.
A big spectacle.
Kaepernick has to know he’s poison for the league.
He just wants to embarrass the NFL and build up his brand.
Kaepernick could even potentially drag President Trump into the mess.
The NFL had a chance to deal with the anthem protests immediately.
Instead, they did nothing and allowed the problem to fester.
If the NFL followed the NBA’s path of requiring players to stand, the controversy would not exist.
Commissioner Goodell instead chose to sit on his hands for two years.
When he finally acted, he picked a half measure that angered everyone.
Now the league will have to deal with a drawn-out legal battle that will be nothing but bad PR.
Meanwhile, Kaepernick and leftists win, but everybody else loses.