Former San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick initiated a controversial movement when refused to stand during the pre-game national anthem during the 2016 football season. The tenacity he demonstrated by risking his career to take a stand against police brutality was condemned by some but hailed by many.
But on Sunday, NFL Today revealed the 29-year-old was willing to put his cause on the back-burner for a chance to get back on the field. Many believe Kaerpernick’s unemployment was the league’s way of blackballing him for his protest.
There was no video of sports writer Jason La Canfora’s conversation with Kaepernick. But he claimed the free agent said he would stand during the anthem if signed again when he spoke with the former quarterback, girlfriend Nessa Diab and his trainer on Saturday night. But it’s not even clear whether Kaepernick, who hasn’t been doing interviews with press, actually held a sit-down with the reporter. Check out La Canfora’s report on NFL Today below.
The journalist later backtracked on his comments on Twitter, which Kaepernick retweeted in an apparent refutation of the claims. His tweets revealed he never even asked Kaepernick about any future decisions regarding the national anthem.
So @JasonLaCanfora the writer of the piece that alleged @Kaepernick7 comments says he never asked him about standing/kneeling. #FakeNews ? pic.twitter.com/owx5ZEQ390
— Gyasi Ross (@BigIndianGyasi) October 8, 2017
