Goodell reiterates belief Kaepernick isn’t being shunned

The offseason programs have ended, and the NFL has entered the dead zone before the opening of training camp. Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick’s career remains lifeless.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has previously said on multiple occasions that he believes Kaepernick’s unemployment arises from football considerations only, reiterated that position during a Rams event in L.A. on Thursday.

Via Aiden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, Goodell said, “[A]ll [teams] want to get better. And if they see an opportunity to get better as a football team, they’re going to do it. They’re going to do whatever it takes to make their football team better. So those are football decisions. They’re made all the time. I believe that if a football team feels that Colin Kaepernick, or any other player, is going to improve that team, they’re going to do it.”

Setting aside the reality that teams like the Jets apparently aren’t trying to get better now in the hopes of getting better via better draft positioning later, the notion that Kaepernick doesn’t have a job for football reasons has been widely rejected. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has called Kaepernick a “starter,” which apparently makes him overqualified to be a backup in Seattle but underqualified to be a starter in a league where players like Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, Tom Savage, Cody Kessler, and Brian Hoyer currently sit atop depth charts.

Whether the truth is that: (1) teams fear alienation of fans; (2) teams don’t want to provide a platform for players whose politics differ from those of ownership; (3) owners want to discourage future players from leading a movement like the one Kaepernick sparked last year; (4) coaches believe the baggage outweighs the abilities; or (5) some combination of those four reasons, it’s clearly not a football issue. Not with former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh repeatedly gushing about Kaepernick, and not with former coaches like Eric Mangini, who worked with Kaepernick for several years in San Francisco, receiving not a single inquiry about him.

Goodell tried to dismiss the notion that teams have shunned Kaepernick to avoid upsetting fans, in direct response to questions about the comments from Giants co-owner John Mara regarding letters he received on the issue of national anthem protests from fans.

“I don’t think that’s going to affect people from saying, ‘I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of my football team and give my team the best chance to win,’ because that’s what every team wants to do,” Goodell said.

Again, giving a team the best chance to win isn’t what every team wants to do. While they periodically pontificate about pursuing Super Bowls, teams primarily want to maximize profits.

There’s a very good chance Goodell isn’t simply wrong but willfully wrong. After all, he’s paid in large part to take the heat for owners who remain behind the curtain, pushing buttons and pulling levers. If cashing those enormous checks means periodically saying with a straight face something he doesn’t fully and firmly believe, it’s a small price to pay — especially in an age where plenty of people are saying with straight faces plenty of things they don’t fully and firmly believe for far less than $40 million per year.

I support Black Lives Matter and I support any person’s right to protest. Kaepernick sucks though, and I’m glad he’s out of work. To think you hacks used to write articles about who is better, him or Russell Wilson. And then you floated the idea that Seattle didn’t want him because he might oust RW3! Too funny.

Kaepernick is a one-trick pony and not smart enough to learn a second trick even. I hope he never gets another job in life.

I don’t even know why this is an argument. The NFL has plausible deniability so even if 1-4 are correct there’s no proof. What should be admitted by the sports writers who insist on pressuring the situation is that they aren’t supporting Kaepernick’s right to protest, it is the message itself they support. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be going so hard for a guy who might help a team rather than absolutely would.

Playing in the NFL isn’t a right, it’s a privilege. How many other players kneeled for the anthem last season? I seem to recall more than just kaep doing it, are they being persecuted as well? Kaep should be happy, he’s become a martyr. He’s a mediocre QB, plenty of other mediocre QBs that are cheaper and less of a distraction.

Let’s say you were hiring to fill a position, two people applied, both have similar ceilings/abilities, but one wants much more money than the other plus has the potential to be a divisive influence in the work place. Which do you hire?

After his latest antics (equating police officers with the “runaway slave patrol” and calling for the system to be “dismantled”), it’s obvious he’s much more invested in extremist racial politics than football.

You add that to his declining skills and you have a guy who’s virtually unsignable.

***BREAKING NEWS ALERT ***
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to have famed Surgeon Dr James Andrews to perform a long overdue procedure to surgically remove his head from his a**. When asked what made him realize that he had a problem and needed to seek help he stated that “I knew that something wasn’t right because there was always a funky smell in the air. But it wasn’t until Tom Brady and Richard Sherman showed up to my house to stage an intervention”.

1. All of Kap’s coaches have been fired. 2. Kap is dumb. Really. He can not learn a new offense. One needs to be created that is dumbed down. No team needs to do that for a back up. 3. He is not a nice person. Did I mention he is dumb as a box of Rocks.

Kaepernick hasn’t been signed because he’s not a good quarterback and he’s toxic due to his anti-cop (pig socks) and anti-American beliefs. Fans don’t want him on their team and owners don’t want him as an employee because their customers don’t like him.

Kaepernick gets to say and believe in what he wants and the owners and the fans get to hire and support who they want.

Good God Mike this is so simple. He took an extremely visible position that is not only massively unpopular with the public, but is disrespectful to all those and their families whose blood was spilled to win and sustain our liberties, AND was based in pure nonsense, as if police are rampantly intentionally targeting blacks when they put their uniforms on for the day. No one under these circumstances would, nor should, hire him. I would sign Ray Rice before this dunderhead. At least Rice has apologized and is remorseful for his actions.

Call it “The Shield” or “The Club” it’s beyond obvious what’s going on, despite Goodell’s empty words. So many haters on PFT, but turning a franchise over to Kessler, Savage or even the inconsistent Glennon without so much as a try-out for anyone remotely capable speaks volumes. I’m not a Kaepernick defender, just a realist looking at the overall crux of the story.

another conspiracy theory. teams pick who they want on their roster. goodell lies all the time, so I don’t listen to what he says anymore.
Maximize profits for shareholders is more important than giving a disgruntled player a platform to protest. what’s wrong with that?

He’ll be fine, he can fall back on all his endorsements. They aren’t shunning him. He has a tremendous future in acting, politics or any other number of industries desperate for his self styled leadership ability and public image.

He isn’t good. He is a one read and run QB. He can’t read a defense. He holds the ball too long. Don’t babble useless stats about last year. They don’t tell sh*t. He struggles with his accuracy and lacks the necessary touch to truly be effective. They were calling for his head in San Fran long before his political charades. They were talking of trading him to Denver. Harbaugh and Roman got everything they could out of Kaep then the NFL figured him out. A low tier 2nd or 3rd string QB at best at this point and because the major media outlets want to make it about race you have this circus. People are blind to the truth because they want to make it about something it’s not.

Devin McCourty wore American flag socks and raised his fist during the opening week SNF National Anthem. (along with Martellus Bennett) Everyone may not have agreed with this, but they were not out to offend people.

Greg Hardy is a much better player at his position than Kaep yet his offensive behavior means he does not pass the ‘company culture fit’ for any of the 32 NFL teams.

Kaep is much more like Ray Rice.
– He showed some skill in the distant past
– His results on the field were awful lately
– He offended America.
NO JOB FOR YOU!

the notion that Kaepernick doesn’t have a job for football reasons has been widely rejected
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the notion that Kaepernick doesn’t have a job for football reasons has been widely rejected by my friends and other SJWs who fail to accept any reason beyond their own political beliefs

All of the players in the league, including white players, who support Kaepernick, should STRIKE. Then, we’d see who really wields the POWER, because all of you posters on this thread bashing Kaepernick because of his politics, WON’T watch replacement players. I disagree a lot with Florio, but strictly talking football and giving your team the best chance to win, I have to agree with him that Kaepernick is a better option than Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, Tom Savage, Cody Kessler, and Brian Hoyer.

AGAIN, strictly talking football, every defensive coordinator in the NFL will tell you regarding their game plans and preparation, Colin Kaepernick would present the greatest challenge, out of all of the aforementioned QBs. That’s a FACT.

Interesting to read the article and comments from individuals who are not a)football players,b)football coaches,c)football scouts,d)football trainers,e)football general managers or f)have any real professional football experience. The use of Jim Harbaugh who has article(s) written about him asking whether he is clinically insane is not a positive. Putting all the fictional court room case building aside which makes good press and just using what football analysts who breakdown film everyday see is more valid. What they see in a QB who has ZERO ability to play in the pocket and make good decisions with the ball after 6 years in the league. There is one factor that no stat can count and the author of the article doesn’t say is how many plays did Kaepernick not make because he didn’t know where to throw it. Evidently he is quite high in the failed play category and all he knows is to run when he can’t see what to do. When you can’t play in the pocket(see RG3 too) you can’t succeed in the NFL. Every coach will hire someone who can operate out of the pocket ahead of someone who runs all over the field willy nilly after not knowing what to do with the ball.

Yeah right, the Jets would rather have Hackenberg to a former SB starting QB on their roster. Hackenburghs completions have only been to sideline reporters.
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In his defense, he hit those reporters right on the numbers.

144 NFL QB’s have thrown 200+ passes in the year they were 29. 143 of those had a job the next year. Kaepernick, obviously, being the exception. Yes, no matter how bad they were, of the last 143 QB’s who threw 200+ passes, every one of them still had a job the next year. But not Kaep. And it’s really debatable to y’all whether it’s about politics? Wow.
Debate whether it’s right or wrong to not sign him, or if it’s organized collusion, ’til your blue in the face if you enjoy that sort of thing. But, please, the case is closed on why Kaepernick doesn’t have a job. It’s politics, and ONLY politics.
143/144. Numbers don’t lie.
Case. Closed.

margoadams says:
Jun 17, 2017 11:02 AM
Hands up don’t shoot was a lie. Anyone who believes that nonsense deserves to be unemployed. Not a smart person. More like a sheep.
~
Right…and Walter Scott wasn’t shot in the back and Peter Liang didn’t fire an unwarranted shot down a dark hallway simply because he was scared.

Colin Kaepernick is better than EJ Manuel, Austin Davis and Blaine Gabbert, so don’t give me that…
Like the Trump-loving jackwagons that boycotted last year because of Kap, I will do the exact same this year until he’s signed. The NFL product is in decline anyway.
I’ll just be one step ahead of most of you, finding a more productive way of spending my Sundays.
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Good Riddance! ‘Fat, drunk and stupid’ is no way to spend your Sunday’s, son.

What a dilemma for the folks who hate the Patriots. When it comes to Goodell, they believe he is 100% honest and over flowing with integrity when lying about the Pats. Now, all of a sudden he isn’t someone you can believe? Hahaha. Patriots fans don’t have that problem, we already know he is full of it… And we don’t have to compromise our own integrity by picking and choosing when we want to believe him or not, we just simply don’t believe him.