The last time the NFL and Colin Kaepernick tried to find an accord that would bring Kaepernick back to the league, it didn’t go well. On November 16, 2019, the plan was for Kaepernick, who hadn’t suited up for any NFL team since the 2016 season, to perform a workout for as many NFL teams as wanted to show up. But after the league refused transparency in the particulars of the workout, Kaepernick and his representatives moved the workout from the Falcons’ facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, to a high school about an hour away.
Given the short notice, it wasn’t surprising that less than 10 of the 24 or 25 teams that were supposed to have representatives at the workout actually had people there. Kaepernick was a bit rusty in some regards, but he also showed that he still had the velocity and timing as a passer to help any NFL team that wanted him. Given the league’s general stance on Kaepernick’s stances on civil rights and kneeling for the National Anthem before games, it should also come as no surprise that no NFL team has signed him since.
Now, in advance of the 2020 season, it would appear that either some overzealous web steward is giving the game away on NFL.com, the league’s official site, or somebody really goofed. Because if you look at Kaepernick’s player page on NFL.com, not only has his picture been taken off the page, he’s now listed as “retired.”
Which came as quite the shock to everybody who heard Kaepernick say after that workout that “I’ve been ready for three years. I’ve been denied for three years. We all know why. I came out here today and showed it in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So, we’re waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them, to stop running. Stop running from the truth; stop running from the people. We’re out here. Ready to play, ready to go anywhere. My agent Jeff Nalley is ready to talk to any team. I will interview with any team at any time. I’ve been ready, I’m staying ready, and I continue to be ready.
“To all the people who came out here today to support — I appreciate y’all, I love y’all. To the people that aren’t here, I’m thinking of you, I appreciate your support from where you are. We’ll continue to give you updates as we hear. We’ll be waiting to hear from Roger Goodell, the NFL, the 32 teams — we’ll let you know if we hear from them.”
Perhaps this is the way Kaepernick is hearing from the NFL. Regarding his own retirement status, Nessa Diab, Kaepernick’s partner since 2015, had a few pointed words to say about that.
The @NFL @nflcommish @NFLPA lying on their NFL website claiming @Kaepernick7 “retired.” Colin did NOT retire. You cowards blackballed him bc he peacefully protested against police brutality. He’s a Superbowl QB & should be playing bc his stats show that. https://t.co/UmyD5VhYwP pic.twitter.com/eUJ7LMmaiR
— NESSA (@nessnitty) May 22, 2020
Of course, we don’t know what this means from the NFL’s standpoint, but on its face, it certainly appears that the league is using the definition of “retired” that reads: “[To] compel (an employee) to leave their job, especially before they have reached the normal age for leaving employment.”