It’s almost impossible now to say or write something damning without someone noticing. It’s a bit of voyeuristic society; everyone living vicariously through their phones. Colin Kaepernick might be the most recent recipient of one of these leaked infractions. This grievance can prove that the tight group of owners is falling apart.
Here is a statement from lawyer Mark Garagos, who represents FA QB Colin Kaepernick, on his filing of grievance: pic.twitter.com/WVtI0WuNvZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2017
Kaepernick’s filing of a collusion grievance against the NFL would almost certainly indicate that there is a smoking gun somewhere. With only two teams needed to prove collusion, a simple email between two owners stating they agree not to hire him due to his political stance would be enough. It wouldn’t be the first time that the wealthy have made an egregious error that seemed innocuous while hitting the ‘send’ button.
Colin Kaepernick. Birthplace: Milwaukee. Childhood hero: Brett Favre.
Green Bay Packers: Need a starting quarterback.
Discuss.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 15, 2017
Anthony Weiner certainly proved that with his recklessness and carelessness. Martha Stewart received some insider trading information and decided to act on it, then lied about it later. They both spent some time in prison and probably both wish that they would never have been caught, although audacity of Weiner’s case skews it towards the “begging to be caught” category.
The NFL ownership colluding against Kaepernick does not seem like it would be impossible and it’s highly doubtful that he would hire such an accomplished lawyer if there was little to no evidence.
The last straw seemed to be that the Tennessee Titans, but the grievance has to be filed within 90 days according to the CBA, so the evidence could be at least that old. It’s also unclear if it’s a majority owner or just a shareholder that could be involved.
The grievance will go to a neutral arbitrator for a decision and not to court. If Kaepernick wins, he will most likely receive whatever lost wages he could have made this season times three. If his wages were deemed at $10 million, he will receive $30 million.
It’s been no secret that plenty of players, including Tom Brady, felt like he should have been on a team. Many prior signings, including the Titans signing Brandon Weeden recently, have proved, at least statistically, that Kaepernick is a better quarterback.
Titans coach Mike Mularkey stated that they didn’t want to sign someone not familiar with their offense, as it would take too long to get him up to speed and ready to play. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy seemed to get angry when asked a similar question about their star, Aaron Rodgers, going down for possibly the rest of the season.
Even Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer’s wife, Shelley weighed in sending a tweet about how she would rather have Tim Tebow come back to play quarterback over Colin. She since has deleted the tweets and publicly apologized.
1/1-Dear twitter-I apologize for an earlier tweet that has had content injected by others that that has nothing to do w my tweet. It was…
— Shelley Meyer (@spinnershells) October 16, 2017
2/2-referring to behaviors/choices by any human, owning those choices, and the possible consequences that may follow. The end.
— Shelley Meyer (@spinnershells) October 16, 2017
The anti Kaepernick sentiment is no secret across the country, even the president weighed in on it by stating that anyone who kneels should get fired. His sentiments not only whipped his crowd into a frenzy, but also bordered some sketchy territory when it comes to the laws.
One federal criminal statute, 18 U.S. Code § 227, has attracted some attention because it prohibits the president from “wrongfully influencing a private entity’s employment decisions.” If the president is charged and convicted of violating this statute, he would be disqualified from office and face up to 15 years in prison. – Writer Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated
A Kaepernick grievance win will signify so many things for a burgeoning uneasiness with race relations in the country. There is a disproportionate amount of mistrust from both sides and our fascination with identity politics has only caused this to grow into an obscene tumor that actually threatens equality. But a Kaepernick win will prove that the very reason he began kneeling in 2016 is probably true and that the sides are not even.
But perhaps more importantly, it will show, depending on where the evidence comes from, that the once stable platform the very wealthy have always stood upon to look down at the masses is starting to crack. The untouchable nature of the elite, the sealed circles in which they tend to run in are beginning to crumble away, and that is truly the beginning of equality in this country.
Start the discussion
Login to comment