Kaepernick vs NFL - Collusion

[maxhyde]

Well I find it hard to believe this hasn't be created but I definitely want to hear what people have to say.

Would basically tear up the CBA a couple years early if he wins.

I have always thought he wasn't a very good QB but when guys like Cassel and Keenum are playing he may have a point. However I think RG3 not being employed or getting looks either may hurt his case.

Anyway maybe it is collusion...tough to prove at this point.

[Triton85]

I think with all the quotes of owners stating they wouldn't sign him, or GMs not bringing him in for a try-out that the nfl has a tough case ahead of them on this one

Lets hope it doesn't lead to a holdout

[Jfever]

It is collusion without a doubt. Tough to prove, I agree. But talent vs talent.... Kaepernick is a better qb than about 30% of the current starting qb's in the league. If he'd have just kept is big mouth shut.... He'd be starting somewhere right now. Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of his it doesn't take much NFL IQ to figure as far as athletic attributes he is better than most current NFL back ups and better than a sizable chunk of starters.

Makes VERY little sense if it isn't collusion. And, it needs to get fixed. What he says, what he does during the National anthem or what have you is all protected by the 1st amendment. And.... at the same time, it isn't. That is the problem.

[whodunnit]

I think with all the quotes of owners stating they wouldn't sign him, or GMs not bringing him in for a try-out that the nfl has a tough case ahead of them on this one

Lets hope it doesn't lead to a holdout

Didn't the Seahawks and someone else bring him in for workouts before the season?

[Ruggenater]

Yeah, he definitely had at least one tryout. Maybe he looked awful at the tryout(s), maybe he thought he could hold out for a starting spot, maybe his contract demands were too high, etc.

[Jfever]

The little rich boy owners club... That is the problem. Rich buddy buddy crap. NO doubt about it. It's a public relations balancing act thing. If NFL players (in the past) participated in dog fighting, hit and run, vehicular homicide, domestic abuse, child abuse, theft, etc... and yet still get signed back into the league and on a team, THERE IS NO logical explanation as to why Kaepernick isn't on a team RIGHT NOW. This case will bring down the current CBA. Mark my words.

[KCLep20]

Is it collusion? Yes
Will he be able to prove it? No

It absolutely the rich white owners making a stand, but they also have the very best lawyers who will be able to make this go away, and with it, Kaps potential of every signing again. His NFL career is done, and we won't fully appreciate what he did for years to come.

[Jfever]

Sad for him and the NFL product that gets put on the field. Sign of the times. Think maybe GB could use Kaep? I'd say yes.

He'd be an improvement for about 8-10 teams right now.

[GridironGuerilla]

Good luck proving it even if it is.

[Goddard]

Is it collusion? Yes
Will he be able to prove it? No

It absolutely the rich white owners making a stand, but they also have the very best lawyers who will be able to make this go away, and with it, Kaps potential of every signing again. His NFL career is done, and we won't fully appreciate what he did for years to come.

Agree with pretty much everything here.

[Goddard]

Sad for him and the NFL product that gets put on the field. Sign of the times. Think maybe GB could use Kaep? I'd say yes.

He'd be an improvement for about 8-10 teams right now.

No way, they're better off with Joe Callahan who knows the system (sarcasm font).

[AZK]

Is it collusion? Yes
Will he be able to prove it? No

Bingo, collusion is very hard to prove in court, and the anti-trust laws in our society aren't all that hard to beat.

[skip]

Kaepernick not having a job at the start of the season was completely plausible. He wanted starter money but there was no way he was going to get signed for so much. It makes financial sense for teams to carry much cheaper backup options and only sign higher priced free agents after an injury takes place (like the Jay Cutler signing). With the large number of injuries, I do believe that Kaep should have at the very least been brought in to workout at this point for a few teams. This is from the talent side of things...

From the other side of things, as we see more and more and more people go to social media to spout off about all kinds of things - every employer is not monitoring these things in terms of future hiring or present concerns within their organization. Whether we want to argue over right to free speech, that is simply the reality of things. So there is certainly some justification as to an owner's decision as to whether or not they want an individual on their team based on things outside of simply their skill set. Whether we agree with their rationale is not the issue. I have opinions religiously, politically, etc. and I am within my right to make the decisions in my life centering around those issues. Jfever brought up a few situations...child abuse, for example...there is no way I would ever put AP on my NFL team, I don't care how talented he is. The guy was a complete dirtball as to the treatment of his son and am I the only one who noticed that he never thought it was wrong? All we ever got was justification from how he was raised and therefore that somehow it made it ok.

As for collusion...this is going to be a dangerous one. Consider Tim Tebow. In my opinion, there is zero difference between the two situations. Anyone believing that Tebow was run out of the league due solely to "lack of talent" must also take the position of believing that it is so for Kaepernick. I don't believe that either situation was based solely on lack of talent. But if the Kaep case does ultimately draw the conclusion of "collusion" then it is going to open up a HUGE issue for every player who has ended up out of the league to bring a similar case.

[steelman]

The NFL rarely loses legal battles. They are a juggernaut. If you think numerous NFL owners and Goodell himself don't have judges in their back pockets, you're delusional. The NFL won't lose anything in this fight. If it wasn't certain before that Kap's career was over, it is now. He was a distraction before, now he's even more of one. He's finished and his legal fight will go nowhere.

[Tvols]

Is it collusion? Yes
Will he be able to prove it? No

It absolutely the rich white owners making a stand, but they also have the very best lawyers who will be able to make this go away, and with it, Kaps potential of every signing again. His NFL career is done, and we won't fully appreciate what he did for years to come.

Agree with pretty much everything here.

sounds racist