If Colin Kaepernick has been good at one thing this offseason, itโs helping NFL teams come up additional absurd reasons as to why they shouldnโt sign the former 49ers quarterback.
Iโll preface by saying that some of those โreasonsโ are legitimate like his alleged asking price and roster demands not matching up with his skill set. Granted this was in part reported by Jason Whitlock so take it for what it is but if true I can see why teams are balking at the opportunity to sign Mr. Kaepernick.
However the latest excuse surrounding NFL teams seeing Kaepernick as a toxic asset is his vegan lifestyle according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Again, an absurd claim when you realize Tom Brady is vegan for โmost of the yearโ and only adds lean meat to his diet during the winter months, a revelation brought forth by Bleacher Reportโs Dan Pompei back in January.
Not that you can compare Brady to Kaepernick but Pompeiโs January report further illustrates the hypocrisy that lies within front offices across the NFL. Hell the NFL wonโt back the claims of teams shying away from Kaepernick due to his national anthem protest last season, something Roger Goodell tried to divert and deflect. This came after Richard Shermanโs claims that the League was โblackballingโ the QB based on his pregame actions in 2016. Via Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com:
โI havenโt heard that from our clubs in any way that thatโs an issue,โ he said. โMy experience in 35 years is that our clubs make independent evaluations of players. They work hard to try to improve their teams. But if they think a player can help improve their team, theyโre going to do that.โ
Iโll give Goodell this. Heโs right in the aspect that teams make their own independent evaluations on players in free agency. Clevelandโs outlook on the market will more than likely be different from that of Seattleโs. But to say Kaepnernick doesnโt have a place in the NFL because of off the field distractions, his โvegan lifestyleโ or the fact that he just isnโt any good is asinine. Off field distractions and NFL rosters seem to go hand-in-hand, not to mention teamโs signing shitty players. Last I checked Mark Sanchez and Mike Glennon are both still in the League.
