Seattle Seahawks Coach And General Manager Deposed In Colin Kaepernick Collusion Case Against The NFL
Colin Kaepernick and his legal team made their way to Seattle to depose Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider last week, according to Sporting News and ESPN.. The veteran quarterback has been without a job in the NFL since the end of the 2016 season and alleges that team owners colluded to keep him unemployed unless he stopped kneeling during the national anthem.
The deposition comes on the heels of Seattle’s invitation to Kaepernick to join them for a workout, which the team later rescinded. The Seahawks have entertained and/or signed a string of less-than-stellar quarterbacks in lieu of Kaepernick, which likely made the line of questioning rather intense.
Since declaring his free agency in the spring of 2017, the former San Francisco 49ers player has only been invited for one workout. The news outlet reported that Seattle canceled that scheduled workout due to Kaepernick’s commitment to continuing his peaceful protests on the field. Getting that on the record could go a long way toward winning the case.
In spite of his unemployment, Kaepernick has continued his philanthropic work and his activism, earning numerous awards. He continues to speak out about social injustice and puts his money where his mouth is by raising money for grassroots organizations in cities across the country.
Kaepernick’s former San Francisco teammate, a fellow protester and friend, Eric Reid has also filed a grievance against the NFL. The Undefeated reported that because Reid is a top performer, his case might be more cut and dry than Kaepernick’s. Owners have pointed to slipping performance and missing a full season of playing time as the reasons they have passed on signing Kaepernick. Reid is a 5-year starter and arguably the best safety in the game at this time.
Fight on, love and thanks Seattle pic.twitter.com/vOlEXvucBo
— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) May 10, 2018
But the on-field activists insist that their national anthem protests are at the heart of their unemployment, as evidenced by Kaepernick’s canceled workout in Seattle and Reid’s experience with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reid was allegedly asked if he could guarantee that he would stand for the national anthem next season and the star safety said no. The conversation ended quickly and Reid, at age 26, is still without a job in the league.
“Love is at the root of our resistance!”
via @nytimes Opinion Section pic.twitter.com/Isf6j56cet— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 9, 2018
