Washington Redskins Not Considering Colin Kaepernick, Despite Quarterback Injury
The Washington Redskins are the latest National Football League team with a glaring need at the quarterback position that won’t consider filling it with controversial free agent Colin Kaepernick.
Alex Smith, Washington’s quarterback, suffered a gruesome injury in Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN. The broken fibula and tibia, which required immediate surgery, means that Smith is out for the season, and puts the first-place team’s playoff hopes in peril.
Backup quarterback Colt McCoy stepped in to play the remainder of the game on Sunday, but with no other quarterbacks on the roster, the Redskins will need to add at least one quarterback to back up McCoy. According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, several quarterbacks were scheduled for tryouts on Monday.
Colin Kaepernick, per a report by Pro Football Talk, won’t be joining them. According to a league source cited by PFT, Washington team president Bruce Allen “previously has made clear within the organization his position that Kaepernick won’t be signed by Washington, ever.”
Allen is described as a “political conservative” and his brother, George Allen, is a former Republican U.S. Senator and governor from Virginia. The team’s owner, Daniel Snyder, has also been critical of the protests during the anthem, according to the Washington Post.
Redskins are bringing in a group of QBs to work out on Monday, including EJ Manuel, TJ Yates and Mark Sanchez, per sources. Washington needs a new backup for starting QB Colt McCoy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2018
The QBs trying out for Washington — E.J. Manuel, T.J. Yates and Mark Sanchez — are all journeymen who are currently unemployed and none of them have ever played in a Super Bowl. Kaepernick did, following the 2012 season. And ironically, when Kaepernick first became the starting quarterback for the 49ers, it was as a replacement for Alex Smith.
Kaepernick began a protest against police brutality and racial injustice by kneeling during each game’s National Anthem early in the 2016 season. He has not played in the NFL in nearly two years. Kaepernick, whose protest was later joined by other players and set off a high-profile feud between the league and President Donald Trump, has also filed a grievance against the NFL, which he claims has blackballed him in retaliation for the protests.
Several other NFL teams in the last two years have suffered quarterback injuries or suspensions, but none have given Kaepernick a call, with the exception of the Seattle Seahawks, who proposed but later cancelled a workout with the quarterback last spring. In the meantime, Kaepernick starred in a Nike advertising campaign at the start of the current season, which drew some backlash but also led to increased sales of Nike merchandise.
Alex Smith’s injury took place 33 years to the day after another Redskins quarterback, Joe Theissman, suffered a career-ending leg injury during a game against the Giants.
