NFL Changes Colin Kaepernick’s Designation On Website From ‘Retired’ To ‘UFA’ Following Backlash
After initially being listed as a “retired” player when the NFL redesigned its website earlier this week, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is now correctly designated as an unrestricted free agent.
As reported by Fox News on Saturday, the NFL appeared to have made the changes shortly after Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, took to Twitter and accused the league of “lying” by designating him as retired when he was, as she saw it, prevented from playing in the league due to his national anthem protests in the 2016 season.
“Colin did NOT retire. You cowards blackballed him [because] he peacefully protested against police brutality. He’s a Superbowl [sic] QB & should be playing [because] his stats show that,” she tweeted.
The outlet also noted that the NFL was, in general, “under fire” following Friday’s site redesign, due to how Kaepernick was incorrectly categorized as a retired player.
Early on Saturday morning, Diab sent another tweet that included a screenshot of NFL.com’s updated player page for Kaepernick. On this page, the 32-year-old signal-caller was now listed as a UFA, or unrestricted free agent, given the fact that he has not played a down in the NFL or signed with a new team since the conclusion of the 2016 campaign. The radio host also thanked NFL fans for reporting the matter, adding that the league’s teams should give her boyfriend another chance to play professional football.
Thank you to everyone who held the @NFL accountable for falsely reporting that Colin “retired” on their website. They heard you loud & clear bc the NFL put the accurate description that @Kaepernick7 is a Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). Tell them to stop denying him employment. pic.twitter.com/klK7a6qRTY
— NESSA (@nessnitty) May 23, 2020
Commenting on the issue, Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk opined that changing Kaepernick’s designation and signing him to a new contract are two different things. He discussed the awkwardness between both sides when the former 49ers star arranged a private workout in an effort to “thaw the ice” and show how he could potentially contribute if given a chance to play again.
“Barring an incredibly dramatic and unexpected development, Kaepernick’s designation at NFL.com doesn’t matter,” Florio added. “No one is going to offer him a job after three years out of the sport, and the window has long closed on the kind of collective outcry that would change it.”
While he posted solid numbers in his last full season in the NFL, during which he threw 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions while totaling 2,241 passing yards, Kaepernick’s name hasn’t been mentioned too often in the current offseason amid the numerous changes teams have made to their quarterback rotations. His continued free-agent status, however, was referenced by ESPN’s Jemele Hill last month when she criticized the New England Patriots for signing 2020 draft pick Justin Rohrwasser despite his alleged ties to a far-right group.
