On Tuesday, Colin Kaepernick secured a major victory over the NFL. The quarterback won the summary judgement phase of his collusion case, which means that Kaepernick’s case will move towards a hearing (Twitter link via Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports). 
The decision from arbitrator Stephen Burbank was the “most pivotal moment” in Kaepernick’s case, according to Robinson. The law required all facts to be viewed “in the most favorable light” towards Kaepernick, since he is the one bringing the case, so the NFL’s legal team was facing an uphill battle.
Kaepernick, of course, has not played in the NFL since 2016, as clubs have shunned the 30-year-old following his national anthem demonstrations. While he was scheduled to work out for the Seahawks earlier this year, the audition was eventually canceled after Kaepernick declined to stop kneeling during the anthem.
Kaepernick alleges that owners from around the league colluded to keep him unsigned. The alleged collusion stems from his protest of social inequalities in the United States, which included kneeling for the national anthem.
Between the 2012 and ’13 seasons, Kaepernick threw for 21 touchdowns and rushed for nine touchdowns while throwing just 11 interceptions. The team also went 17-6 in the regular season with him as a starter. From 2014-16, Kaepernick was unable to lead the team to a record better than 8-8, and he threw ten interceptions in 2014 alone. Of course, the Niners’ woes were not entirely Kaepernick’s fault, and he played well on a personal level in 2016 despite the team going 1-10 in his starts.
Kaepernick will turn 31 in November, and he seems further from an NFL opportunity than ever before. He may never win another game on the field, but he could be on his way to a historic victory against the league.
JUST GO AWAY
agreed!
Can you please do the same ?
Why? Because a capable QB is actually trying to make a difference in the world? Maybe your ignorant point of view should just go away…
This is not accurately stated. Kaepernick did not “win judgment against the NFL.” Rather, the NFL moved for summary judgment against Kaepernick which would have resulted in dismissal of his claims, but the arbitrator denied summary judgment. Essentially, Kaep’s claims survived an early legal challenge so the case was not dismissed out of hand and can proceed further.
The original headline was unclear, it has since been updated.
Fine now. Love the site, keep up the good work!
The owners have nothing against Kap. He will never play in the NFL again because he’s an idiot who couldn’t just stand and respect our country
So they do have something against him then
The flag thing isn’t about respect of the country, it’s about police brutality/social inequalities
Bla, bla, bla…
Wha wha wha
OMG come on!!!
You are so ignorant and uneducated, you just contradicted yourself smh. Google the meaning because i’m sure you do not know the definition !
At this time, I don’t really see a whole lot about our country too respect!
Lucky for us your opinion is meaningless.
The key to argument is careful understanding of the opposition’s beliefs and thoughtful response with the intent to improve everyone’s convictions. Saying someone’s opinion is meaningless makes you categorically ignorant.
As is your, you never have anything productive to say.
My comment was meant for Dodgethis
He’s a num nut, a dufus. Bottom line….
So he’ll never play again because the owners are a bunch of idiots who couldn’t respect his right to free speech. Which is more important, human rights or standing for a piece of cloth?
Referring to the flag as just a piece of cloth, pretty much invalidates your opinion on the matter. Run along.
Pretty fallacious line of reasoning there buddy. If you wanna get technical, I said it is a piece of cloth, not JUST a piece of cloth. In a literal sense, I’m right. Yes, the flag stands for a lot of great things, one of those being the preservation of human dignity. It follows that if human dignity isn’t preserved, the symbol loses its meaning.
Try to speak a bit more intelligently next time. Run along.
What about those people who say you misrepresenting the meaning of Kaep’s protest happens to invalidate your opinion?
The guy can’t say it enough times for racists like you to figure out, so piss off, Chum.
So Maryjane, anyone who has a different opinion or thought that’s different than yours is automatically a racist huh? Sounds like to me that you are the bigot to me ! So you piss off chum !
“The key to argument is careful understanding of the opposition’s beliefs and thoughtful response with the intent to improve everyone’s convictions. Saying someone’s opinion is meaningless makes you categorically ignorant.”
Then you refer to the flag as a piece of cloth.
Part of the problem or the solution?
Noted. The flag is a flag. Now that that problem’s solved, what do we do about the human rights aspect
Also, I think there’s a pretty big divide between the importance of an admittedly important symbol and actual human lives
Free speech? I think you should look up that meaning again, cuz you are way off thinking this is a free speech cause! It’s not. Most people don’t have a clue what it truly means anyway. It has to do with your rights against the govt. it doesn’t mean you can say anything you want at anytime ! There are always consequences
Great job Kap!!
Not a huge deal, but the court looks at the case in the light most favorable to Kaepernick not because he brought the case, but instead because the NFL is the party moving for summary judgment.
Kaepernick could have (and still could) moved for summary judgment and in such a case the court would view the case in the light most favorable to the NFL because the Kaepernick would be the party moving for summary judgment.
He’s an idiot. He’s an actor in a show, just stand for the anthem you disprespectful moron
It’s a peaceful protest, there’s nothing wrong with him kneeling
You’re right, there isn’t, but there’s also nothing wrong w/ an owner not wanting to sign him to their team. They’re allowed to make the decision based on future harm to the value of the brand.
If he’s allowed to protest (he is) why is he unwilling to accept the consequences of that protest?
He’s a dumpster fire who is mediocre at best, why would an owner want to bring that onto his team?
Your ignorance is showing, study the collective bargaining agreement. What they are doing is in breech of contract. Kaep simply needs to prove what they did. Do you know what that means? Owners CANNOT do as they feel. They may own the teams but they do not own the league !
*breach
Where was this “CBA” talk when Tebow was pushed out of the league?
Owners don’t need to sign him to simply sign him. He’s not guaranteed a contract in the NFL. But, he has passed on a few opportunities bc it didn’t fit his narrative.
You said it all ! Kap has to PROVE it in court ! It’s not gonna happen.
There is something wrong with how the NFL is doing it. That’s what the arbitrator said, and now a court will decide.
Your brain is a dumpster fire that can’t understand how things actually work around here.
Why are you unwilling to let the American Court System do its business?
I don’t mind one way or the other. I just don’t think the court system should be involved in it. Waste of time & resources, IMO.
Oh, now it’s Kaep’s fault because you think the court system is stupid. Wow. You could just skip this whole thing, but nope. Double, triple, quadruple down on it all. Bravo!
Says the outsider foreigner who clearly has an incredible disdain for our great country and its citizens !
Well said
Is your screen name spelled correctly? You sure it isn’t Castro?
I’d like to see the whole league take a knee!
Very well said.
Let’s assume Kap’s actions were immoral. That still doesn’t make them illegal. Collusion, on the other hand, is.
Best part will be by the time this is finished he won’t have played in how many years and no one will want to sign him anyways bc the talent just won’t be there anymore. So while yes it’s a victory does it mean he’ll ever be signed no. The law can’t force any team to sign him
The law can find that the NFL colluded against him and pay him the salaries he might have earned had they not done so.
So there’s that.
How does that work when he’s had an offer he refused? Legit curious.
What offer did he refuse
“If” he’s had an offer he’s refused (totally possible, maybe probable, but we don’t know for sure), but that offer was say from the Seahawks to be 2nd string for $1M per year, but without collusion against him (again, not saying that exists either, but it seems possible, maybe probable) he’d have received $10+ per year offers to be a starter, he’s obviously damaged by collusion against him.
Jay Cutler got $10M last year from the Dolphins. Jay Cutler sucks.
He lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert because he can’t read a defense, can’t throw a touch pass to save his life, runs at the first sign of pressure, and the league figured him out years ago. All his good stats his last few years came in garbage time. What GM who wants to keep his job would consider signing an ineffective back up who would bring a media circus? Kap has nobody to blame but himself, for both creating the media circus and for failing to develop as a QB beyond being a fast runner who can throw hard but inaccurate passes.
Very well said
It was widely reported that he was given an offer from Denver, just not as much money as he wanted. From what I can remember, 2016 and 2017 was $7m a year. The contract was through 2019 or 2020. He was willing to play for slightly less than his 49ers salary, but not where Denver wanted to sign him for.
I’m not going to do the research for you, but the info is there.
I’m not aware of any hard information on exactly what offers he received or not. But let’s say he was offered a 1 year deal at $7M for purposes of this argument. What does that prove?
Regarding Gabbard, Chip Kelly took over from a coach who was fired after one season and that coach had tried Kaepernick. Kelly tried something else…for 5 games. Then when back to him.
I’m not alleging he’s one of the top 5 QBs in the league. He’s probably more like 20th or so. That’s in line with what his stats when he played said. There’s an argument he’s better than that in the right system, but 20th is safe-ish. The 20th highest paid QB this year will make $16M. Let’s say at your investigative reporter job, you made $100k, you weren’t great, but you were above average, where average pay is $120k. When your contract was up, all the available employers colluded against you because they don’t like something you said. However, sensing a bargain, one potential employer offered you $25k. That’s an offer. Do you take that deal, even though you could make that much at Taco Bell?
I think it is hard to say that Kaepernick is a much worse QB than these players (with this year’s pay rate):
Joe Flacco – $22m
Case Keenum- $18m
Tyrod Taylor- $15m
Josh McCown- $10m
Blake Bortles- $18m
Sam Bradford- $20m Sam Bradford makes $20m to be not very good at being a QB.
And now Kaepernick can’t even get any job. The Seahawks traded something for Hundley. The Bills are going to start one of their three “QB”s. Matt Schaub makes $4.5M! Chase Daniel makes $5m.
The only potential benefit of a possible $7m offer from Denver to the NFL is mitigating damages. If fair market value for Kaepernick during the 2017 and 2018 seasons was something like $15M on the low end (and he’ll surely argue that he’s better than Bradford at $20), ok, $30m – $7m he could have earned by mitigating his damages, and he gets $23m…plus potential punitive damages, and that could be $100m.
Kap couldn’t carry a healthy Bradfords jockstrap !
I want to know why Kap wasn’t kneeling when he was a starter and winning ? Wouldn’t he have had a much better chance of success to enlighten the World about his social conscious then ? Just sayin !
I hope the sob never sees another snap in the NFL.
You are a loser dude
You’ve seemed to sob all over this.
Of course, you’re just invoking your racist white supremacist loving pasty white fat toad of a President. But still, wah wah wah
Sob
Why would you insult toads by associating them with Trump?
He is exactly were he belongs and deserves, unemployed. Good riddance
Who cares about this guy anymore?
People who don’t like taking responsibility for their actions and like to blame society instead seem to love him.
You’re right, people who get discriminated against should take responsibility for their intrinsic characteristics. How dare people expect to not be treated differently for something they can’t control.
People who think kneeling is disrespecting the country are so amazingly stupid. Trump just saw this as an opportunity to successfully rally a group of people who can’t tap into any level of in-depth thought. Hope he finds another team when he’s done at yo mama’s house.
It goes back to the same stupid argument that Kap haters always make – that he isn’t allowed his freedom of speech because they think it disrespects the people who… fought for his right to have that freedom of speech in the first place.
I haven’t seen one single argument against Kap that hasn’t undone itself completely.
He is absolutely allowed his freedom of speech, and he is now feeling the consequences of said speech/actions. He hasn’t been arrested for kneeling, which is all freedom of speech grants. The owners are also allowed the freedom to not hire someone they deem bad for business, and who lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert. These dudes didn’t become billionaires by being making bad business decisions, and it doesn’t take collusion for a bunch of smart business men to recognize a bad investment when they see one.
Agreed. Social injustice exists and social injustice sucks. If you eliminate that from the debate, Kap’s situation is not much different than Dez Bryant’s.
Both are Prima Donna’s
Both had a good run, and saw their production drop off
Both are distractions to the team
Both were offered contracts, and turned them down
Both think they are better players than they are
Both are currently unemployed because of the above
Both need to go away
The data that the angry mob in here is omitting (news flash: the angry mob ignores facts) is the list of QBs who have secured jobs in the same time period as Kaepernick.
So when you stack the resumes of…
Mark Sanchez
Jay Cutler
Trevor Simeon
Kevin Hogan
Taysom Hill
and on and on and on
You find QBs much older, QBs much younger, QBs with zero experience, QBs with heaps…
…And argue that every single one of them is more qualified than Kaepernick?
That’s what the NFL will ostensibly have to defend.
Go Kap.
No they won’t. All they will have to do is prove he is bad for their bottom line. The QB’s you mentioned aren’t going to keep fans from coming to the stadium. Football is a business. Kap isn’t entitled to a job, even if he is better than some players in the league.
No, what they have to “prove” (to be fair, the burden of proof is on Kaep, not the owners) is that none of them, not even two of them, colluded to keep Kaep from getting a job in the NFL. The bottom line has nothing to do with this case.
and all of them minus Jay Cutler (basically got it from name recognition and knowing the coaches system) were for backup jobs for not much money. Kaep was going to get that from the Ravens until his Gf pissed off the Ravens ownership.
The consequences of his freedom of speech should not include the obvious massive misinterpretation of what he is saying. That would be lying, and lying isn’t proper. It may not be in the Constitution to not lie, but it is one of the Top 10 commandments.
The consequences of lying about what Kaepernick is saying and doing is that you will be branded an idiot, and a racist, and a blowhard, in message boards like this one hosting other people expressing their same 1st Amendment rights, such as me.
To reiterate, the consequence of you misrepresenting the real reason for Kaep’s kneeling is that you are deemed completely incapable of grasping reality.
Good football fan! Drink beer and bash heads!! Rah Rah!! Racism lives in your heart.
Hey man…. Consequences
The guy who said he hopes white people start getting shot is calling someone a racist. That’s hilarious. He never once misrepresented Kaps reason for protesting, just stated that his chosen method of protest has consequences. Bite the hand that feeds, stop getting fed.
Neither pro athletes nor black people are dogs to be fed or petted. The league is the players. The collective bargaining agreement gives them scope to express themselves.
Take your plantation mentality and go and pick your own cotton.
Did I advocate shooting white people or did I use it in the same rhetorical sense of those who declare that Kaepernick is kneeling because he hates America?
You seem to chewing a hypocrite sandwich. Yum!
Maryjane ! You are the biggest hypocrite
The judge has to know that if Kap were to somehow win his case, that every Tom, Dick & Harry who was ever cut by an NFL team is going to file a collusion complaint.
Hasn’t happened to MLB, and they did lose a collusion case back in the 90’s.
I lose my job to Blaine gabbert and pout on the bench. I get called out and my pr guy says i’m protesting social injustice. Raised by white privilege parents so i had to watch cnn to learn and now i’m self educated. Timing is everything huh Colin. Sure did help to detract from the domestic violence theme previously in nfl. Instead of donating a mil to charity for pr how about 1 mil to charity and 2 k hrs community service work yearly? Also stand up for women because without your mom’s decision there is no Colin!
He started kneeling during the 2016 pre-season and wasn’t the one who brought it to the attention of the press.
You think he was trying to distract attention from domestic abuse issues? Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.
Garbage QB who failed to pr0gress and develop his game. All the defense needs to do is bring in some game film from the past couple of years. Terrible QB.
And who threw 16 TD’s to 4 INT’s in his last season of play.
If I decide to protest something, and as demonstration, I stop showering or bathing. If I show up to my place of employment for work, and customers complain of my awful stench and no longer give the employer their business, due to my stink…. is it the employers responsibility to make sure my hygiene statement is understood by the customer?? NOPE!!! It’s the employees responsibility to keep people like me from hurting THEIR business. Keep the stink away, keep the customers happy. Sorry kap, that’s pretty common sense. You are in San Francisco, one of the most liberal places in the country, you’d have ZERO problem setting up demonstrations throughout the city. Hell, I’m positive the news outlets would love to cover it and give you the media attention you believe your demonstrations deserve. Go for it…. ON YOUR OWN TIME. You brought the “stink” into your place of work…. not the smartest move by not the smartest guy.
Kneeling during the NA is not a health issue. I mean, for most of us. You, on the other hand, are clearly on your way to a heart attack because you can’t seem to get over it. Personally, I say, the cops should start shooting white losers like you. That might change things.
“Personally, I say, the cops should start shooting white losers like you.”
First, that’s a really stupid thing to say.
Second, the cops have had no problem shooting poor white folk and striking white workers in the past, and I have not doubt would do the same if their bosses ordered them to do so. They certainly haven’t been shy about pepper spraying protesters in the eyes, even when they’ve been sitting down passively resisting arrest.
Very good analogy ! Cuz it all stinks to me! Why didn’t the mediocre QB do his demonstrations while he was a starter
Apparently most NFL fans think players should just play and STFU. While crooked and badly trained cops shoot unarmed black men on sight unpunished.
An absolute absence of social or political awareness. Neanderthal knuckledraggers.
Bad news for you: the law here is mostly on Mr Kaepernick’s side. If the NFL owners colluded to prevent him finding employment (which it’s pretty apparent they did, outstanding safety and Kaep brother-in-arms Eric Reid is also jobless), they will have to pay him out the missing salaries.
The NFL are planning:
1. to bribe the judge/arbitrator or to put so much pressure on him from above (extortion) that he decides in their favour
2. if that doesn’t work, to just pay Mr Kaepernick
As the case is pretty high profile, it’s probably door number two.
Mr Kaepernick has done more than anyone to raise awarness for Black Lives Matter. He likely considers his protest a success. He will still be rich tomorrow and after arbitration. Most of those complaining and criticising him will still be in their dead end jobs and have done nothing to improve the world.
Game, set and match, Colin Kapernick.
So the NFL is going to intimidate the judge/arbitrator? Will they be asking the Colts or Broncos to put the horse head in his bed?
there is a difference between colluding and coming to the same conclusion independently. In this case, they came to the same decision independently similar to what happened with Tebow.
You may be right. I don’t think you are, but the evidence of collusion may not come out, so Kaepernack could still lose his case. But the Reid case certainly points to on-going collusion, so the owners may have bitten off their nose to spite their face.
and there is something else that happens if the Kaep wins. They can break the CBA early as this could be seen as a breach of contract.
Thank you for pointing this out. That could be huge.
Karp knew what he was doing. Whether I agree or disagree with him is not relevant. But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Next time think before you act.
Yes. Kaep knew he was kneeling during the NA to protest police brutality against the black community.
Why that needs to be repeated to a smart guy such as yourself is a mystery. Or, stay with me now, it means you’re not smart. I’m going with the latter.
Why didn’t he knell when he was a starting QB ? As a winning QB on a winning team , wouldn’t he have had a better chance to pull off his social conscious act then?
No one gives a crap about CK, go cry somewhere else, tired if hearing about this crap!
He is straight garbage. Take ownership of it.
Like I said take ownership. Do you remember Mr. Smart guy when he tried to blame it on his girlfriend? then he later said that he would stand during tha NA if he got on another team. Just the wrong place to prove his point. Quit crying.