Kaep Back At It Again

An interesting video to go along with the tweet.

Check out the comments of the article if you REALLY wanna feel good about our fellow Americans.

In comment 13519462 hassan said:

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Sounds like he was trying to say he wanted to visit these sites personally vs being forced through the middle passages. His use of grammar is the issue here it seems.

He's lost, misguided and probably influenced by some ignorant people. That's the issue.

pig socks tells me everything I need to know about him and his thinking process.

In comment 13519540 muhajir said:

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Or wrong with his post at all. He lost his career for voicing his beliefs and has never played the victim card despite that. The fact that his post bothers you so much should give more insight on your perspective of people and life then on his.

He lost his career mostly because he sucked. He has no value as a potential starter, little value as a backup, and less value when you factor in the circus surrounding him as a result of his comments and actions last year.

And, this isn't so much about his "cause", but more about the ignorant things he did and said to promote his cause. He could have had a much more powerful and positive impact if he didn't come off looking and sounding like a fool.

Exactly the point I'm trying to make:

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And, this isn't so much about his "cause", but more about the ignorant things he did and said to promote his cause. He could have had a much more powerful and positive impact if he didn't come off looking and sounding like a fool.

Like I said above, he could be a positive influence and use his prior success to promote that image. He hasn't done that and increasingly comes off sounding like a loon.

In comment 13519734 FatMan in Charlotte said:

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Exactly the point I'm trying to make: Quote: And, this isn't so much about his "cause", but more about the ignorant things he did and said to promote his cause. He could have had a much more powerful and positive impact if he didn't come off looking and sounding like a fool. Like I said above, he could be a positive influence and use his prior success to promote that image. He hasn't done that and increasingly comes off sounding like a loon.

Exactly. I agree with you. Hell, this pilgrimage to Ghana could have gone over much better if he simply said he is taking his time away from football as an opportunity to explore his heritage, ancestry, etc. he took it a step or two too far, in my opinion.

the topics that he discusses. His ignorance displayed in his Fidel Castro comments last year was shocking to me. He tried to praise Castro because Cuba has a higher literacy rate than the US. What he failed to research was this high number was stated by their own government. That is basically the same as criticizing our health care system while praising Kim Jung Un for having the cure to aids, Ebola, and Sars.

In comment 13519489 Sgrcts said:

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In comment 13519460 FatMan in Charlotte said: Quote: just like his other ignorant displays of history, his metaphor is terribly misused. He's an adopted kid who was raised as an intelligent person, who had an athletic scholarship and became an NFL player. Exactly what bearing do sites in Ghana have on him personally? It would be like me visiting a village in Italy where Mussolini hung people and claim that I can feel the ropes around my neck while standing in the Piazza. It isn't at all the same. Italians came here freely, with their cultures in tact, and passed along to their children. They would take their culture and embed it within both their families and into the melting pot of American culture. Africans came here against their will, stripped of dignity and culture. They were unable to pass the lessons, food, religion and language of their ancestors on.

Sgrcts - The above are good points and raise an important question. How do we restore the lessons, dignity, and culture? If you think the culture needs to change, how does it happen. I think it needs to come from within the culture that is to change.

I believe FMiC is discussing Kaep as an individual.

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for trying to put all of this into perspective. Kaep has taken more flak for his silent protest, and now for taking a trip to expand his horizons, than a lot of other NFL players have for committing crimes. Yes, we're free to express our opinions on both side of this debate, but the comparative levels of intolerance and tolerance seem skewed.

My biggest problem with Kaep is that his writing (I haven't heard him speak) isn't crisp enough to make his points as clearly as they deserve to be made, which fosters even more confusion and criticism. And acts like wearing a Castro tee shirt, either out of ignorance or carelessness, undermine his intentions.

In comment 13519560 FatMan in Charlotte said:

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is the tie that somehow his struggles are lumped in with the Black Diaspora: Quote: I dont see what the objection is Carthonfan : 9:35 am : link : reply in someone getting in touch with an aspect of their heritage When he ties himself as being personally impacted by the history, that's way off base.

Its not really off base. Everyone relates to their heritage and history, particularly a history as sensitive as slavery, in their own way. You are interpreting his statement way too literally and hence you are being overly judgmental.

In comment 13519623 pjcas18 said:

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being blackballed consider this FACT: He was benched as a starter in 2015 BEFORE KNEELING during the National anthem or any activism (at least publicly) by Jim Tomsula for Blaine Gabbert. Then Chip Kelly took over and Kaepernick BEFORE KNEELING was beaten out as the starter by Blane Gabbert. Blaine Gabbert. Blaine Gabbert. Before anything unrelated to on-field performance, this guy beat out Kaepernick: Quote: Adam Levitan‏Verified account @adamlevitan "Of the 41 QBs who have attempted at least 700 passes since 2011, Gabbert's 22.6 Total QBR ranks dead last." http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/32for32x151104/expect-steelers-rb-deangelo-williams � Let that sink in a little and then continue your rant about someone being blackballed because of something that happened after that. It's sort of like the people who say Tebow isn't in the NFL today because he's a "god boy" or "jesus freak" or somethign equally offensive (to some I'm sure). Tebow is not in the NFL today because he was a terrible quarterback. Kaepernick doesn't have a job in the NFL as I stated before because today, he's not good enough to warrant one. He might refocus and get another shot, and there could even be QB's worse than him today holding clipboards, but right now he's not being blackballed IMO and people that say he is are really just excuse-making IMO.

pj, I respect you for all of the posts over the years but this just isn't factually correct. Kaepernick was not benched for Gabbert, he was recovering from three surgeries. He went on IR in Nov of '15 and he didn't play in the preseason until week 3. Chip Kelly said him not starting had to do with missing the entire off season program not becasue Blaine Gabbert is better and the numbers don't lie. In five games Gabbert had a total of six TDs to six INTs with a QB rating of under 70. In the remaining games Kaepernick had a total of 18 TDs to 4 INTs with a QB rating of 90. Now I'm not saying he's Joe Montana but numbers like that can't get you a job in today's NFL? The #1 receiver was Jeremy Kerley for crying out loud. Meanwhile, Gabbert has a job in Arizona. In what could be Kaepernick's last game in the NFL he was 17-22, 215 yards and a TD in a two point loss to Seattle, the league's #5 defense last year. Pete Carroll brings him in for a visit and they rave about him but instead they sign Trevone Boykin, who has 18 career NFL passes. So if he's not blackballed, what would you call it? You're gonna tell me that there's 64 better QBs in the league right now? Nick Foles? Matt Barkley? Matt McGloin? Sanchez? Just a few of the QBs signed this offseason. At least tell me it's about money, or maybe he wants to be a starter where there isn't one available. But it's NOT because he was that bad last year or in his career that this is performance based. And Tebow is an apples to oranges comparison. Far worse QB and much smaller resume.

has said and done quite a few extremely questionable (at best) things already but I'm not sure this particular act should be seen in the same vein. I get what Fats is saying... but I don't necessarily think this should portrayed as '... back at it again'. In the other instances he either said or wore clothing that could be offensive to some. I don't see how his words in this particular instance can offend anyone.

I think you're off in your progression - this linked article is from November 4, 2015:

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...Colin Kaepernick has hit rock bottom. After an abysmal start to the season, he has been benched (mercifully, some might say) for Blaine Gabbert. Yes, the very same Blaine Gabbert who was drafted 10th overall by the Jaguars and made 27 mostly forgettable starts before he was traded to the 49ers for a sixth-round pick in March 2014.

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...But Kaepernick had been that bad. Through two months, he ranked 32nd among all starting quarterbacks, according to Football Outsiders (that's a list that includes out-of-work Ryan Mallet), and as recently as last week former 49ers great Jerry Rice called for Kaepernick to grab some pine, at least for a while, "to energize the team." On Wednesday, coach Jim Tomsula offered a similar explanation, calling the benching "a tough decision but I feel it's the direction we need to go." And adding that the move will hopefully benefit Kaepernick in the long run because it will allow him to "step back and breathe and look at things through a different lens." "I felt like this was the direction we needed to go," Tomsula continued, via NFL.com. "In no way is 2-6 all on Colin Kaepernick. That's on all of us. This is a guy I think has talent ... I just want him to step back, keep working."...

he was 100% benched for Gabbert. There is no gray area or debate.

And Kaepernick missed spring activities in 2016 with Chip Kelly and that definitely set him back, but was cleared for camp then had a setback, but was 100% during camp. And then once Gabbert struggled mightily (agree the offense around him/Kaepernick sucked), and lost the starting job, Kaepernick gave it back just as quickly.

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...I think Kap is still coming off of getting himself healthy and 100 percent. Though he's cleared to play but he still knows he has work to do," Kelly said. "He's not up to his playing weight that he was when he was successful here and he'll continue to work on that. He missed a couple weeks there with the arm and that set him back a little bit and his ability to compete for it, but the timetable was the timetable and right now we feel like Blaine is the starter..."

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I wish, as a country, we could put the past behind us. I don't like the fact that so many people for whatever reason, act like America invented slavery.

Slavery has existed for thousands of years and it was still being practiced in most of the world through much of the 18th century, even into the 19th century in many parts. Furthermore, it is still being practiced TODAY in parts of the world including parts of Africa!

As horrible as it was, only a small fraction (less than 10%) of Americans owned slaves by the time of the Civil war. And a little known fact is that whites weren't the only slave owners. Free blacks owned slaves in Louisiana.

Slavery was being fazed out and became illegal in many of the most populous (northern) states around the time or shortly after the founding of the country.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans, including a direct ancestor of mine, risked their lives for the emancipation (some southerners will argue the war was about states rights, but it's pretty obvious which state right the south thought was worth fighting for).

I wish more Americans knew the facts above and we could move forward, make sure EVERY American gets a good education, etc.

over the last few decades of acknowledging the history and evils of slavery. I toured Monticello recently and the life of slaves was a huge part of it.

I agree he is fairly misinformed.

I am simply pointing out his use of grammar makes it seem like he personally was affected by the middle grounds vs wanting to visit them. Did not read the comment the same way as FMIC did although I could understand why.

Stepping on a football field should be considered more revolting than Kaep by a significant margin. Kaep is probably done hence his lack of interest but he deserves far less scrutiny than a scum like AP.

playing with a torn labrum will definitely have an effect on a QB, especially one who depends so much on arm strength.

But that doesn't change my point; when he did start playing he was better in '16 post surgeries than '15 and way better than Gabbert, always will be. But Gabbert got a job this offseason. Kaepernick had more TDs last season than Gabbert had in three years in SF. There's no way Gabbert or virtually every backup signed this offseason, including ours, are better than Kaepernick. This has everything to do with his stance or lack thereof.

In comment 13519849 hassan said:

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Stepping on a football field should be considered more revolting than Kaep by a significant margin. Kaep is probably done hence his lack of interest but he deserves far less scrutiny than a scum like AP.

On THAT, I don't believe there is any question..

probably partially true, but not completely true:

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This has everything to do with his stance or lack thereof

Look at backup QB's around the league - they aren't stars who are ready to step in to play - they aren't even often the 2nd best QB in camp. The backup QB is really there for three reasons:
1) Provide snaps for the defense in practice
2) Sub in for the starter in case of an injury
3) Not cause a QB controversy

That's why if teams have two starting quality QB's they usually ship one out.

Once Kaep was effectively no longer a starting QB, his desirability as a backup is hugely diminished. why have a sideshow around a guy whose main purpose on game day is to hold a clipboard?

Ray Lewis..Greg Hardy..

fans are not nearly outraged enough by this. Kaep got the jingo crowd to write these owners about boycotts but people are ok with felons playing again?

Ridiculous.

then again, not surprised.

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What a peculiar thread David in LA : 1:10 pm : link : reply then again, not surprised.

Likewise. Afterall, I'm not surprised that somebody who made it sound like the Castro t-shirt was just a fashion coincidence wouldn't have any surprise here.....

I stated that I'm not up in arms over the Castro shirt, because most people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to Castro's treatment of his own people. He made a poor fashion choice, so that completely takes away from his original gripe that blacks have different experiences with the cops right?

and embellishing and leaving out pieces of info to fit your narrative?

that honestly wondered why it's so bad that Dan Carpenter's wife comparing Richard Sherman to a farm animal, and suggesting using a castration tool to take the aggression out is wrong. You're a tone deaf tool.

yes it does take away from it.

If there's an important message to be shared and the communicator can't do it well enough to get his point across and ends up having it muddied with faux pas like the Castro t-shirt and pig socks, the message is most definitely diluted.

This is a point I've made since the beginning. Any platform Kaep was trying to communicate was muddied by his own lack of focus on the subject (is the issue police treatment of blacks, minorities being oppressed or fighting the remnants of slavery?), his fashion statements which became tangents that only took away from the message, and his insinuation that he's now blackballed.

People who don't have clear and concise points are difficult to understand.

going to go through this again?

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Shouldn't you be out hounding Dalvin Cook David in LA : 1:43 pm : link : reply and embellishing and leaving out pieces of info to fit your narrative?

I quoted an article from the Talahassee paper, complete with a link. I even said that it was a list of arrests and punishments, which is exactly what it was. And you bowed out of that thread when I pointed it out several times.

If you want to make a pretty overt reference that I'm a racist, I think a lot of people here know that's your preferred angle to take more often than not.

still have legitimate gripes to make. Just because the spokesperson doesn't suit your criteria doesn't mean the discussion should full on stop on how to improve current state of affairs. He's a fucking athlete, I don't expect everyone to be Frederick DOuglass when they voice complaints.

because another poster addressed why your crap about Dalvin Cook was embellished and left key pieces of info out. There's context that article failed to provide, but carry on. Just very strange that you choose to huff your chest about this recent piece of Kaepernick "news".

I "huffed my chest" by posting an article about it(linked in the OP), so it isn't exactly like I'm hinging on his every word to be the first to point out things he's said.

Let's not make it sound like I'm Geraldo Rivera breaking a story.

.

as we just celebrated the birthday of this great nation...it's all thanks to veteras and blah blah blah...

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MODESTO, Calif. � Following up on his success in correcting the narrative of federal holidays such as Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to include recognition of America�s veterans, local veteran Thomas Shinter is planning to celebrate the birth of the country by making it all about himself. �This July 4th, we honor the men and women who fought for this great nation that we all love,� Shinter told reporters. �And especially those who did not make it back. Rest in peace to my brothers Spc. Willie Garcia and Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Beamer.� �And let�s not forget the 22 veterans a day who kill themselves,� he added. �It�s really sad that people are celebrating with fireworks and barbecues and they don�t even think about this sort of stuff.� As Shinter noted in a lengthy Facebook post today, the birth of the United States would never have been possible without the contributions of America�s veterans, who fought in numerous wars to keep this nation free and safe. That includes Shinter�s contribution to the nation�s security, which involved a number of deployments to Kuwait, a well-known hotbed of terror and intense combat. Then there was also that 30-day period when he was attached to 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq, or �the shit� as he put it. ... In addition to his numerous posts on Facebook, Shinter plans to go door-to-door to tell his neighbors about veterans and ask that they not use fireworks to celebrate, just as soldiers in the Continental Army did some 241 years ago.

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and he's not a very good QB.

He's not being blacklisted because of his comments - this is a league who's PR machine works to keep convicted dog killers, rapists, drunk drivers and woman beaters employed. You really think if a team wanted Kaepernick they couldn't find a way to spin his comments down and get him on the field?

Too many people concern themselves with color, but the wrong ones. It's not black, brown or white - it's green. If someone could profit off his play, he'd be out there tomorrow.

In comment 13519472 hassan said:

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He's clearly not well informed and I'd question his real education as a jock that went through school on his athletic prowess. But he's not a violent aggressive or an ex -felon. Says something about NFL fans that we accept players who do far worse and get to suit up Sunday but people would not watch a team that Colin would play for.

Well said. Its a symptom of the hyper-partisanship in this country.

In comment 13520034 jcn56 said:

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and he's not a very good QB. He's not being blacklisted because of his comments - this is a league who's PR machine works to keep convicted dog killers, rapists, drunk drivers and woman beaters employed. You really think if a team wanted Kaepernick they couldn't find a way to spin his comments down and get him on the field? Too many people concern themselves with color, but the wrong ones. It's not black, brown or white - it's green. If someone could profit off his play, he'd be out there tomorrow.

Except that our very own team's owner pretty much came out and admitted that they wouldn't consider signing Kaep because of the negative mail he's gotten over him.

I think those who've been saying it's a combination of both are correct.. it's because of his comments/actions AND because he's not seen as a top tier QB. More than the former than the latter.

If Kaep never kneels during the anthem... he's on a roster right now.

That's right. He can be a backup for sure. Not buying this nonsense he can't be a backup because of his history of starting.

It's clearly both his skill erosion and his stance.

Mahmoud Abdul Rauf was all star material when he protested and was basically blacklisted from the NBA- being deemed anti American seems to be a worse crime than actual criminality for these leagues.

but who is going to want to deal with the publicity aka what I called the distraction for your backup QB.

Most of us are saying the same thing and talking past each other. As usual. Some people are getting indignant and passive aggressive about it. As usual for this site.

He is not good enough to start anymore, and no one is going to put up with a backup QB with his baggage - like him or not, agree with is message or not, and agree with his message but not his method all irrelevant - it's a distraction and coaches (in almost any sport) notoriously hate distractions.

So sure, if he never kneeled during the anthem he would most likely still be on an NFL roster, but first and foremost if there was a team that felt like holy shit this guy can help us win, he's got talent, you bet your ass he'd be on a roster anyway. His situation starts with a lack of talent or focus and goes degrades from there.

the comment about how can Matt McGloin (for example) be good enough to be a backup and Kaepernick isn't is a false equivalence.

Fox News is acting like he's a wanted revolutionary who escaped to Africa to sow unrest there. This is a sad story from all angles.

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He is not good enough to start anymore, and no one is going to put up with a backup QB with his baggage...

Hence the feeling he's being blacklisted by the league. You're saying he's not going to be a back up QB in this league BECAUSE of his 'baggage'.

I'm not trying to imply that these teams don't have the right to do so... but that doesn't change the reason why he doesn't have a job right now.

is that the teams with shitty QB's are all in on tanking for the much anticipated QB class of next year.

In comment 13520233 T-Bone said:

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Quote: He is not good enough to start anymore, and no one is going to put up with a backup QB with his baggage... Hence the feeling he's being blacklisted by the league. You're saying he's not going to be a back up QB in this league BECAUSE of his 'baggage'. I'm not trying to imply that these teams don't have the right to do so... but that doesn't change the reason why he doesn't have a job right now.

IMO and it's just my opinion, I respect everyone's opinionon this, it's a combination of the lack of talent and publicity.

If it was a scale it would be 80% talent and 20% media circus.

but it starts with talent, if he had the talent to be a capable and successful starting QB in the NFL he'd have a job today.

But I do think it's ok to not want a backup QB holding a clipboard on your sideline that is going to be a constant, or even occasional, distraction to your team. If that's means he's blackballed by your definition then I concede, but I feel blackballed is a more collusive effort to keep someone out. In Kaepernick's case I think each team evaluated and decided individually and reached the same conclusion...not worth it.

Things could change, but I don't think it's wrong for teams to not want him as their backup.

I also think to a lesser extent it's why Tim Tebow is playing baseball now. Tebow has more playoff victories than many starting QB's, but he's awful. Not a viable starting QB. But is he worse than all the backups in the league right now? I don't know. If there was no media circus around him I feel like there is a better chance he'd be on an NFL roster today.

In comment 13520278 pjcas18 said:

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In comment 13520233 T-Bone said: Quote: Quote: He is not good enough to start anymore, and no one is going to put up with a backup QB with his baggage... Hence the feeling he's being blacklisted by the league. You're saying he's not going to be a back up QB in this league BECAUSE of his 'baggage'. I'm not trying to imply that these teams don't have the right to do so... but that doesn't change the reason why he doesn't have a job right now. IMO and it's just my opinion, I respect everyone's opinionon this, it's a combination of the lack of talent and publicity. If it was a scale it would be 80% talent and 20% media circus. but it starts with talent, if he had the talent to be a capable and successful starting QB in the NFL he'd have a job today. But I do think it's ok to not want a backup QB holding a clipboard on your sideline that is going to be a constant, or even occasional, distraction to your team. If that's means he's blackballed by your definition then I concede, but I feel blackballed is a more collusive effort to keep someone out. In Kaepernick's case I think each team evaluated and decided individually and reached the same conclusion...not worth it. Things could change, but I don't think it's wrong for teams to not want him as their backup. I also think to a lesser extent it's why Tim Tebow is playing baseball now. Tebow has more playoff victories than many starting QB's, but he's awful. Not a viable starting QB. But is he worse than all the backups in the league right now? I don't know. If there was no media circus around him I feel like there is a better chance he'd be on an NFL roster today.

Fair enough.

My scale would probably be more 30% talent/70% other media circus.

I see what you're saying and saying he's being 'blackballed' does seem to imply that there is some collusion going on between teams and I don't think THAT'S the case... but I can't think of another word to describe what I believe is happening to him.

And again, I honestly don't have much of a problem with how teams are treating him. Although I don't agree with it... I'm a big proponent of 'you make your bed, now lie in it.'. Kaep said himself that he knew he was going to catch hell for what he was doing and he was willing to risk the consequences in order to make his point. Now that those consequences have shown themselves, you can't cry now about it and say it's not fair.

I also lost a bit of respect for him when he (among other things he said that I question... like the pig socks for instance) said he'll no longer kneel for the anthem if he gets picked up by another team. I don't believe a guy like Nelson Madela said 'Ok... if I don't have to go to jail again... I'll change my stance on apartheid in this country.'. If you feel as strongly about a particular issue... as he claimed to be... saying he'll kneel until he sees police brutality and other injustices stop in this country... you don't turn around and say 'Sike!' because you no longer have a job now. You stick with it and if you don't get picked up... hey, you knew the risk. But if you valued your job and money that much... maybe you shouldn't have knelt in the first place?

Even with all the above said, I still support Kaep in his efforts because they affect me, my family and friends a great deal. But... as I've been saying since it was first exposed about him kneeling... I think his words and actions haven't been very well thought out and now, unfortunately for him, he's paying the price for it.

and as usual on topics like this you make me think of things differently and I appreciate the time you take to respond.

In comment 13520362 pjcas18 said:

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and as usual on topics like this you make me think of things differently and I appreciate the time you take to respond.

Likewise.

Except when it comes to Fantasy Football. Your opinions suck donkey balls there.

In comment 13520385 T-Bone said:

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In comment 13520362 pjcas18 said: Quote: and as usual on topics like this you make me think of things differently and I appreciate the time you take to respond. Likewise. Except when it comes to Fantasy Football. Your opinions suck donkey balls there.

Well when you're in 75 leagues like you, you're bound to win every now and then.

kmed said he's reviving the BBI league, are you in? What's one more league?

In comment 13520404 pjcas18 said:

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In comment 13520385 T-Bone said: Quote: In comment 13520362 pjcas18 said: Quote: and as usual on topics like this you make me think of things differently and I appreciate the time you take to respond. Likewise. Except when it comes to Fantasy Football. Your opinions suck donkey balls there. Well when you're in 75 leagues like you, you're bound to win every now and then. kmed said he's reviving the BBI league, are you in? What's one more league?

LMAO! Touche'

You bet!