Colin Kaepernick, you’re still not wanted.
Probably not ever.
Oh, and while we’re at it, it’s pretty clear the owners have every intention of clamping down on any other players who tries to carry on Kaepernick’s legacy.
Rattled by another big dip in the television ratings and an increasing number of empty seats, the league seems determined to banish peaceful protest from the playing field.
While it’s quite a stretch to say those trends are intimately related – injuries, bad games and poor showings by several of the league’s most popular teams were surely bigger factors in the waning popularity – the guys sitting on what remains an enormous cash cow aren’t taking any chances.
Since Kaepernick is the one who got this whole thing started by having the audacity to silently kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice – the nerve of that guy! – his career could very well be over.
Never mind that he’s undoubtedly more talented than many of the quarterbacks who still have paying jobs.
Just look at those who have already agreed to new deals heading into the 2018 season.
– Kirk Cousins , who has a losing career record as a starter and has yet to win a playoff game.
– Case Keenum , coming off a marvelous season with the Minnesota Vikings but definitely a candidate for one-year wonder.
– AJ McCarron , who has just three starts in four years.
– Mike Glennon , saddled with an awful career record of 6-16.
– Tom Savage , who went 1-6 as the Texans‘ starter last season.
– Chase Daniel , the epitome of a journeyman.
– Josh McCown , who is 38 years old and, despite the lack of any apparent success over his long career, keeps landing on his feet.
While all those guys keep cashing checks, Kaepernick was working out privately on a field in Houston , quietly going through the grind with only the help of his personal trainers, apparently still hopeful of restarting his career.
His optimism is likely misplaced.
While there’s always a chance of some owner breaking ranks to sign Kaepernick, the possibility grows less likely with each passing day. If anything, the owners are intent on nipping social consciousness in the bud.
Stephen Ross of the Miami Dolphins probably spoke out loud what most owners are saying behind closed doors when he was quoted as saying his players would be required to stand for the national anthem this season.
Ross quickly backtracked, saying his comments were ”misconstrued,” but a statement explaining his position left no doubt that he’s had enough of taking a knee.
”I’m passionate about the cause of social justice , and I feel that kneeling is an ineffective tactic that alienates more people than it enlists,” he said.
There was also a report from the Houston Chronicle that Texans owner Robert McNair doesn’t want to acquire players who have engaged in protests or might be likely to going forward. While the team quickly denied the report, McNair’s stance on such issues is apparent to everyone. At an owners meeting last year, he grumbled that ”we can’t have the inmates running the prison” – a remark that prompted most of his players to join arms and kneel before their next game .
Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks cut ties with two of their most outspoken players, Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman . While a point could be made that these moves were strictly designed to clear room under the salary cap and rebuild an aging defense, one couldn’t help but wonder if their support of Kaepernick’s protest contributed to the moves.
After clearly being blackballed last season, Kaepernick filed a grievance alleging the owners colluded to keep him out of the league . But it would probably take a mass walkout by all the fellow players to get him back on the field, and that’s not happening.
There’s too much money at stake to risk it all for a single player, no matter how unjustly he’s been treated. Even if all the players could come together as one, chances are their protest would collapse as soon as they miss a few paychecks , just as it did during the infamous 1987 strike when a plethora of big-name players crossed the picket line.
So, as we get started on a new NFL season, Kaepernick can expect to keep working out in solitude, at least until he decides on another line of work.
A bunch of less-qualified quarterbacks will continue to hold jobs.
The only message we can send:
Shame on you, NFL.
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Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers know they’re behind the eight-ball Tuesday night at Moda Center when they play host to the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
The No. 6 seed Pelicans stole a 97-95 victory in Saturday’s opener. The No. 3 seed Trail Blazers realize they can’t go to New Orleans for Games 3 and 4 trailing 2-0 in the series.
“It puts some pressure on us,” Portland point guard Damian Lillard said. “You come in with home-court (advantage) and you lose the first one. Now in (the Pelicans’) locker room, they’re saying, ‘We got one. Why not go get another one?’
“Our job is to defend the home court, so it’s one game at a time. We can’t let (Saturday’s) loss go into the next game.”
Portland has plenty of things to solve after Game 1. The Blazers would like to do a better defensive job on Anthony Davis, who carved them up for 35 points and 14 rebounds.
More important , they need to get their offense going early. The Blazers shot 31.9 percent from the field, including 3 of 17 from 3-point range, and trailed 45-36 at intermission on Saturday. Lillard and backcourt mate CJ McCollum combined for three points on 1-of-15 shooting in the first half.
McCollum finished with 19 points and Lillard 18 as the Blazers got untracked for 59 second-half points. But New Orleans’ defense on the Portland guards was as big a factor as any in the outcome.
“We just wanted to make sure we put as much pressure as we could on Dame and CJ, and make someone else beat us,” Davis said. “Our main focus was to make it tough on Dame and CJ.”
New Orleans’ Jrue Holiday was the best guard on the floor Saturday, with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting and seven rebounds to go with outstanding defense.
“With Kawhi Leonard injured, I don’t know if there’s a better two-way player in the game,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “We ask him to get 20 points every night and guard the best perimeter player on the other team, regardless of size or who it is. I don’t know if you can do a better job on those two guards than Jrue and (Rajon Rondo) did.”
Lillard thought the Blazers should shoulder the blame.
“We just didn’t make shots,” said Lillard, who played 42 minutes , including the entire second half. “Give credit to what they did defensively. They were physical, and they were trapping a lot of my pick-and-rolls. But it comes down to the way we shot. We got a fair amount of good looks; we just didn’t knock them down.
“We probably played as bad as we could possibly play. And (the Pelicans) played really well, and we still had a chance to win at the end. If we come out (in Game 2) and play like the team that we are, it’ll be a much better performance.”
Saturday’s win was the first ever in the playoffs for Davis, now in his sixth season in the NBA.
“It means a lot to get that monkey off your back,” he said. “But now that’s over with. We want to come in Tuesday and get another one. We always believe. Winning this game makes us believe more, especially on the road.”
Gentry said, “We feel comfortable playing away from home. If you can win the first game, it takes the edge off. But we have to do the same thing (on Tuesday). You can’t take anything for granted. You still have to play with the same intensity.”
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