Colin Kaepernick is ready to show the NFL he can still play as he will work out for all 32 NFL teams in Atlanta on Saturday. But did Jay-Z have something to do with setting the workout up for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Jay-Z, “had some influence” in the workout, which was set up by the league. The interesting thing about this is the legendary hip-hop artist is now partners with the NFL and he and league commissioner Roger Goodell said they talked to Kaepernick before making the deal back in August.
“I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice, correct?” Jay said at the time. “So in that case, this is a success; this is the next thing. ‘Cause there’s two parts of protesting. You go outside and you protest, and then the company or the individual says, ‘I hear you. What do we do next?’ So for me, it was like, action, actionable item, what are we going to do with it? Everyone heard and we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying. So what are we going to do? So we should, millions of millions of people, and all we get stuck on [is] Colin not having a job.”
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Goodell said that Kaepernick was not being “blackballed” by the NFL and he had the right to sign with any team. That said, he also played a role in this workout because he didn’t like how things were handled on the NFL’s end.
“I think Roger Goodell, there’s a part of him, the Commissioner, that feels bad about the way that this has unfolded,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in a report. “And I think that he believes that he must do his part to try to get a workout for Colin Kaepernick, to try to get interviews with Colin Kaepernick, to try to do his part to get Colin Kaepernick in front of teams.”
Now that Kaepernick has the workout, he now has to walk the walk. With a few teams needing QB help, Kaepernick could be signed in hopes he can make an impact for the 2020 season. Because there’s only seven weeks remaining this year, it will be hard for the former San Francisco 49ers QB to be a key contributor.
