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It took three years, but last week, the NFL decided there was no better time than now to give Colin Kaepernick a shot to prove he belongs in the league when it announced it would be inviting teams to a private workout in Atlanta over the weekend.
Plenty of people out there thought the showcase was a long time coming but others weren’t exactly thrilled that he was being given a shot at redemption—including the protestors who showed up at the Falcons practice facility with signs in tow to voice their displeasure.
Unfortunately, those people never got a chance to proudly show off the product of their arts and crafts session to Kaepernick, as shortly before the showcase was slated to begin, we learned the quarterback decided to move it to a new location thanks to a reported disagreement over a waiver the league said he had to sign in order to participate.
While things may not have gone down as anticipated, Kaepernick eventually took to the field to give scouts a look at what he’s currently working with, and while one insider labeled him “elite,” he’s still waiting for someone to reach out concerning a potential job offer.
It was initially unclear exactly what stipulation in the aforementioned waiver Kaepernick took issue with but we may now have some clarity courtesy of TMZ, which managed to get access to the document and suggested he wasn’t thrilled with a clause that stated:
“In consideration for the opportunity to participate in the workout, Player [releases the NFL from all liability] … arising out of, occurring during, or related directly or indirectly to the workout.”
It seems Kaepernick was under the impression he could be barred from taking legal action (for whatever reason) against the NFL for any issues he might encounter over the course of his rebooted playing career, as you could argue anything that may have occurred after signing with a team could be constituted as an indirect result of the workout.
The outlet reports the quarterback tried to get the NFL to sign a waiver he provided but that the league was unwilling to budge, which resulted in everything going to shit.
I’m not exactly sure what reason Kaepernick would have to sue the NFL (again), but as someone who once thought about taking the LSAT, it’s pretty obvious why he wouldn’t want to agree to such a broad clause.