The Seahawks have postponed a workout with Colin Kaepernick after the free agent quarterback declined to stop kneeling in protest during the national anthem next season, reports ESPN. It’s unclear when the visit might be rescheduled but it isn’t being described as cancelled yet.
NFL.com also reports the meeting has been postponed, although it says the Seahawks “asked for [Kaepernick’s] plan moving forward on how to handle everything and there was not a firm plan.” The Seattle Times also reports that Kaepernick’s refusal to lay out how he’d handle his off-field life resulted in the postponed meeting.
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Kaepernick has become a lightning rod in the football world over the last two years for his work as an activist. The former 49ers quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and treatment of minorities in 2016 and has not backed down from his public comments or work in the community.
NFL teams have shied away from signing the outspoken quarterback as a result of his behavior, even though countless other players at the position with less impressive resumes have received contracts. Kaepernick already sat out the 2017 season after failing to receive any offers.
The Seahawks are in need of a backup quarterback behind Russell Wilson and have familiarity with Kaepernick having played in the same division. However, the reports suggest Seattle wanted a firm idea from the quarterback of how he planned to continue his activism, and he was unwilling or unable to provide that.
Former 49ers safety Eric Reid also recently revealed that he was asked by the Bengals to stop kneeling during the anthem. Reid, who remains a free agent, was among the first players to join Kaepernick’s protest.
Kaepernick was deposed by the NFL earlier this week as part of the collusion complaint he filed against the league this year. According to Yahoo!, it’s possible proceedings regarding the collusion complaint could drag into 2019.