Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has repeatedly said he wants to return to the NFL after going unsigned following his social justice protests. The UFL says it would consider him if he reaches out.
TMZ Sports recently interviewed former Buffalo Bills general manager and UFL senior vice president of player personnel Doug Whaley, who said that if Kaepernick is looking to show he can still play, the UFL would have some interest in him.
“He hasn’t reached out to us,” Whaley said. “It was one of those things where we’ve seen that and he knows we’re here, so if he really wants it, we would listen. It costs us nothing to listen.”
Whaley added that if Kaepernick really wants the opportunity to show that he could still play in the NFL, he should do it by proving he can play in another league, allowing scouts to see him in action.
“That’s when you have to really ask him if he does want to play or does he just say he wants to play because there are avenues for him, not only with us, but the CFL,” Whaley said. “There are other avenues that if he wanted to put recent game tape out there, he could have a chance to do so.”
Kaepernick, 37, played six seasons for the 49ers beginning in 2011, helping them reach Super Bowl 47. In those six seasons, he completed 59.8% of his passes for 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Since the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick has remained a free agent. He filed a lawsuit against the league, alleging that the league had colluded to keep him from being signed following his protests against police brutality, which included taking a knee during the national anthem. The lawsuit was eventually settled. Kaepernick’s story was to be released in a documentary directed by Spike Lee and was to appear on ESPN. However, in a statement to Reuters, the documentary will not be released.
“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” ESPN told Reuters.
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Chris Franklin may be reached at [email protected].
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