Colin Kaepernick has not played a down in the NFL since 2016; he gained widespread attention that year for taking a knee during the national anthem to protest structural and racial inequalities; 33-year-old took to Twitter to demonstrate his readiness to play
Tuesday 24 November 2020 16:27, UK
Colin Kaepernick has tweeted to reiterate he is still fit and ready to play, amid the growing numbers of injuries to NFL quarterbacks this season.
Kaepernick has not played in an NFL game since 2016, a year in which he popularised taking a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, police brutality and social inequality.
But with injuries and coronavirus affecting the current campaign, the 33-year-old - who remains a free agent - took to social media to demonstrate his readiness to play.
He said: "1,363 days of being denied employment. Still putting in work with [Eric Reid]. Still going hard 5 days a week. #StillReady #StopRunning."
His post comes after Cincinnati became the latest NFL side to lose their starting quarterback, with 2020 No 1 overall pick Joe Burrow ruled out of the rest of his rookie season with an ACL and MCL tear.
Burrow sustained the injury during Sunday's defeat to Washington and followed prior high-profile injuries to New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees and Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott.
NBC's Mike Florio has said that this is the point at which we all realise Kaepernick will never be offered a place back in an NFL franchise: "Kaepernick is the guy who, as of this posting, has his name trending on Twitter," he said in an article on Pro Football Talk.
"Remember when there was a sense that he'd finally get back in the league? Remember those strange reports that teams were thinking about doing it, even though they never actually talked about it directly with Kaepernick or his agent?
"It was an effort to run out the clock, and it worked. The already-obvious strategy to ultimately avoid Kaepernick becomes even more blatant if/when (when) the Bengals fail to call Kaepernick.
"Kaepernick won't be contacted. Kaepernick won't be offered a chance to work out for the Bengals. Kaepernick won't be offered a contract for the minimum salary for the balance of the year.
"It just won't happen. The ship has sailed. The lights are out. The party is over. The book is closed. Many other clichés could be used to convey the idea that it's just done."
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