By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It might be news that author/publisher/activist Colin Kaepernick is trying out for the Las Vegas Raiders.
But the idea of the former 34-year-old NFL quarterback playing for the Raiders goes back to 2017 after Kaepernick played his last game in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers a year earlier in 2016.
In 2017, the HuffPost published a “Dear Mr. Mark Davis” story outlining four reasons why the Raiders should sign Kaepernick, while Ice Cube tweeted a June 5, 2020 photo of Kaepernick in a black Raiders jersey with the message, “NFL: Do The Right Thing by this man.”
The Raiders’ Derek Carr is the certain starting quarterback and backing up Carr are Nick Mullens, Jarrett Stidham and Chase Garbers. Kaepernick, a former University of Nevada star picked by the 49ers in the second round in 2011, protested racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem before NFL games in 2016.
What’s interesting is that after Kaepernick settled with the NFL in 2019 over his collusion case, Nike released a black Kaepernick jersey with white lettering that did not look too different from the Raiders black jersey with silver lettering.
Just to clarify: Kaepernick is trying out Wednesday. He is not signed by the Raiders.
ADD on Thursday May 26: Here’s Raiders coach Josh McDaniels on the Kaepernick commenting with a non-comment:
Late last month, Raiders owner Mark Davis told People magazine, “I believe in Colin Kaepernick. He deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League. I still stand by it. If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team, I would welcome him with open arms.”
The Kaepernick tryout news broke the same day that former Raiders coach Jon Gruden scored a victory in a court in Las Vegas.
You might recall that Gruden sued the NFL, alleging the league deployed a “Soviet-style character assassination” of leaked Gruden emails to national media that was designed to force him to resign.
A District Court judge dismissed the NFL’s motions to dismiss Gruden’s case and move the case into arbitration.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued this statement, “We believe Coach Gruden’s claims should have been compelled to arbitration, and we will file an appeal of the Court’s determination. The Court’s denial of our motion to dismiss is not a determination on the merits of Coach Gruden’s lawsuit, which, as we have said from the outset, lacks a basis in law and fact and proceeds from a false premise — neither the NFL nor the Commissioner leaked Coach Gruden’s offensive emails.”
The Court’s denial of our motion to dismiss is not a determination on the merits of Coach Gruden’s lawsuit — National Football League
As for Kaepernick’s tryout with the Raiders, McCarthy said, “Colin’s a free agent and eligible to work out and sign with any club.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis has long been known as one of the more politically-progressive owners in the NFL, supporting racial justice issues and women’s issues with his ownership of the WNBA Las Vegas Aces.
Davis has also gotten rid of two team presidents in ten months, creating the logical question of, “Who’s the team president now?”
Nearly five months ago, there was a news report that said the Raiders were thinking of hiring former Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox for the team prez job. LVSportsBiz.com asked the Raiders about the team president’s situation and if we hear back we will include the info in this story. Former team presidents Marc Badain and Dan Ventrelle worked together on the Raiders stadium deal, but now the team president’s office is looking for a new tenant. Ventrelle alleged Davis fired him in retaliation for reporting hostile workplace problems to the NFL to investigate.
PSA