© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks reportedly canceled a workout with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he declined to stop kneeling during the National Anthem, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
After arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seahawks this week, Seattle postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to stop kneeling during the national anthem next season, league sources tell ESPN.
More ahead on NFL Live now.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2018
Many believe Kaepernick’s protests explain his unemployment, which this recent news would support.
According to Schefter, “Seattle still is considering bringing in Kaepernick for a tryout and no decisions are final.”
“The Seahawks had contacted Kaepernick about two weeks ago to arrange a visit to the team’s headquarters,” Schefter wrote, “but after tentative arrangements were made and travel planned, the trip was unexpectedly scuttled over the Seahawks’ last-minute stipulation regarding Kaepernick’s anthem stance, a source told ESPN.”
The Seahawks have expressed the most interest in Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, his final season with the 49ers. Last year, he met with the Seahawks, but he didn’t work out for the team. At the time, had claimed he would no longer kneel for the National Anthem, an act that gained tremendous traction throughout the league in 2017, but he has evidently changed his stance on the issue since. Kaepernick also filed a collusion grievance against the NFL in early November.
The Kaepernick news comes days after the Bengals hosted former 49ers safety Eric Reid, who is still a free agent. Reports said Reid’s meeting with the Bengals “almost exclusively centered” around his kneeling during the National Anthem.