On Thursday afternoon, word broke that the Seattle Seahawks had scheduled -- and then postponed and possibly canceled -- a workout with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick was out of football last season after going unsigned in the wake of his decision to protest police brutality and systemic racism by kneeling during the national anthem.
The reason the Seahawks workout was canceled, per multiple reports, was that Kaepernick would not accede to a demand that he stop kneeling during the anthem as a precondition to the meeting. ESPN's Adam Schefter described the situation on NFL Live.
"This is an interesting story on a lot of different levels. The Seahawks had planned for Colin Kaepernick to work out for them earlier this week. And at the last moment that trip was postponed, because a conversation occurred where they wanted to know what he was going to be doing on the field this year before and during the national anthem," Schefter said. "And I don't think he was willing to give them an answer to commit one way or another. And with that hanging out there, the Seahawks postponed that trip. Some might say cancelled it. Depends on how you look at it. But it's a situation here where Colin Kaepernick was going to come in there and work out there and now he's not."
A few hours later, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long -- a vocal supporter of many protesting players, including Eagles teammate Malcolm Jenkins -- took to Twitter to criticize the chain of events that led to Kap's workout cancellation.
So let me get this straight: SEA scheduled a workout w Kaep and 2 weeks later, cancels it on the grounds of social activism knowing full well what the fall out would be?
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) April 12, 2018
We know for a fact CK is being blackballed, but this lack of subtlety from an org like them would be shocking. 🤔
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) April 12, 2018
I don’t think y’all get my point, but okay. My point is it sounds weird as hell to me.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) April 12, 2018
And if it’s true.... wow... talk about not thinking it through.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) April 12, 2018
Clearly, some of Long's Twitter followers misinterpreted whatever he meant here, because he expressed his frustration with that as well.
Having someone agree or disagree with a point you didn’t make is up there with people cutting in line on the pet peeve list.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) April 12, 2018
Long's belief that Kaepernick is being blackballed from the league is not an uncommon train of thought, and it is indeed the subject of Kaepernick's collusion lawsuit, which is continuing this week. It's possible that said suit got another piece of evidence with this sequence of events, but it remains to be seen what will come of the process.
