It’s been years since Colin Kaepernick sat down for an on-the-record interview about the NFL, and it was something of a coup for the “I Am Athlete” show to get him recently after Kaepernick was in the Miami area for a workout.
He sat down with hosts Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Adam “Pacman” Jones and Brandon Marshall for a brief talk that packed quite a bit of punch, especially when it comes to Kaepernick disputing many of the lies that have been spread about him.
Kaepernick has been traveling all over of late, working out with current and former players and posting some of the footage online.
First and foremost, he said without hesitation that he’s willing to sign with a team as a backup quarterback, debunking one of the most-repeated untruths about what he would or wouldn’t do to get another chance.
“I know I have to find my way back in. So, if I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine,” Kaepernick said. “But that’s not where I’m staying, and when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to step onto the field as such.”
The 34-year-old also did a bit of role playing, with Marshall in the role of an NFL general manager raising some of the so-called reasons a team has yet to sign Kaepernick.
“Let me come in and compete,” Kaepernick said. “Let me come in, compete, show you what I can do.”
Marshall brought up the “distraction” trope parroted by many league-friendly media members, that Kaepernick’s presence might somehow be too much for a new team to handle. Marshall also brought up the “this is a $16 billion industry” and asked what a team is supposed to say to its fan base if it signs Kaepernick.
Marshall played the role perfectly, especially on the fan base question. Because what was unsaid, what is almost always unsaid when that comes up, is that the phrase “NFL fan base,” like the words “Midwest voter” or “rural,” is a euphemism for conservative, white and fine with Blacks as long as they’re entertaining us and not asking for things like equality or to be treated with basic…