Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, and famous national anthem kneeler Colin Kaepernick alleges he remains unsigned as a result of collusion by NFL owners - and has filed a grievance.
Fox News reports, the grievance claims the collusion by owners occurred following his protests during the national anthem.
Mark Geragos, one of Kaepernick’s attorneys, said in a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday that he filed the grievance “only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives.”
“If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest — which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago — should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the executive branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation.”
Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers at the end of last season, but has not found a place on any NFL team as a free agent.
The Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, has denied any blackballing of the quarterback.
The NFL players’ union said it would support the grievance, which was filed through the arbitration system that is part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
For more on the Fox News report click here.