Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Colin Kaepernick Files Grievance Against NFL Owners for Collusion

Rob Goldberg

After remaining unsigned through six weeks of the 2017 NFL season, Colin Kaepernick claims the league is participating in collusion.

As first reported by Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has filed a grievance against the owners for collusion under the latest collective bargaining agreement.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on what Kaepernick is looking to accomplish with the grievance:

"Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Kaepernick wants to trigger termination of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"Article 69, Section 2 of the CBA allows for the agreement to be terminated prematurely in the event of proof of collusion. Under Article 17, Section 16(c) of the CBA, termination can arise from only one incident of collusion involving only one player if there is clear and convincing evidence of a violation."

Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, released a statement on why the grievance was filed, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network:

Kaepernick opted out of his contract at the conclusion of last season with the expectation he would find a new landing spot but has not gotten a new deal and has received surprisingly little interest compared to how well he played last season. He finished the year with 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 12 games.

The 29-year-old was notably the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem at the start of last season as a protest against racial injustice. The media attention is a holdup for several organizations.

As former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese recently explained to 102.5 The Game (via Jason Wolf of the Tennessean), "You don’t want this circus."

However, Commissioner Roger Goodell has denied there has been any blackballing of the quarterback.

"I believe that if a football team feels that Colin Kaepernick, or any other player, is going to improve that team, they're going to do it," he said in June, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com.

La Canfora reported last Sunday that Kaepernick is "not quitting" and is willing to prove himself as a quality option.

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)