Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he had received a call about Colin Kaepernick, hinting that the former NFL quarterback might have a future in the league.
“I got a phone call today asking and inquiring about the situation,” Carroll told reporters on Thursday. “I know somebody is interested, so we’ll see what happens with that.”
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been a free agent since 2017. He began a movement of players taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, issues that are now at the forefront of public discourse as demonstrations continue across the country following George Floyd’s death.
Carroll also said he regretted how no teams had signed Kaepernick since he became a free agent. He and Kaepernick spoke in 2017, although the team didn’t sign him because Carroll said he saw the 32-year-old player as a starting quarterback, a role already filled by Russell Wilson.
“We all held him in great regard as a player,” Carroll said. “I think we knew Kaep as well as anybody could have known a player. Just because of the depth of the competition we had against him. We had great meetings. … We spent half a day together. He was awesome.”
“The fact that it didn’t work out for us, I figured he’d wind up starting somewhere for sure, and it just didn’t happen,” the coach continued. “I regret that that didn’t happen in some fashion. I wish we had contributed to it because the guy deserved to play.”
President Trump weighed in on the kneeling controversy in 2017 when he called players refusing to stand during the national anthem “sons of bitches” who should be fired. There has been a growth of support for the cause since the protests began. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently apologized for criticizing those who protest during the national anthem, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized for the league’s opposition to the kneeling.
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter,” Goodell said in a video statement. “I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country.”
A wave of protests in cities across the country and the world began after a video showed Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, pleading for his life on Memorial Day while a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. He lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was fired from the police department and has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers who were involved in detaining Floyd, who was suspected of using a fake $20 bill, were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
