49ers Colin Kaepernick first sparked controversy in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem. PHOTO: REUTERS
UNITED STATES: Colin Kaepernick's collusion case against the NFL "is about to take a dramatic turn," according to his attorney.
Lawyer Mark Geragos made the comment Wednesday night on CNN, according to Pro Football Talk. Geragos followed up by saying, "Somebody has decided they were going to dime out the NFL for what they were doing."
Free agents Kaepernick, a quarterback, and Eric Reid, a defensive back, previously filed a grievance against the NFL, maintaining that clubs are refusing to sign them strictly because they have refused to stand for the national anthem before games.
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Earlier this week, Geragos went on the Straight Aim podcast with host Amy Dash, who stated that he faced a tough task proving collusion on the part of NFL owners. Geragos replied, "Well, unless you've got an owner under penalty of perjury testifying that he changed his mind after he was told what Trump said." That was a reference to President Donald Trump saying NFL teams should fire players who refused to stand for the anthem.
Asked by Dash is he had such evidence, Geragos said, "Yeah. Well, bingo." Geragos also told Dash, "In this civil case, there's no doubt that the existing coaches--and I'm talking about Super Bowl-winning coaches--have testified under oath that he's a starting quarterback in this league, and so that's mind-boggling. When you ask them ... specifically why he isn't he being hired ... they say because of the national anthem policy.
"The only reason--and the owners will admit that--they haven't signed him is they're afraid of Trump, and they've colluded because of Trump."
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The lawyer added of the NFL's revised policy requiring players to remain in the locker room if they are not going to stand for the national anthem, "This substantiates everything we have thought all along and just proves that they colluded."
Kaepernick, 30, first sat during the anthem in the 2016 season and then knelt. Eventually he was joined by some San Francisco 49ers teammates, including safety Eric Reid, and players on other teams followed suit. Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl after the 2012 season, was out of the NFL for all of 2017.
Reid, 26, appeared in 13 games for San Francisco last season but is currently unsigned, according to Field Level Media.
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