U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday answered questions about Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers who became famous for kneeling during the national anthem prior to NFL games to protest against the treatment of minorities. Trump said that Kaepernick should be allowed to play again "if he's good enough."
"Frankly, I'd love to see Kaepernick come in, if he's good enough. But I don't want to see him come in because somebody thinks it's a good PR move. If he's good enough, he will be in," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Colin Kaepernick, #7 of the San Francisco 49ers, kneels during the anthem prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium, September 12, 2016. /VCG Photo
Since his controversial kneeling down gesture in the 2016 season, Kaepernick has not played a single game in the league, though he's only 31 years old. On Wednesday, he posted a video of him working out accompanied by the following words: "5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready."
Trump and Kaepernick have never been the biggest fan of each other, to say the least. The U.S. president called the demonstrations "unpatriotic" and called on the NFL to take punitive measures against players who took a similar stance.
Having added that he knows many team owners, Trump said: "If he's good enough, they'd sign him. So if he's good enough, I know these people, they would sign him in a heartbeat. They will do anything they can to win games."
Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium, October 22, 2015. /VCG Photo
Kaepernick is not the only QB on the market who does not have a job. Sam Bradford and Brock Osweiler also share his situation. Meanwhile, some teams need to replenish their reserves in this position. For example, the Philadelphia Eagles have to see their important substitute QB Nate Sudfeld rest for six weeks, not to mention that the team's starting QB Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury for two straight seasons.
Nonetheless, teams are being careful with signing quarterbacks for a reason. The position is the commander of the team in offense so the holder must be extremely familiar with his teammates before he can do his job. The 2019 season will begin on September 5. With so limited time, there's no guarantee that a guy who has not played for three years will fit in quickly enough.