NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he supports an NFL team signing Colin Kaepernick.
Goodell appeared on ESPN Monday as part of a “The Return of Sports” special and talked about Kaepernick playing in the NFL again.
“Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s gonna take a team to make that decision,” Goodell said. “But I welcome that, support a club making that decision, and encourage them to do that.”
Goodell also said the league has invited Kaepernick in the past to sit with them and talk about how they can make changes in communities and that they continue to welcome the quarterback to talk with them about that.
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season. The free agent quarterback kneeled during the national anthem during the 2016 season as a way to raise awareness for social injustice and police brutality issues. The situation became political, divisive, and contributed to lowered TV ratings.
Kaepernick opted out of his contract with San Francisco after that season after being told by the 49ers they were planning to cut him anyway. Though he had some interest from teams, he did not sign with any clubs and ended up suing the league for alleged collusion. That lawsuit was settled in February 2019.
Kaepernick, 32, passed for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while completing 59.2 percent of his passes in 11 games in 2016. He helped the Niners to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season.
