Terrell Suggs and his coach have differing opinions on why Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent.
Earlier in the week, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it is “intellectually lazy” for people to think Kaepernick’s controversial political stances are the reason the quarterback hasn’t been signed. When asked by TMZ on Thursday if he believes Kaepernick has been blacklisted by NFL teams, Suggs made it clear he does not agree with Harbaugh.
“I think so, yeah,” Suggs said emphatically. “He is.”
Suggs was then asked if he has any message to send to Kaepernick.
“Stay strong. We with you,” he said. “It’s always a touchy subject. Some people would just rather not deal with it.”
Harbaugh expressed confidence that Kaepernick will be signed and criticized people for using the term “blackballed.”
“I would never use just a generic, stupid term like that to describe a more complicated type of situation,” Harbaugh said, per Nora Princiotti of The Washington Times. “I just think it’s too easy. It’s intellectually lazy. To me, I think that it’s more nuanced. And I do think that people are, yeah, I absolutely think he’s going to get signed. I think he’ll probably be starting somewhere next year.”
Suggs is not the only notable NFL player who believes teams are avoiding Kaepernick because of the national anthem protest. The reality of the situation is that Kaepernick’s political viewpoints are probably a factor in him remaining unsigned, but teams would undoubtedly overlook that if he was a better player. If the comments Kaepernick’s former coach made recently are accurate, you can expect the former San Francisco 49er to be signed before long.
