Former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, filed a grievance against the NFL managements, alleging that he remains unemployed as a result of collusion between the owners in retaliation for his protests during the national anthem.
The 29-year-old man began a national debate on political activism of the athletes last season when he decided to sit down and then knelt down during the national anthem to draw attention to the ill-treatment inflicted on African-Americans by the police.
Other players, meanwhile, have followed suit this season, provoking the anger of US President, Donald Trump, who said that players who don’t get up during the national anthem should be fired.
Kaenpernick chose to end his career with the 49ers at the end of the last season and remains a free agent despite a wave of injuries and a poor form at the watch.
“We can confirm that this morning we filed a grievance under the CBA on behalf of Colin Kaepernick. This was done only after pursuing every possible avenue all the NFL teams and their managements.” Mark Geragos, one of Kaepernick’s lawyers, said in a statement on Twitter on Sunday.
“If the NFL (as well as professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest, which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago, should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan polical provocation by the Executive Branch of our government.
“Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation. Protecting all athletes from such collusive conduct is what compelled Mr. Kaepernick to file his grievance.” he added.
American people have various opinions on the controversy surrounding the 49ers quarterback who is choosing to kneel during the national anthem. (Source:www.slate.com)
The 49ers’ safety half, Eric Reid, former Kaepernick team-mate, knelt down during the anthem before the games, including the 26-24 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
The NFL players Union revealed that it would support the grievance, which was filed through the arbitration system that is part of the league’s collective agreement.
