NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denied Sunday that the league’s 32 teams are blackballing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick due to his political beliefs, months after the former San Francisco 49er kicked off a national debate by refusing to stand for the National Anthem.
“He can’t be [blackballed] because we’re not,” Goodell told Opens a New Window. reporters Sunday during a fan forum event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. “The clubs are making those individual evaluations to make the determination whether they think he can help them win, and that’s true with any player. Obviously, everyone’s aware of the fact of his protests last year, and that’s something individual clubs will either weigh or not weigh.”
“He can’t be [blackballed] because we’re not,” Goodell told Opens a New Window. reporters Sunday during a fan forum event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. “The clubs are making those individual evaluations to make the determination whether they think he can help them win, and that’s true with any player. Obviously, everyone’s aware of the fact of his protests last year, and that’s something individual clubs will either weigh or not weigh.”