Former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart: Vikings should sign Colin Kaepernick
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/05/30/former-nfl-spokesman-joe-lockhart-vikings-should-sign-colin-kaepernick/
Former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart served as the NFL’s primary spokesperson during the anthem controversy in 2017. He has become the first current or former league executive to make a clear, candid statement about the league’s approach to free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Lockhart, in a column posted at CNN.com, argues that the Vikings should sign Kaepernick.
In the column, Lockhart summarizes the anthem controversy and Kaepernick’s role in launching the protests as a way to bring awareness to the mistreatment of African-Americans and people of color by law-enforcement authorities. Although not every single factual assertion is accurate (e.g., Kaepernick did not have “several” workouts with NFL teams . . . in reality, he has had no workouts with any teams but just a single visit to the Seahawks), Lockhart peels back the curtain on the things that transpired as the league and its franchises tried to grapple with the issues arising from the protests and Kaepernick’s lingering unemployment.
“Kaepernick was not blocked because the league wanted to punish him for setting off the protests,” Lockhart asserts. And he’s right, as it relates to the league office. But the teams ignored the league’s “prodding and pushing” to get Kaepernick a job — due directly to fears over fan reaction to hiring someone who set off the protests.
“Signing Kaepernick, they thought, was bad for business,” Lockhart writes. “An executive from one team that considered signing Kaepernick told me the team projected losing 20% of their season ticket holders if they did.”
So while the refusal to do business with Kaepernick may not have been go-to-bed-without-supper-style discipline because of his protests, he received adverse treatment (i.e., the cold shoulder) from 32 NFL teams because of his protests.
Lockhart explains that he justified the unemployment of Kaepernick at the time by focusing on the “millions” being spent by the league “to help address the problem of racial division in the country.” Lockhart admits in his column that he was wrong.
“I know now it was not enough just to spend money to make progress on the issue of racial disparities,” Lockhart writes. “That is crucial, but so are symbols that reflect that attempt at progress — and also the failure to reach it. And Colin Kaepernick became the symbol of black men being treated differently than white men in America.”
The column builds to Lockhart arguing that, given the presence of the Vikings in the epicenter of the current controversy, the Vikings should sign Kaepernick.
He’d definitely fit the offense; the Broncos flirted with trading for Kaepernick in 2016, when Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was Denver’s head coach. Still, it’s unlikely that Kaepernick would fit the budget. If offered a job as a backup to Kirk Cousins, one of the highest paid players in the league, Kaepernick would have to take far less than the $12 million that he made in his final season with the 49ers, or the $20 million that he reportedly wanted from the AAF or the XFL. Given the team’s salary-cap situation, the Vikings possibly would be limited to offering Kaepernick a deal for the veteran minimum.
Lockhart likely hasn’t analyzed the situation from a football perspective, however. He’s simply connecting two large dots between Minneapolis and the football team that plays there.
And so the better argument is that someone (not necessarily the Vikings) should offer Kaepernick a contract for 2020. Even then, the current inability to give him a physical or an in-person workout due to the pandemic complicates any effort to move quickly.
It doesn’t stop any team from making a statement immediately that Kaepernick is invited to visit, to submit to a physical to work out, and possibly to enter into contract negotiations as soon as facilities open. Given the broader societal circumstances and the fact that the issues for which Kaepernick protested have reached an obvious tipping point, the potential damage to a team’s bottom line should be far less now than it would have been in 2017.
Especially if, due to the pandemic, fans won’t be attending games, anyway.
Hard pass. Keep his ass as far away from this team and community as possible.
Kaep would be a big upgrade, and i like him, but would have to be for vet min, which i doubt he would do. Also its still PR suicide to sign him, wrong demo for many Vike fans
Holy shit that would bring a whole ugly new dimension to a QB controversy. I can see this guys angle, but take the adverse angle and think about the blow back potential in an already tense community. It could be a good signing, but I could see the blowback in a community that will need a lot of healing and no new reasons to re-erupt
what does it do though? forget about the weight scale and how the harm may be heavier - what does signing Kaepernick actually DO besides pump out a bunch of do nothing feel good rhetoric shifting? The Vikings didn't kill George Floyd.
For a false sense of security?
@"BlackMagic7" said: what does it do though? forget about the weight scale and how the harm may be heavier - what does signing Kaepernick actually DO besides pump out a bunch of do nothing feel good rhetoric shifting? The Vikings didn't kill George Floyd.For a false sense of security?
Warm and fuzzies for those that need that sort of thing?
He still wants way more than I feel he is worth. For the record, I had no issue with his and other player's protesting. I just really don't think he is as good as the pay I last read he was demanding.
Absolutely give him a shot. It would be huge on so many levels and he has the talent to be a top 64 QB in this league
Kubs was the last coach to give him a shot.
you mean to tell me you think Mannion is a better QB than Kaep? no way
@"Skodin" said: Absolutely give him a shot. It would be huge on so many levels and he has the talent to be a top 64 QB in this leagueKubs was the last coach to give him a shot.
you mean to tell me you think Mannion is a better QB than Kaep? no way
I was just going to say that... If Mannion can be a backup QB, why isn't Kaepernick a backup somewhere? I think enough time has passed that he may not have illusions of only taking a starting job.
@"Skodin" said: you mean to tell me you think Mannion is a better QB than Kaep?Yes. Mannion is a much better player then some dude who hasnt been on a roster in what 5 years? Why not resign Ponder? He’s been out of the league just as long.
@"Skodin" said: Absolutely give him a shot. It would be huge on so many levels and he has the talent to be a top 64 QB in this leagueKubs was the last coach to give him a shot.
you mean to tell me you think Mannion is a better QB than Kaep? no way
mannion isnt in Kaep’s league, but lets face it, 40-45% of us viking fans hate Kaep
Good intentions but bad idea. Been out of the league 4 seasons I think. That's a lot of rust. Plus I know you'll laugh but I'd rather the Vikings spend their shortened offseason time trying to develop the extremely cheap Nate Stanley.
This is a dumb thing to say and adds needless pressure to a volatile situation.
Having said that, there is zero way that Kaep wasn't blackballed from the NFL. But having Minnesota sign him now does what exactly? A pacifying measure? How will it matter?
@"Skodin" said: Absolutely give him a shot. It would be huge on so many levels and he has the talent to be a top 64 QB in this leagueKubs was the last coach to give him a shot.
you mean to tell me you think Mannion is a better QB than Kaep? no way
Kaep is a top 20 QB in the league...and if he had a snowball's chance in hell to play again it would be with the Vikings. Unlike most NFL ownership, the Wilfs aren't part of the good ol boy network.
That said, he'll never get the chance. Every owner knows that It would bring unwanted publicity, protests and controversy.
@"Ilovebigtd's" said:Because he’s divisive and could less care about the impacts on his team,. He would rather be in the spotlight to rant his political beliefs. And, I personally think the symbol he chose to utilize in protest is absolutely deplorable. I know far too many military veterans who have greatly sacrificed to fight for this country. And any overlap that is confused with their service is deplorable and unacceptable.@"Waterboy" said: Hard pass. Keep his ass as far away from this team and community as possible. why?
@"Waterboy" said:here we go with the “my friends are veterans” response. Do any of you know what mutually exclusive means? How about strawmen? You can believe in his fight and believe that there are good cops in this country. you can belive in police authority abuses and supporting the troops, good cops, good civil servants@"Ilovebigtd's" said:Because he’s divisive and could less care about the impacts on his team,. He would rather be in the spotlight to rant his political beliefs. And, I personally think the symbol he chose to utilize in protest is absolutely deplorable. I know far too many military veterans who have greatly sacrificed to fight for this country. And any overlap that is confused with their service is deplorable and unacceptable.@"Waterboy" said: Hard pass. Keep his ass as far away from this team and community as possible. why?btw your “friends” are fighting, with a nice compensation package i might add, to defend his, yours, and my right for freedom aka his right to free speech
The Vikings don't want the distraction of the team's media platform being used to push a sociopolitical agenda. They already had that with Kluwe and kicked him to the curb as soon as they could.
They are in the football business and it's a bad mix with politics because any stance potentially alienates a portion of the fanbase. Teams prefer charitable work for social outreach because it's considered a positive by most fans.
This thread needs to find civility. Accusations made against posters will not be tolerated.
@"Skodin" said:@"Waterboy" said:here we go with the “my friends are veterans” response. Do any of you know what mutually exclusive means? How about strawmen? You can believe in his fight and believe that there are good cops in this country. you can belive in police authority abuses and supporting the troops, good cops, good civil servants@"Ilovebigtd's" said:Because he’s divisive and could less care about the impacts on his team,. He would rather be in the spotlight to rant his political beliefs. And, I personally think the symbol he chose to utilize in protest is absolutely deplorable. I know far too many military veterans who have greatly sacrificed to fight for this country. And any overlap that is confused with their service is deplorable and unacceptable.@"Waterboy" said: Hard pass. Keep his ass as far away from this team and community as possible. why?btw your “friends” are fighting, with a nice compensation package i might add, to defend his, yours, and my right for freedom aka his right to free speech
Yeah, that nice compensation package really makes up for my friend who is now suffering through ALS which is 2-3 times more likely in individuals who served in our military and compensated by the VA because there’s a known link. What a dumb f..king statement and lack of understanding of the contributions of those protecting your ass from all the evils in this world. This country isn’t perfect, but it deserves a helluva lot more respect than this ass clown is giving it. And while he has the right to do as he pleases, he may understand how hypocritical kneeling is in the country with some of the greatest privileges and opportunities on this earth. He can do as he pleases, but as I’ve said, I would never root for the guy. That being said, I just realized from your post how ungrateful and stupid people are in this country. Yeah our military members are greatly overpaid. The dumbest comment I’ve read in some time.
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