Doug Williams explains why Washington never signed Colin Kaepernick
Washington’s senior vice president of player development Doug Williams says the team never really considered Colin Kaepernick in 2017. As Williams explained on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday, a number of factors went into that decision, including President Donald Trump’s opinion on the matter.
Williams, 64, also mentions the large presence of military members in the area as a reason the team didn’t entertain signing Kaepernick.
The relevant portion of the conversation begins around the 1:47:48 mark.
Williams implies Trump’s opinion on Kaepernick’s protest didn’t help matters.
“I think what happened here, we’re in a heavily, heavily military area. And I think the guy that sits on Pennsylvania Avenue, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, made such a big stink of it. The fans in this area, it might have been a tough situation for both the team and [Kaepernick]. Sometimes, you don’t want to bring people into a situation where nobody is going to be happy. And I think that’s probably what happened, why he didn’t come up during that time.”
Washington wasn’t desperate for quarterback help in 2017, as the team still had Kirk Cousins. Kaepernick, however, could have helped the following year, as Cousins left to sign a three-year, $84 million deal with Minnesota after the 2017 season.
Kaepernick’s name has come up more in recent weeks after the NFL stated it would supported its players’ right to speak out on police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd. The league also encouraged players to peacefully protest. With the league finally embracing those protests, some have called for a team to sign Kaepernick, who went unsigned as a result of taking a knee.
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