Colin Kaepernick has been in consideration as a free agent acquisition for the Baltimore Ravens, but may not be after an incredibly controversial tweet by the quarterback's girlfriend, Nessa Diab:
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The tweet compares former Ray Lewis to Samuel L. Jackson's slave character in Django Unchained. That would make team owner Steve Bisciotti as a direct comparison to Leonardo DiCaprio:
As of April, Kaepernick and Diab were still together. And judging by the tweet, they appear to be going strong.
Ray Lewis was giving Colin Kaepernick advice for how to act, and he's basically telling Kap to "stick to sports," after more than a year of controversy.
After leaving the FOX studio, Lewis recorded a message and posted it on his Twitter. He said he prays for Kaepernick every day and applauds what Kap stands up for, but he needs to get back on the field.
"What you do off the field, don't let too many people know," Lewis said. "Because they gonna judge you anyway. No matter what you do. No matter if it's good or bad.
"If you do nothing else young man, get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself."
Lewis seems supportive of Kaepernick, but asking him not to speak out on what he believes in doesn't seem like the best advice. Kaepernick probably won't kneel for the national anthem if he's signed by anyone, but telling him not to address any social issues is probably too much to ask considering how much he values being an activist.
Lewis' former team, the Baltimore Ravens, have considered signing him after Joe Flacco's injury, but so far they've brought in unproven quarterbacks.
After rumors circulated that the Ravens had been met with "resistance" at the thought of signing Kaepernick, the team has released an official statement:
"We are going through a process, and we have not made a decision. Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whoever is making those claims is wrong." - General Manager Ozzie Newsome
Former Ravens star Shannon Sharpe criticized the team in a sharp manner after passing on Kaepernick earlier last week with two peculiar quarterback signings. With that said, reports say it came down to Bisciotti.
That is a story in and of itself but Dianna Russini of ESPN also brings word that an additional NFL team saw its owner jump into the mix to block potential interest, even if she does not name the team specifically.
On Kaepernick's side, this is a brutal chain of events, even if not an overly surprising one. Much of the sentiment surrounding his continued employment has centered on fear from fans and even advertisers. At the end of the day, the owner is the one that must answer for that more so than the front office, personnel and coaching positions for the squad.
At the same time, it is a (very) bad look for a lot of people to see ownership standing in the way of a better player finding work because of non-violent protest and, until Kaepernick signed, this will be a dominant story line to follow across the NFL world.
However, it sounds like ownership isn't quite on the same page as the team's owner in Steve Bisciotti is leaning toward not signing him.
While the front office is supposed to make these kinds of decisions, don't be surprised if Bisciotti intervenes and vetoes any potential Kaepernick deal. He is one of the owners strongly against the national anthem protests and would probably not appreciate the guy leading the charge to be on his team. He did say the team is bringing in another QB without a team to work out.
Should Flacco's back injury prove to be trickier than its one week recovery timeline, backup Ryan Mallett could be the guy the team turns to to lead them. He has experience as he's appeared in several games for New England, Houston and Baltimore, but the Ravens probably want someone with a little more playoff or starting experience to be their guy.
Kaepernick will likely get a job at some point, and it will be fascinating to see whether he is still vocal about his beliefs or if he just sticks to sports.
