Count former Heisman winner Johnny Manziel as in the camp of the controversial Colin Kaepernick.
In a string of Twitter posts on Saturday, Manziel said that he believed that Kaepernick was being held out of the league for non-football reasons, and that Kaepernick still has a lot that he could contribute to the NFL.
Manziel's full comments:
This will probably cause an uproar, but I'm tired of the @Kaepernick7 vs myself comparisons and anger. Kap is doing amazing things right now changing lives and donating millions of dollars. His impact off the field from a societal standpoint is legendary and straight admirable. Standing up for people who often don't get heard and for a race that continually deals with problem after problem in this country for CENTURIES. This world we live in is absolutely crazy and I believe what he's doing has an amazing impact.The facts of the matter are the reason he's not being signed are non football based. The guy took a team to the Super Bowl and continuously wreaked havoc on the NFC West and the league. Maybe he had a bad year two years ago but he's not a bad player and that's a fact. In my opinion the guy still has a lot in the tank but it's not my place to say what he wants to do with his career. All I can speak for is myself and trying to turn my life around from the depths it was in. God bless and have a great Saturday.
The remarks come after Manziel had been the target of criticism in his recent workouts. Manziel recently worked out in front of several NFL teams at the University of San Diego, and the workout drew the ire of Kaepernick supporters who thought that Manziel was getting an unwarranted shot to play while Kaepernick sat on the sidelines.
Kaepernick has remained unsigned by the NFL following the 2016 season. That season is notable for when Kaepernick started his kneeling demonstrations during the pre-game playing of the national anthem. In his last full season, Kaepernick threw for 2,241 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions.
As for Manziel, he has not played in the NFL since the 2015 season. The former first round pick of the Cleveland Browns is attempting to comeback after issues in his personal life essentially consumed his NFL career.
