On Thursday, August 30, 2018, arbitrator Stephen B. Burbank ruled that Colin Kaepernick’s lawyers presented enough evidence in his collusion case against the National Football League to proceed to a full hearing. Kaepernick’s lawyers will be presented with the opportunity to question league officials, owners, and other parties with regard to the collusion case.
Kaepernick gained national attention in 2016 for kneeling during the national anthem prior to a National Football League game in protest of the police shootings of African-American men. The former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback has not been signed to a team since March 2017 when he became a free agent. In October 2017, as the season approached and Kaepernick still found himself out of work, the aggrieved quarterback filed a grievance with the league alleging that the league’s owners conspired to blackball him from the league due to his protests. Kaepernick is seeking damages tantamount to what he would have earned if he were still playing in the league. Since becoming a free agent, Kaepernick has talked with some teams, but he has neither been invited to work out for any teams nor signed a new contract.
Additional Reading
Colin Kaepernick’s Collusion Case Against the N.F.L. Will Advance, The New York Times (August 30, 2018)