Kaepernick's Protest More About Football Than Oppression? A Theory... • iPatriot Contributers •

It seems that the dominant headline in both the sports pages and the news pages this morning revolve around San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the National Anthem because of oppression or something.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Both the NFL and his team weighed in on Kaepernick’s protest.

“Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to Sporting News.

The 49ers issued their own statement separate from the NFL’s: “The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”

Since there is no requirement by either the NFL or the 49ers to stand for the national anthem, it appears that he did not violate any rules per se. However, public opinion has not been nearly as cut-and-dried. Sports Illustrated veteran columnist Peter King took two polls on Twitter on Sunday. One asked whether readers supported Kaepernick’s right to sit during the anthem (51 percent said they did, 49 percent said no). In another poll, King asked if Kaepernick was right, only 34 percent said yes.

But what if this social injustice parade wasn’t about social injustice? What if it was just a ploy by a malcontent?

Hear me out.

Kaepernick’s ego has taken a pounding since he played pretty well in a losing effort in Super Bowl XLVII versus the Baltimore Ravens (for the non-football fan, that was Beyoncé’s first half time show and the year the lights went out in the third quarter). Since then, he was rewarded with a 6 year, $114 million contract with the 49ers, including a $12,328,766 signing bonus, $61 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $19 million.

Nice paycheck right? Well, he’s not even the starter and he’s getting beaten out by Blaine Gabbert, a 2011 first-round bust of the Jacksonville Jaguars who is trying to resurrect his career.

The headlines following the quarterback competition read as such: Blaine Gabbert Poised to Win 49ers Quarterback Job, San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick running out of time, Blaine Gabbert Winning Starting QB Battle, and Kaepernick likely to start season on bench after weak performance.

It’s apparent it’s not going well, but even worse, it’s not like he’s being beaten by Tom Brady. It’s Blaine Gabbert – a guy that was run out of lowly Jacksonville.

So what if all this talk of oppression (which we know Kaepernick and all those zeroes on his contract knows nothing about) is just some cooked up story? Quite frankly it might be and it’s incredibly shrewd if it is.

If the 49ers were to cut Kaepernick tomorrow, he’d be $19 million total cap hit and he could sign with any team. With a cap number that large, it would take more than poor performance for the 49ers to throw that kind of money away. Then again, one could argue they’re throwing it away anyway if the team’s highest paid player carries a clipboard for 16 games.

But what if he was just a malcontent who also didn’t play well?

In Obama’s America, if you disagree with anything Black Lives Matter says, you’re instantly labeled a racist, so using “police violence” or “gun violence” or the ultra-vague “oppression” as a battering ram certainly insulates Kaepernick from scrutiny. Maybe Kaepernick, wise to the ways of liberal America and crafty in manipulating the double-standard of progressive social issue issues, decided to spout off about “oppression” in an effort to get cut. If you look at the entirety of his statement and the follow-up clarification he gave, it’s basically incoherent drivel.

“I’ll continue to sit. I’m going to stand with the people that are being oppressed,” said Kaepernick. Huh?

And when does Kaepernick launch into his political tirade? Week 3 of the preseason, the so-called “dress rehearsal” when fans get to see the starters play a whole half.

It’s too perfect.

So here’s the plan: make yourself a toxic waste dump and get everyone in the media to focus on a lousy quarterback who might be the 4th best on the roster for reasons that have nothing to do with football. The 49ers cut Kaepernick. Kaepernick get his guaranteed money and a shot to sign elsewhere while the 49ers can start all over again next year when they most likely will have a top 5 pick in next year’s draft. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is probably high on their radar.

Now this whole scenario is just an unsubstantiated theory, but reality does back up the point. The media just might be getting played, but seeing how they corroborate everything Black Lives Matter spoon-feeds them, I don’t think they care.

Let’s face it. Kaepernick wouldn’t be the first NFL player unhappy with his contract and/or playing situation who did something stupid to get released.