Uniform regs are pretty explicitly clear, but even so, I doubt I would have been brave enough.
Interestingly, Kaepernick himself would presumably disagree with you about this. As he put it: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”
He did what any decent person would do. If you have a problem with what he did, you have a problem with basic human decency.
I disagree with him.
His conduct should not cost him a job since people should be free to express political opinions, even wrong ones. However, in this case it is complicated since he was engaging in the behavior on the field with his uniform on in a manner designed to call attention to himself. Plus he is in the entertainment business and that type of business depends on the goodwill of its customers. Ratings in the first half of last year were down significantly and his protests might have been a contributor to that. Even given all that free speech is so important I don’t think he should be blackballed from the league but think he should lose his endorsements.
However it is all moot since he was an awful QB last year, 23rd in total QBR and most of his value is a runner and that is expected to go down in the future as the read option fad is dying out. Plus at his age it is unlikely he will get better and likely he will get worse.
Undoubtedly his politics play a role. That being said, if Tom Brady knelt during the national anthem, teams would still be falling over themselves to sign him as a free agent (if he were a free agent.)
Not sure what you mean; there was a huge backlash against Vick and many fans felt his jail time was well deserved. Sure, the Eagles and their fans welcomed him with open arms afterwards, but that was after he did his jail time and reformed.
This. Because, not too surprisingly, only a person’s talent at playing football really matters when it comes to playing football.
So what? Did they stop watching football because of it?
I don’t know how much this issue is involved in Kap’s failure to be signed – he hasn’t played very well for a few years. But there’s still a dearth of QBs in the league, and he’s clearly better than many backups and 3rd stringers, so after some injuries I expect he’ll get a call.
Or he’ll go play in the CFL.
ETA: Wow! Fast moving thread. I meant iiandyiiii in post #16, not immediately above.
Defending iiandyiiii’s position …
Being in government employment is fundamentally different from being in private employment. And private employment is private employment whether they make you wear a distinctive costume at work or not.
If there is room for the NFL to censure Kaepernick either formally or informally it’s for causing provable harm to their bottom line during the course of his duties working for them.
Demonstrations by their very nature are pointless gestures in and of themselves. Their power comes from the conversations and shouting matches they trigger. Doesn’t matter if it’s long hair, a peace sign, a draft card burning, a candlelight prayer vigil, or taking a knee during the anthem. The demonstration doesn’t *do *anything. It’s the thoughts and actions it provokes that do something for good or ill.
If we permit this right of employer censure of political speech to grow very far then pretty much all of us when out in public and by our online actions must demonstrate utter fealty to our corporate overlords who control the economy, the politics, and now our very speech.
I hope that idea sounds pretty antithetical to American ideals going back to the Founding Fathers. And does so regardless of whether you identify as Left or Right.
So can the NFL show us that Kaepernick’s protest actions have cost them money? They ought not be able to object on political grounds since corporations have no politics. Right? So any objection must be on economic grounds.
There is a saying in PR that any press coverage is good press coverage. For every “red-blooded 'Merkin” outraged over this there’s another tuning into the NFL to show his support for management’s fight against supposed anti-patriotism by those uppity overpaid players.
Aldon Smith disagrees with the author.
The ones I find fault with are the Eagle fans. He participated in organized animal cruelty, but maybe he can help our team! Go Vick! If what you did off the field mattered, Vick would have been radioactive.
Morally, there isn’t a sharp line IMO between forms of expression that are odious enough to warrant unemployment versus ones that an employer should defend to the point of bankrupcy.
This case falls into the “should not lose employment over” category to me since I only disagree with his message inasmuch as it is marginally associated with the “Black Lives Matter” slogan, which is a facile slogan that is insulting since it implies that you do not agree with it. But even if he were more explicitly tying himself to Black Lives Matter*, I think that morally employers should provide some leeway for even expressions that I disagree with.
Which does not mean that I believe there aren’t opinions so revolting or dangerous enough that they do not warrant dismissal. This just isn’t one of them.
However, as others have said, morality doesn’t pay the bills, and if he had been better it might have been worth it for his employer to support him. On the other hand, if he had been protesting Lord Dampnut, I would have said he should definitely still be employed 
*I refuse to say “BLM” since I actually do, not joking, get them confused with the Bureau of Land Management.
I also wonder why exactly kneeling down is a form of disrespect. I was raised Catholic, and kneeling down is something I associate with the most solemn parts of the Mass. When a player is seriously injured it’s common that the other players express their concern by kneeling while the injured player is attended to. So why is kneeling during the national anthem disrespectful? I understand that Kaepernick intended to show a lack of respect, I just think that the way he chose to do so doesn’t actually convey disrespect very well.
If you understood that he intended it, then he conveyed it well enough.
This story is just fake news meant to scare any other rebellious ball players.
Isn’t rehabilitation is supposedly a hallmark of liberal thinking?
If so, why is Vick different?
Slee
There is a spectrum of display though. Is kneeling a contemptuous protest or a protest that while not showing pride is still taking some concern with regards to norms and others’ feelings? Spitting or pissing on a flag is contemptible and disrespectful. Taking a knee during ceremonial patriotism, of a type that is uncomfortable to me even, seems reasonable.
Well, we have radical mob and outraged knucklehead suppression of free speech. Might as well have employer, private or public, suppression. Consequences must not be spared!
We’re barely a week into free agency. I could name a dozen players better than Kaepernick that are still free agents, including some that did worse things than take a knee or sit during the National Anthem. It’s a little early to start the “it’s because he’s a horrible person!” brigade.