Photo: Jaime Crawford/Getty
The quarterback, 34, threw several reps with undrafted receivers during halftime of Saturday’s game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor in front of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh — who previously coached Kaepernick during their shared time with the San Francisco 49ers — NFL scouts, and directorSpike Lee, according toESPN.
Lee, 65, is currently filming a documentary for ESPN Films detailing Kaepernick’s attempts to return to the NFL,Varietyreported in February.
Jaime Crawford/Getty
When asked if he could still play NFL football in an interview with Detroit stationWXYZ, Kaepernick didn’t hesitate to say, “Absolutely.”
“We still get out there and sling it,” Kaepernick said. “Really, getting out here for the exhibition was to be able to show that I can do that. It’s one of the questions my agent keeps getting was, ‘Well it’s been five years, can he still play?’ So we want to make sure we can come out, we show everyone I can still play [and] still throw it.”
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Now, Kaepernick is “really just looking for an opportunity for a door to open” in order to find a “pathway” back to the NFL as quarterback for one of the league’s 32 teams. His goal, he noted, “is to lead a team to a championship.”
Earlier in the day, Kaepernick thanked Harbaugh onTwitterfor inviting him to take part in the annual event, which allowed him the opportunity to participate in the throwing exhibition andserve as honorary captain.
“Coach Harbaugh, he’s always been phenomenal for me. From the time we met at the [NFL] Combine, my pro day, to him drafting me and choosing to start me … from there, our relationship’s continued to grow and develop. So [he’s a] phenomenal person. Phenomenal man. Lot a love for Coach Harbaugh,” he told WXYZ.
Kaepernick later added, “[Harbaugh] is someone that, he’s going to fight for you. And his relationship with you goes beyond just football. He loves you as a person. So my relationship, I’ve maintained with him, his dad Jack and his family. It’s phenomenal to reconnect with him in person after the pandemic and a few years apart.”
The civil rights activist has not played in an NFL game since 2017 after hechose to kneelduring the National Anthem at the start of each game in protest over racial injustice, police brutality, and systemic oppression during the 2016 season.
Kaepernick and fellow athlete and protester Eric Reid filed grievances with the league in October 2017, accusing owners of colluding to prevent him from signing with a team. The pair settled with the league in February 2019.
Colin Kaepernick.Mike Ehrmann/Getty
In March, Kaepernick’s trainerDavid Robinson told TMZthat “at least” five NFL teams have reached out to the quarterback following a training session held earlier in the month.
“A few teams have … asked how his arm looked,” Robinson claimed at the time. “They have reached out and asked about him.”
source: people.com
