Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
NFL teams were on Tuesday invited to attend a private workout by Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco quarterback who ignited controversy by kneeling during the US national anthem to protest against racial injustice.
Kaepernick’s protests triggered a political firestorm in 2017 — after the quarterback had left the league — when US President Donald Trump described players who knelt during the US anthem as “sons of bitches” who should be sacked.
He has not played since opting out of his 49ers contract at the end of the 2016-2017 season and has been repeatedly ignored by teams in the years since.
READ: Colin Kaepernick says he’s ‘still ready’ to return to NFL
In 2017 he filed a grievance against the NFL alleging he was being unfairly denied employment, a case that was settled in February.
He has continued to train in the hope of being able to retain his readiness to play and the NFL-arranged workout, first reported by ESPN, was confirmed by Kaepernick on Twitter.
“I’m just getting word from my representatives that the NFL league office reached out to them about a workout in Atlanta on Saturday,” Kaepernick wrote.
“I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday.”
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ESPN reported on Tuesday that teams had been sent a memo inviting them to watch and interview Kaepernick at a workout in Atlanta on Saturday.
The network reported that several clubs had already inquired about whether Kaepernick was ready to play.
“Earlier this year, we discussed some possible steps with his representatives and they recently emphasized his level of preparation and that he is ready to work out for clubs and be interviewed by them,” ESPN quoted the memo as saying.
“We have therefore arranged this opportunity for him to work out, and for all clubs to have the opportunity to evaluate his current readiness and level of interest in resuming his NFL career.”