Report: ‘Star’ Players Consider Sitting Out if Kaepernick and Reid Not Signed

Activist and Intercept columnist Shaun King, claims that he’s spoken to “several NFL stars” who have told him that they’re “considering sitting out the season until the de facto ban on Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick is removed.”

The report also claimed that the star players intended to “get 25% of the players to sit out with them.”

King tweeted:

Should players choose to sit out it would almost have to be “star players” who do so, for the simple reason that they’re the only ones who could afford to do it. NFL teams can fine players up to $40,000 a day for missing camp, according to Pro Football Talk. Not to mention what the players might lose in endorsement money while protesting a policy that has a 53% approval rating.

For all of the above reasons, the idea that 25% of the league would ever boycott camp is, extremely unlikely.

However, it’s entirely possible that a group of players did indeed tell Shaun King they would consider sitting out. After all, if players were misguided enough to continue protesting while surrounded by public opinion polls and network ratings — all of which strongly suggested or explicitly stated that anthem protests were driving people away — then it’s entirely possible they could think that upping the ante for a failed cause, is a good thing.

Yet, given the lack of other information suggesting a player sit-out might take place, there’s reason to be suspect. In addition, King has recently come under criticism for continuing to report things after they’ve been proved false. Just last week, King was roundly criticized for continuing to claim that a Texas state trooper sexually assaulted a female motorist, even after body cam footage showed that the assault never took place.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn