Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins: Teams Refusing to Sign Kaepernick Are ‘Cowards’

The controversy over Colin Kaepernick’s continued unemployment rages on, now more voices are  emerging to lend him support. This week, the Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins lashed out at all the teams who have refused to sign the controversial quarterback.

“This is just some other teams being, quite honestly, cowards, to say that they’re afraid of backlash to sign someone to make their team better when fans’ input has never been in the equation when it comes to signing people in the past,” Jenkins told the Delaware News Journal. “It’s certain owners’ way of making an example out of him to discourage anybody else from doing what he did.”

Jenkins was one of the players who joined Kaepernick’s protest movement and refused to stand for the national anthem during the 2016 season.

Later in the interview, Jenkins said that teams should not consider the opinions of fans when it comes to personnel decisions. The Baltimore Ravens, a team considering signing Kaepernick, has solicited and welcomed input from fans into the process of deciding whether to sign Kaepernick.

Jenkins went on to note that many teams had ignored the former San Francisco 49er because his performance on the field had regressed from where it was a few years ago. But Jenkins feels that the “football reasons” excuse for passing on Kaepernick is no longer valid.

“I think at this point in time when you look at the quarterbacks who have jobs around the league, and the amount of owners and GMs who have only spoken of what fans would think about his stance,” Jenkins said. “I think it’s safe to throw out that talent argument, and basically focus on the fact that he doesn’t have a job solely because he didn’t stand for the anthem last year, even though he already expressed that he planned on standing this year.

“That message, to me, is loud and clear from owners as to where their priorities stand and how they go about picking and choosing who they want on their teams,” the Eagles strong safety concluded. “It’s definitely unfortunate, but it’s shining a light on just how the NFL operates and what we deem as acceptable. It really has nothing to do with what’s right or wrong, but what affects dollars. That’s business as usual, but I think it’s an unfortunate precedent to set.”

However, if the experience of the Baltimore Ravens is any indication, hiring the controversial quarterback remains a troublesome idea. The Ravens made it known last week that they were considering Kaepernick as a backup quarterback, but after the announcement, the whole idea became a media circus. The team became the focus of a week of media harangues and fan outrage that might serve as a warning for any other team following in the Ravens’ footsteps.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.