Former Dallas Cowboy and current CBS announcer Tony Romo believes that Colin Kaepernick is good enough to play in the NFL, but is too much of a distraction to have as a back-up quarterback.
Romo made the comments while competing in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament — a tournament he eventually won — at Edgewood-Tahoe over the weekend.
Romo prefaced his remarks by saying that most teams will bring in anyone who can help their team, even if they have a “troubled background.”
“Even if he’s got a little bit of trouble in the background or someone’s done something, you know? But Colin, he’s a good person. I know he cares about his cause. And I think he’ll probably get back in at some point. I just think it’s going to take an injury or two,” Romo explained.
“But as far as being a backup in the National Football League, you really don’t want a lot of press for your back-up. … It just makes it difficult to bring them in, unless they’re your starter. It’s OK if it’s the starter because they’re going to get talked about anyway.”
Kaepernick began protesting the national anthem in the preseason of 2016. At the end of that season, he walked away from his contract with San Francisco and became a free agent. However, since becoming a free agent, no other team has signed the former 49er to a deal.
To Romo’s point, the two teams who have reportedly expressed the most interest in signing Kaepernick — the Ravens and Seahawks — were only interested in Kaepernick as a back-up quarterback. Thus lending support to Romo’s contention that NFL teams wouldn’t want the added scrutiny of a media circus surrounding a player who wasn’t even playing.
The former Nevada quarterback has filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that the league’s owners colluded to keep him out of football due to his anthem protests. Kaepernick’s legal team — led by high-profile Attorney Mark Geragos — has deposed several NFL executives. In June, it was reported that Geragos would also likely subpoena President Trump.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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