Why Stephen A. Smith Ripped Colin Kaepernick and His NFL Workout Event
In the brief time that has followed Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday afternoon, there has been much criticism towards how the entire process played out. Kaepernick has shown a strong desire to make a comeback to the NFL, but those efforts haven’t equated to him getting a chance to get back into the league. That said, the entire process of how Kaepernick decided to do his own workout away from the one set up by the NFL has rubbed ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith the wrong way.
Colin Kaepernick chooses to hold own workout
Over the last several days, Kaepernick had been thrust back into the media limelight after the NFL announced it had set up a workout for the veteran quarterback. It was also reported that many teams were going to send representation to attend the session.
Instead, things changed on Saturday afternoon just before it began as Kaepernick elected to move it to another location a few hours away. That alone prevented many of the teams from being able to make the trip to see him workout.
There were some reports with push back with the waiver that the NFL wanted the 32-year-old to sign that stated he couldn’t ever take legal action against the NFL again. At the same time, it was a workout that was all set on a parameter that the league had put forth at this time.
Kaepernick still went through a public workout on Saturday away from the NFL, which drew ire from many that included Smith being among the most vocal.
Stephen A. Smith’s strong criticism of Colin Kaepernick
It didn’t take long for Kaepernick to face much public criticism for his decision to hold his own workout. That has seen Smith being quite vocal about his stance against the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s move to not roll with what the NFL had set up.
During his appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday morning, Smith voiced that he believes Kaepernick’s actions counteracted from his push to get back into the league. (h/t Douglas Ernst of the Washington Times)
“The fact that he did not show up, to me, eradicates his points all together from the standpoint of the NFL ‘I’m looking for a job, running from the truth’ and all this nonsense, his ‘I have a dream’ speech he gave to the media and the public Saturday,”
Smith’s viewpoint centers on the NFL setting up a workout with various teams in attendance that he believes would have provided Kaepernick a chance to perform in front of teams and speak with them. There is credence to much of what he voiced, but there is much more to the matter off the field that keeps the quarterback out of the NFL.
What lies ahead of Colin Kaepernick
The situation around Kaepernick is quite fluid, as this latest workout has garnered plenty of attention around his NFL future. In the days that have followed, no NFL team has yet to schedule another workout with him.
There will continue to be criticism thrown towards Kaepernick and his handling of the matter this past weekend, but it has run the course of being more of the same. Throughout the last three years, he has maintained his desire to return to the field, and his workout on Saturday showcased that he has the physical ability to play in the league.
However, criticism strays away from what he can provide on the field as he’s proven that his talent still belongs in the NFL. It’s been the league’s hesitation in bringing him back due to everything else that is being perceived as a distraction off of it.
Ultimately, only time will determine if he will get a shot to make an NFL roster.
