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By Dennis Romero
Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers and kneeling at pre-game national anthem ceremonies in 2016 to protest systematic racism, could say many Friday, according to experts.
The undisclosed settlement ends a grievance filed by Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid that NFL teams have collaborated to blacklist them. The resolution could end an unpleasant chapter for the league, which had been shaken by presidential interference, boycotts and a decline in the popularity of television on television in recent seasons.
"If you ask fans the # 1 reason for not watching or attending the games, the main reason was controversy on their knees," said sportsman Leigh Steinberg of Newport Beach, California. "This year, the odds were restored because there was no controversy on their knees." Part of the settlement is to maintain that momentum and not to continue on this issue. "
Still, the NFL made bad publicity in the run-up to the Super Bowl, when Rihanna and Cardi B rejected the half-time shows, apparently because of their solidarity with Kaepernick.
Los Angeles activist Najee Ali of the Project Islamic Hope group led a two-year boycott of local NFL teams on controversy on their knees, but he said Friday that he would return to attend the Rams games and watch them now that the case is settled.
"Mission accomplished," he says.
The settlement could close the controversy chapter on its knees, but it also leaves open the question of whether the NFL teams have agreed to keep Kaepernick from a salary. Reid continued to play.
"The NFL did not want the case to be tried," long-time writer and sports reporter from the Atlantic Jemele Hill tweeted. "They were going to lose – all that would have been another mountain of bad publicity."
Steinberg, also a lawyer, said the NFL was not afraid of legal battles.
"The NFL is not in the process of settling," he said.
The league could have paid millions of dollars if the probable salary of Kaepernick for two seasons had been used as an indicator. Steinberg said the current rate for a starting quarterback of the NFL is about $ 20 million per season.
Reporter Mike Freeman of the Bleacher Report tweeted that his NFL sources said Kaepernick's payout could have been even bigger – between $ 60 million and $ 80 million.
"The fact that they have settled probably involves collusion and a major financial settlement," Steinberg said.
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