LeBron: Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL
The fact that Colin Kaepernick isn't in the NFL, despite so many quarterbacks with worse resumes being employed instead, does not add up for Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
James firmly believes that Kaepernick, who holds a career passer rating of 88.9, is easily an NFL-caliber player that is being blackballed for his beliefs.
"I love football, but I'm not part of the NFL," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't represent the NFL. I don't know their rules and regulations. But I do know Kap is getting a wrong doing, I do know that.
"Just watching, he's an NFL player. He's an NFL player and you see all these other quarterbacks out there and players out there that get all these second and third chances that are nowhere near as talented as him. It just feels like he's been blackballed out of the NFL. So, I definitely do not respect that."
Since opting out of his contract last March, a total of 42 quarterbacks have been signed while Kaepernick waits, according to a study by Martenzie Johnson of The Undefeated. Some of those accomplished luminaries include David Fales, Matt McGloin, and Brandon Weeden.
So why isn't he in the league? James points out the obvious with Kaepernick's protest against police brutality and the systematic oppression of people of color in America.
"The only reason I could say he's not on a team is because the way he took a knee. That's the only reason. I watch football every Sunday, every Thursday, every Monday night," James said.
"I see all these quarterbacks - first-string, second-team, third-team quarterbacks - that play sometimes when the starter gets hurt or are starters that play. Kap is better than a lot of those guys. Let's just be honest."
James, another socially conscious athlete who uses his platform to affect change, compared Kaepernick's activism to the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali.
"I've commended Kap, and for him to sacrifice everything for the greater good for everyone, for what he truly believed in, the utmost respect to him. Obviously he had a vision like Martin Luther King and like some of our all-time greats that people couldn't see further than what they were doing at the point and time. And Muhammad Ali and things of that nature," James said.
"When it's something that's new and it's something that people are not educated about or don't understand what your beliefs are all about, people are so quick to judge and people are so quick to say that what you're doing is wrong.
"For him to sacrifice the sport that he plays and to sacrifice the things he's done his whole life because he knew what he believed in, I salute him. I salute and respect that."