The Colin Kaepernick controversy has boiled out of control. So much so, even some white NFL players have recently shown some solidarity with black players protesting the unfair treatment of Kaepernick.
With the NFL regular season just a few weeks away, Kaepernick is still without a gig in the league. NFL owners, it appears, are blackballing the quarterback for his protest last season – kneeling during the national anthem to bring attention to the injustice in the country.
Kaepernick was moved to action after a number of unarmed black males were killed by white cops. Sadly, he has mainly had to stand alone. A few other players joined in last season, and a few players this preseason – including Oaklands Marshawn Lynch and Seattles Michael Bennett – have continued Kaepernicks protest.
But the weak players union has been missing in action. No shock. Those dudes have always been afraid of their own shadows.
Another group that has been sadly absent is Kaepernicks frat, Kappa Alpha Psi.
Hello, Kappas, anybody out there?
Thought the brothers stuck together. Thought when you joined, the brothers would have your back for life. That was the selling point in college of the whole fraternity thing, wasnt it?
Dudes were branded, hazed and learned to step like it was going out of style. It was supposed to be brothers for life. No matter what. Maybe, not.
Maybe, it was all talk. Maybe, it was more about throwing parties and macking on chicks on campus. Its hard to imagine how every Kappa in the NFL hasnt come to the side of Kaepernick, a Kappa himself.
There are more that 150,000 members in this country and the frat has been around since 1911. Most frats have deep history of fighting the fight for civil rights. Except this case, we can now assume.
It shouldnt have been this hard to get a helping hand. Did you know that two of the biggest-named black NFL coaches are Kappa members, just like Kaepernick. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell are both bruhs.
Both have also coached in the Super Bowl, Tomlin has won a championship. Both have experience and major clout when it comes to personnel decisions. Yet, neither Kappa coaches would vouch for Kaepernick, a bruh.
Its not like they would be trying to sneak in an unqualified bum to land a plum gig just because of the frat tie. Worse, in Caldwells case, its not like the Lions didnt have an opening for a backup. They absolutely did. The teams previous backup, Dan Orlovsky, wasnt re-signed and went on his way to free agency.
According to Caldwell, back in May, the Lions never considered a quarterback that went to the Super Bowl. Instead, the Lions – who have won just one playoff game since 1957 – opted to bring back QB Jake Rudock, a sixth-round pick from last spring who was a practice squad player at first.
Despite not given a bro a chance, Caldwell went out of his way to praise Kaepernicks talent.
I was in the press box when he was playing for the 49ers in the Super Bowl, Caldwell said to the media in Detroit. That was only a couple of years ago. So, I dont think that his skill level diminished to the point where he would be completely ineffective in this league.
Total lip service by Caldwell. Its disappointing big time.
Not only does Caldwell still believe Kaepernick can still play, he also should know that character that makes up a Kappa man. In this case, the frat connection didnt matter when it mattered most.
When the Kaepernick story first broke, Tomlin refused to even comment.
I dont have a comment whatsoever regarding it, Tomlin said last year.
In May, some threw out the idea of Kaepernick going to Pittsburgh to bolster its depth chart. It totally made sense with starting QB Ben Roethlisberger mulling retirement sooner than later. Still, nothing ever happened.
In both cases, Kaepernick shouldnt have just been considered, but should have been signed. The man has committed no crime. Good thing both Caldwell and Tomlin learned to step during their college days.
Sadly, when Kaepernick needed them most, they sidestepped the issue. Shame on those Kappas.
