NFL coach gets dragged into Kaepernick collusion claim mess
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh will be questioned under oath Thursday as part of Colin Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL, according to a report from NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.
Citing a “source with knowledge of the situation,” Florio reported that both Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome will be deposed at the team’s facility in Owings Mills, Maryland.
It isn’t clear whether Kaepernick will be there, as is his right; he showed up for the deposition of Houston Texans owner Bob McNair in March. It’s also not clear why Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti wasn’t listed among those being questioned.
Kaepernick hasn’t signed with another NFL team since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017. He claims he is being blackballed by the league because of his protests during the national anthem, which started before the 2016 season.
The Ravens were one of the few teams that expressed an interest in the quarterback last year.
When Baltimore starter Joe Flacco was dealing with a disc problem in his back and it appeared he might miss the start of the season, the team looked into signing Kaepernick. The Baltimore Sun reported Harbaugh had been talking to him throughout the summer, and there was a connection in the fact that Kaepernick’s best years came under coach Jim Harbaugh, brother of John.
“He’s a guy right now that’s being talked about, and we’ll just see what happens with that. … I think he’s a really good football player,” Harbaugh told reporters last July.
Coach Harbaugh discusses possibility of signing Colin Kaepernick. pic.twitter.com/vlBD2g0HNg
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 27, 2017
The Ravens’ front office had concerns about Kaepernick, including his declining performance (he completed only 59 percent of his passes in 2016 and the 49ers went 1-10 in his starts) and the affect of his national anthem protests, which many view as disrespectful to U.S. troops and veterans.
Bisciotti, who said he “didn’t like Kaepernick’s anthem protest,” indicated the team was wrestling with the decision.
“We do want to win games, and I’m not sure right now that he is going to help us do that,” he said at a fan event.
Asked whether signing Kaepernick would “damage your brand,” Bisciotti, a devout Roman Catholic, replied, “Your opinions matter to us. … We’re very sensitive to it, and we’re monitoring it, and we’re trying to figure out what’s the right tack, so pray for us.”
Team president Dick Cass revealed he had asked Ravens fans and sponsors for their thoughts on a possible Kaepernick signing, and many were strongly opposed to it.
The Ravens have heard from numerous fans regarding Kaepernick in the last couple of days, many staunchly opposed to his signing…
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) July 28, 2017
Ultimately, Baltimore decided against signing Kaepernick.
In addition to the concerns about his production and his protests, the team also learned that Flacco’s injury wasn’t as severe as had been feared and he wouldn’t miss any games, so a fill-in starter wasn’t needed.
The Ravens’ decision appears to have been made in the best interests of the team after carefully weighing all of these factors — not because of “collusion.”
The Kaepernick grievance interviews come one day after the team agreed to sign another free agent quarterback who didn’t play in 2017: Robert Griffin III. The former Redskin and Brown agreed to a cap-friendly one-year deal worth $1 million to replace last year’s backup, Ryan Mallett.
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