ESPN star Stephen A. Smith dismissed the idea of Colin Kaepernick returning to the NFL to play quarterback for a team, even as the free agent player revealed he is still looking for an opportunity nearly eight years after finishing his final season with the San Francisco 49ers.
At the same time, Smith said the possibility of Kaepernick joining Jim Harbaugh's team with the Los Angeles Chargers as coach is something he could support, but he no longer wanted to hear about him playing in another NFL league.
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Stephen A. Smith on Colin Kaepernick: “What I would say, though, is I don't want to hear any more nonsense about him not being a quarterback anymore.” (Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images/File)
He made his comments on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Wednesday.
“And now that he's back in the National Football League, he's earned the right to do whatever he wants if he wants to bring Colin Kaepernick in there, great, no problem,” Smith said. “I think Colin Kaepernick would be a good coach. I think Colin Kaepernick, if he wants the opportunity, should be the coach. What I would say, though, is I don't want to hear any more nonsense about him being the quarterback.
“That ship should have sailed. Not only did it sail, it should have sailed. I know some people don't want to say it, but I will. Now are we going to ignore the fact that over his final two years as a quarterback in the National Football League in 2015 and 2016, Colin Kaepernick's overall record as a starter was 3-16. Are we going to ignore the fact that he hasn't played football since?”
Smith expressed his belief that Kaepernick was “blackballed” from the league after kneeling to protest social injustices in the U.S. during the 2016 season and chided team owners for keeping him off the roster, citing the settlement he agreed to with the league.
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Colin Kaepernick (Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/File)
He also recalled Kaepernick walking out of an NFL-sponsored workout because of an exemption in which he decided to take his tryout elsewhere. Smith said at the time Kaepernick wanted to be a “martyr” and recalled receiving criticism for the comment, but that he stood firm on his stance.
Smith said if Harbaugh's offer is serious, Kaepernick should accept it.
“This gets interesting because Jim Harbaugh is the coach, he's the money man, he's the face of the Chargers franchise, and if Colin Kaepernick wants to coach in the National Football League and Jim Harbaugh says, 'Hey, come do this,' two things could happen: The owners could step in and put up resistance, (Dean) Spanos and those guys in L.A., that could happen because they might be afraid, even as a coach, that he'll kneel again.
“And if they're not scared of that, maybe they're scared of Jim Harbaugh saying, 'Now that you're on my coaching staff, guess what? A quarterback got injured and I need you to go in there instead of Justin Herbert, I need you to go in there and play. ' And that might be a way to bring him back into the league, and they might balk at that.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Colin Kaepernick are shown before their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on December 28, 2014. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
“If I was Colin Kaepernick, I'd take that opportunity. I go there because nobody cares more in the sport of football than Jim Harbaugh. You go, you take that opportunity, because whether you're playing or coaching, you're back in the National Football League, and once you're in, unless you're losing or unless you're doing something illegal or whatever, it's going to be pretty hard to get you out.
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“This could be your chance to get in. What are you going to do about it, bro? What are you going to do?” [are] “There's nothing you can do about it, because nobody else is trying to take that shot at Colin Kaepernick. Jim Harbaugh is the perfect guy to do it; hats off to him.”
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