Boston Sports Radio Host Compares Cam Newton to Colin Kaepernick: Could NFL Blackball Him for His Vaccination Status?
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The New England Patriots shocked the NFL world by cutting Cam Newton earlier this week, despite head coach Bill Belichick previously listing the quarterback as their starter.
After deciding to move forward with rookie quarterback Mac Jones, the Patriots left Newton searching for a new job. Although Belichick said Newton’s vaccination status had nothing to do with the decision, the former NFL MVP might find it difficult to get another job without the jab.
“Does anyone care about Cam Newton anymore in the league? Or does he just drift off?” Rob Bradford asked while filling in for Greg Hill on WEEI’s morning show in Boston.
“Maybe the vaccine makes teams a little bit hesitant,” co-host and former NFL player Jermaine Wiggins added.
The WEEI morning show wondered if Newton’s vaccination status could ultimately end his playing career, similar to Colin Kaepernick being blackballed by the NFL after taking a knee during the national anthem.
“Could we be looking back at the same sort of thing where ‘nobody gave Cam a chance…he deserved a chance.’ Which is what we were saying about Kaepernick,” Bradford said.
“Not the exact same thing as Kaepernick,” he continued on WEEI. “But we could be sitting here a year out – Cam Newton might not play this entire season. The chances of him landing a job next year, a year older, not good by the way, not vaccinated, and he’s gonna be screaming and yelling ‘why isn’t anyone giving me a chance.’”
Kaepernick knelt for social justice, but his message is often suppressed by competing forms of patriotism who scream their love of the flag. Because of the contention surrounding Kaepernick, teams didn’t want to deal with the attention he would garner on their roster and essentially blackballed him from the league.
Unvaccinated free agents will have a harder time signing on with NFL teams considering the strict rules enforced on players who refuse the jab. Covid protocols might make it harder for Newton to find a job, but Kaepernick never posed a risk to NFL rosters, while bringing in an unvaccinated player does.
Listen above via The Greg Hill Show on WEEI
