Stephen A. Smith Calls Kaepernick’s Latest Comeback Talks ‘Utter Nonsense’
Stephen A. Smith closed out Tuesday’s edition of First Take by delivering a monologue on one of America’s most polarizing athletes, Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick recently went on the I AM ATHLETE podcast and expressed his desire to come back to the NFL even if it means as a backup. The comments, however, irritated the ESPN host, describing them as “utter nonsense” that after years away from the league, “Kap” would even think about coming back.
“I’m sick of this and I’ve had it,” Smith started his rant.
The sports talking head quickly changed his tone as he wanted to make it clear that Kaepernick deserved to be in the NFL but was unfairly blackballed, due to his beliefs.
.@stephenasmith shares his thoughts on the comments from Colin Kaepernick about his desire to return to the NFL. pic.twitter.com/P5nYw8okR4
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 19, 2022
“I want to make sure I’m very, very clear about this because this has gotten on my last nerve and I’m going to put this to bed once and for all. Colin Kaepernick was black-balled. Colin Kaepernick was mistreated. Colin Kaepernick should be in the NFL,” Smith said. “Colin Kaepernick should have never been out of the NFL. He violated no laws. He violated no NFL bylaws. He got screwed over. Period.”
Smith then turned his attention to the main problem he has with the former quarterback as Kaepernick neglected to mention any help he received from the NFL over the last five years, citing a 2019 lawsuit as the driving force in that.
“In 2019, after you filed a lawsuit against the National Football League, after you reached a multimillion-dollar settlement after you made it clear you don’t have any trust for them and they made it clear they have no trust for you,” Smith said. “Because of pressure from Jay-Z, who is obviously advising the NFL on social justice issues and things of that nature, along with a multitude of people inside and outside of the media and you’re listening to one of them because I spoke to many people on behalf of Colin Kaepernick, the NFL said we’re gonna conduct a workout. And Colin Kaepernick refused to work out because of some waiver issue, some liability issue.”
“At the end of the day, what are you saying, Colin Kaepernick, you didn’t trust them? Well, duh! We know you didn’t trust them,” he continued. “They didn’t trust you because they felt like if an individual team, none of whom called you by the way, if an individual team gave you a workout that you would sit up there, if you don’t make the team, they were saying you might sit up there and accuse us of being racist because they didn’t pick you on the team so as a result we can’t trust you either. Both sides don’t trust one another. Who the hell don’t know that?”
“And still, you took the position, regardless of Jay-Z’s help, regardless of the media’s help, regardless of public fury against the National Football League knowing everybody was going to be all over them, watching them like a fine-tooth comb, you still didn’t trust anybody. You want to listen to your lady and your Colin Kaepernick crew and you wanted to debunk everybody else, and here you are having a conversation about football,” he concluded.
Smith closed out the show by explaining to Kaepernick that his lack of trust is what cost him his NFL future as NFL players and staff members have to answer to one entity: the owners.
“The point is coaches, players, and executives all answer to owners of those respective football teams and they don’t want to touch you,” Smith stated. “And you knew that and you refused to exploit [it]. I understand your point about not trusting them, hell we don’t trust them. But we were willing to fight for you, you didn’t want to listen to anybody. And now the NFL is saying, ratings are up 10% from the year before. Super Bowl ratings were up 6%. We got some of the best numbers since 2015, that’s without Colin Kaepernick. Why would we invite this trouble? Who didn’t know they were gonna do that? Who didn’t warn Colin Kaepernick they weren’t gonna do that?”
“That’s why we told you. Go work out. Show what you can do and let the momentum build to force their hand. But you didn’t wanna play. You didn’t wanna talk. And that’s why you’re still doing interviews instead of throwing touchdowns.”
Watch above via First Take
