NFL protests are going to play into free agency, and possibly the draft

The protests that went on in the NFL last season over the oppression faced by people of color in the United States was a topic of discussion all season. While that slowly burned off, it’s not over.

Colin Kaepernick started the protests in 2016, when he first sat for the national anthem during the preseason. He changed his protest to a knee, and it slowly caught on. But in 2017, with Kaepernick unsigned and Donald Trump’s comment calling players who protested “sons of bitches,” an entire new wave started.

While many of the demonstrations weren’t for the same reasons as Kaepernick’s protest, it still raised the issue. It’s also one that could affect free agency, and the NFL draft.

The Miami Dolphins’ owner told the New York Daily News on Monday, “All of our players will be standing.”

“Initially, I totally supported the players in what they were doing,” said Ross. “It’s America and people should be able to really speak about their choices.” Ross added that he likes President Donald Trump, and felt because of the tweets Trump sent out about “disrespecting” the flag and the military, the protests somehow became about that.

Ross’ comments came when he was receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Jackie Robinson Foundation for being a “longtime champion of equal opportunity.”

Dolphins defensive back Michael Thomas was one of the more outspoken players, and was one of the first players to join Kaepernick in protest during the 2016 season.

On Tuesday morning, he released a statement backing off from his comments:

On Saturday, the Houston Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon reported that the Texans wouldn’t be interested in players who participated in pregame protests of police brutality — per two NFL agents.

The report isn’t too surprising, after owner Bob McNair’s comments earlier in the season during an owners meeting where he told other NFL owners that they “can’t have the inmates running the prison.”

The meeting didn’t include players, but McNair’s words reportedly offended NFL executive and former player Troy Vincent, via ESPN.com:

After the owners finished, Troy Vincent stood up. He was offended by McNair’s characterization of the players as “inmates.” Vincent said that in all his years of playing in the NFL -- during which, he said, he had been called every name in the book, including the N-word -- he never felt like an “inmate.”

According to the report, McNair would end up apologizing to Vincent, and released a statement after the incident was made public.

However, as far as the recent Houston Chronicle report goes, the Texans denied that they would be turning away protesting players:

On Tuesday afternoon after both reports had come out and denials had been made, the NFLPA released a statement.

It mentioned how proud they were of the players, and mentioned assurances from both commissioner Roger Goodell and chairman of the management council John Mara that players could demonstrate:

NFL owners have made it seem pretty clear they don’t want players protesting during the national anthem. With free agents on the market, and players about to be drafted into the NFL, it would be silly to assume that the same standards the owners believe in wouldn’t apply to them as well.

Colin Kaepernick is a better quarterback than many that started an NFL game in 2017. But because of his activism and protest, he never saw the field, and likely never will again. That’s not exclusive to him as teams look to mold their rosters moving forward.