Few media have campaigned for the return of former Colin Kaepernick to the NFL as hard as USA Today sports writers Christine Brennan and Nancy Armour. They are heralding the Cuba-loving/cop-hating pariah as the NFL's top problem solver and its "most valuable voice."
Today, after New England traded away its highly regarded backup quarterback Jimmy Garappolo, Armour picked up the "Patriots need Kaepernick" drumbeat:
Bill Belichick can solve a lot of problems with one phone call.
The New England Patriots and Coach Belichick need a backup quarterback now that they’ve traded soon-to-be free agent Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL needs someone to sign Colin Kaepernick to disprove suspicions the league has blackballed the quarterback who started the player protest movement. And Kaepernick needs a job.
It just makes too much sense for the Patriots not to grab Kaepernick, Armour writes. She admits he's a polarizing figure, but blames President Donald Trump for using NFL protests "to further divide an already fractious nation." With the Left-stream media, coverage of the Kaepernick saga always circles back to Trump as the real villain.
Armour writes that if "Belichick says Kaepernick is good enough for him, that’ll be good enough for Patriots fans." Putting Kap in a Pats' uniform would cause some grumbling and some boos, but she is certain the "reaction will be muted and short-lived because Patriots fans believe, more than anything, that Belichick knows best. They also know Belichick would never do anything just for show. "Belichick is going to do what’s right for the Patriots, regardless of who’s involved. Right now, that would be signing Kaepernick," Armour writes.
How the times have changed. Before the Pats' had a QB vacancy, many in the media portrayed Belichick as a disgusting friend of Trump's.
Sounding more like a cheerleader than a member of the media, Armour's advocacy for Kaepernick is almost embarrassing. "Should something happen to Brady, he needs someone who can step in without torpedoing the Patriots’ Super Bowl aspirations. There’s no one else out there who fits that bill besides Kaepernick," she adds.
Also sounding as credible as a liberal politician, Armour tries to convince her readers that "Despite playing on a dismal San Francisco team last year, Kaepernick kept the 49ers competitive."
Apparently it depends on what your definition of "competitive" is. He had a won-lost record of 1-10 as a starter! To Armour, that one win must have been absolutely exhilarating. She's also convinced that in Belichick's offensive system, he can return to his 2012 Super Bowl form.
In spite of #NeverKaepernick's lawsuit accusing the NFL owners of collusion, he would be doing the league "a big favor" by rendering that little disagreement moot. All would be forgiven. But, Armour writes, the Patriots should only sign her man "because he's the best option the Patriots have, and Belichick knows it."
Prior to the developments in New England, Armour's pro-Kaepernick colleague Brennan was just hoping the NFL would bring him to future social justice meetings between protesters and league owners and officials. She asserts he would be the "most valuable voice" in the room:
It’s quite clear the players want Kaepernick at next week’s meeting. Frankly, I think most of America wants him there, whatever side of the issue you’re on. His peaceful protest has led us into the important intersection of sports and culture, with President Trump lobbing in his incendiary thoughts like 140-character hand grenades.
Liberal media are often math-challenged, and the claim "most of America" is at odds with negative polling on NFL protests.
Brennan says her favorite unemployed athlete can’t be silenced forever, and "On this issue, in this league, at this time, there is no voice more valuable, or more necessary."
#NeverKaepernick's so-called "silence" has actually been a series of loud tweets with deafening and alienating repercussions. He recently tweeted support for ESPN anchor Jemele Hill, who had blasted Trump as a "white supremacist." He also labeled police officers as "slave patrol" and, while on foreign soil July Fourth, demanded to know "How can we truly celebrate independence on a day that intentionally robbed our ancestors of theirs?" That's a voice most Americans and all 32 NFL teams have rejected.
