After several attempts to continue his career in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick is willing to take his skills elsewhere.
According to Fox News, Kaepernick was recently in talks to join the X-Treme Football League, otherwise known as the XFL. But things backfired as the former NFL quarterback was informed that his requested salary demands were too high.
Oliver Luck, commissioner of the XFL, revealed to NPR, that while the league considered Kaepernick joining the league, neither Kaepernick’s representatives nor the league could reach an agreement when it came to how much the activist would make.
“We gave it some thought,” Luck told the news outlet. “We have some pretty significant salary restrictions, you know. We’re a start-up league, so we want to make sure that we can be fiscally responsible and fiscally prudent. And the, you know, salary requirements that some folks, you know, shared with us were in our case exorbitant, so we, you know, couldn’t go down that path.”
Kaepernick has been out of the NFL since 2016, following his silent protest against police brutality during the National Anthem.
However, it seems as things would be no different in the XFL, as all players are expected to stand during the tribute to our country, according to Luck.
“Players have numerous opportunities to express themselves with all the platforms that exist today,” Luck explained. “So, you know, standing for the national anthem we believe is a part of their responsibility as players in our league. But we think it’s important to have that — you know, that requirement for our players.”
Luck also explained that if Kaepernick’s team did indeed decide to lower his salary request, that he wasn’t sure if the league was still willing to sign him.
Kaepernick has been looking for a way to play the sport he loves and was born to play for some time now. He even participated in an NFL workout back in November in hopes of joining the league. However, the practice was overlooked due to suspicions of the league having alternative motives.
“We spoke with his representative, and the salary requirements that were broached in that conversation were exorbitant and certainly out of our range,” Luck stated.
