Colin Kaepernick, the embattled former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, held a workout on Saturday for several NFL teams, but the NFL criticized his choice of venue and last-minute change.
The league said it won’t affect his future in the NFL.
“Colin’s decision has no effect on his status in the League. He remains an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any club,” the NFL said in a statement.
But it added that 25 teams were present for the originally scheduled workout.
“All 32 clubs, their head coaches, general managers and other personnel executives would have received video footage of the interview and workout, shot by the Atlanta Falcons video crew,” the NFL said in a statement, CNN reported. About six teams attended his workout at the new venue.
Kaepernick moved the new venue to a high school around 60 miles away from the Atlanta Falcons facility, where he was scheduled to originally go. There were some protesters outside the venue, according to Getty Images photos.
After the workout, where Kaepernick threw about passes for about 40 minutes, he said his team wanted “transparency,” adding “we weren’t getting that elsewhere so we came out here.”
He didn’t take any questions from the media.
“We‘ll be waiting to hear from Roger Goodell, the NFL, the 32 teams,” Kaepernick added, ABC News reported. “We’ll let you know if we hear from them. Ball is in their court. We’re ready to go.”
Several weeks ago, Kaepernick’s representative blasted the league and all 32 teams.
Kaepernick led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013 after he took over from starter Alex Smith during the previous year.
However, his play declined in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. At the same time, he began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem, drawing criticism and boycott threats from many fans. Kaepernick said it was to protest against racism and police brutality.
“Since the start of the 2015 season, Kaepernick ranks last in the NFL among 35 qualified passers in off-target percentage (22.6). His completion percentage ranks No. 32 at 59.1. He still was one of the NFL’s most productive rushing quarterbacks, ranking No. 4 in total yardage over those years, but it didn’t mitigate his passing deterioration,” the 2017 ESPN article said.
In March 2017, he opted out of his contract with the 49ers and has not found work since.
In February, both Kaepernick and Eric Reid, a former teammate who now plays for the Carolina Panthers, reached a settlement in their case against the NFL accusing the league’s 32 teams of colluding to keep them out of the sport. Terms were not disclosed, but some reports have said it was near $10 million.