Another reason why the NFL is stupid

I don’t particularly care much about Colin Kaepernick.  I thought he was arrogant, but more importantly he played for the 49ers and I think all San Francisco sports teams have the most entitled and insufferable sports fans on the planet, therefore I dislike them.  But there’s no denying his talent; he’s a pretty capable quarterback with a decent arm, good instincts and great mobility.  And then there’s the 2012 season where he basically put the entire franchise on his back and nearly single-handedly carried the franchise to a Super Bowl victory was nothing short of incredible, and a good indication of what kind of talent he was capable of unleashing.

And I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t particularly keen on his decision to refuse to stand for the National Anthem, because I thought it was selfish and disrespectful, but ultimately as Americans, we have the right to choose to do things like such, regardless of what other think.  Ultimately, it was such choices that have led to his blatant and obvious blackballing by the NFL, and at time I’m writing this, Colin Kaepernick has no team and has no job in the NFL.

The thing is, it’s not because there aren’t teams that don’t need capable quarterbacks; the Browns, Dolphins and especially the Jets come to mind.  None of them truly have a QB that’s a lock to start the season, and there’s a litany of names being thrown around just those three teams; some, whom people have heard of, like Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III, some, nobody has heard of, like the guys all competing for the Jets’ starting job, and then there’s Jay Cutler who went from one accursed franchise, the Bears to another accursed franchise, the Dolphins.

Colin Kaepernick does not have a job, because the NFL has a personal problem with the man, and is letting it affect the professional fortunes of him, as well as any team that might benefit from the acquisition of an athlete like him.

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Good intentions, predictable outcome

Didn’t see that coming: grassroots movement declaring a ceasefire in Baltimore, challenging the city to ‘nobody kill anybody’ over a 72-hour period, results in two men dead from gunshots

I hate to (I really don’t) goof on what’s ultimately very good intentioned, but come on – this is Baltimore we’re talking about.  This is a city in America where the life expectancy is something that sounds like medieval times, when the bubonic plague was ravaging the realm, that’s how much violence is a problem there.  It may sound like a cliché to some, but there is a shred of reality in the notion of surviving each day, because violence in Baltimore isn’t just commonplace, it’s a way of life.

I’m not (entirely) saying all this because I love to take potshots at Baltimore; I’ve seen the looming threat and constant presence of violence in that god-forsaken city.  I remember when my mom wanted to be alone for a weekend, she’d jettison my sister and I off to Baltimore to stay with an aunt and cousin who lived in the deepest, darkest part of Baltimore, and I remember hearing the nightly routine of dirtbikes and ATVs that buzzed down Monroe Street that were speculated to be MS-13 drug trails.  I’ve seen fights on the streets, and I knew a friend of an acquaintance who was jumped and hospitalized in ICU during an Otakon, in a very populated area near the Harbor.

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