Saturday afternoon, embattled and maligned former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was scheduled to workout for NFL Teams at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility at Flowery Branch.
The effort was seen as a gesture by the NFL and partner Jay-Z as a way for Kaepernick to display his skills for teams in hopes to break back into the league. Kaepernick and the NFL has already been in litigation and an undisclosed settlement was given to both him and Carolina Panthers Safety Eric Reid.
As the workout was scheduled to take place, Kaepernick’s representation decided to move the showcase to Southern Crescent Stadium, near the Charles Drew High School Campus in Riverdale. His representation cited certain conditions that were not conducive to working out such as closing out media, the inability to film, and a waiver that the NFL wanted Kaepernick to sign prior to him stepping on the field.
Kaepernick said the move was important for full transparency, something that he felt he would not get at the other facility, under their terms. He would say later, “The NFL needs to stop running from the truth.”
The workout was open to all media to observe and film. About 40 to 50 media members were present to see Kaepernick go through throwing drills will free agent receivers. It was evident that he was still able to throw the ball short, intermediate, and deep, with precision and zip.
He was also able to display the ability to throw the ball on the run and still looked in phenomenal shape. There were six to eight teams that made the trek from Flowery Branch to witness what he could do.
After the workout, Kaepernick went over to thank the crowd who had gathered after knowing he was near the area, who constantly during the display shouted, “We Love You Kaep, we want you back on the field.”
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Colin Kaepernick in his own words! #NFL #TheAtlantaVoice #ColinKaepernick
