The owners of the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans football teams will reportedly be "deposed and asked to turn over all cell phone records and emails in relation to [former San Francisco 49ers quarterback] Colin [Kaepernick's] collusion case against the NFL," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday, based on a conversation with a league official.
Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March and has remained a free agent ever since. He claimed in a grievance filed in October that NFL owners were colluding to keep him from being signed as punishment for his high-profile protests in 2016, when he kneeled during the playing of the national anthem before games to draw attention to racial inequality and police brutality.
All three deposed NFL owners have spoken about the protests. The Texans' Bob McNair said: "We can't have the inmates running the prison." The Cowboys' Jerry Jones claimed: "We have a fan base that unquestionably, without even blinking, wants and expects us to stand for the anthem." The Patriots' Robert Kraft has been more lenient: "The greatest enemy in sport is division from within," he has said. "I personally feel it's very important to respect our flag and our anthem. But I also respect the right of people in this country to make statements or protests, peacefully, in a way that's appropriate to them."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While collusion has not yet been proven, President Trump has supported owners freezing out players who "disrespect" the flag. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b—h off the field right now, out, he's fired,'" Trump asked at a September rally.
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday noteSpeed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September moviesthe week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to riseUnder the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
