Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s collusion case will move on into a hearing.
Kaepernick’s attorney Stephen Burbank issued a statement on Thursday, saying an arbitrator denied the NFL’s request to dismiss the collusion case Kaepernick has brought against the league. Kaepernick has said that his inability to sign a player deal with any team since he became a free agent in March 2017 is due to owners colluding to keep him off the field.
Kaepernick has been one of the most prominent leaders in NFL player protests against racial injustice during the U.S. National anthem. The league has tried to stop players from kneeling during the anthem, but those moves have only increased player resolve. Many owners have even ignored the NFL’s attempts at stopping players from kneeling by threatening them with fines and said that they’ll pay player fines whenever they kneel.
The Kaepernick case centers on Article 17, Section 1 of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and players. It specifically says that owners cannot work together to keep players out of the league.
The NFL had hoped to throw the case out, but the arbitrator’s decision paves the way for a full hearing and the possibility of a major victory for Kaepernick. If he does win, he could get millions in damages.