Baltimore Ravens: Steve Bisciotti, Others Enabling Colin Kaepernick ‘Distraction’ Author : Robert D. Cobb With Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco suffering a back injury, that is expected to have him miss a portion of the pre-season and possibly the regular season, could Colin Kaepernick finally find a NFL team to call home? With reports swirling that the Ravens are looking to possibly sign him and two-time Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis basically imploring the team to give him a chance and for Kaepernick to get himself back in the game, Ravens owner, Steve Bisciotti is reportedly against signing him, fearing fan backlash. In a statement that was released disputing the reported impasse between Biscotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh that read, “We are going through a process, and we have not made a decision. Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whomever is making those claims is wrong.” 1 / 3 Personally, I call bullshit on this. Period. Unless backup Ryan Mallett somehow morphs into longtime nemesis Ben Roethlisberger over night during training camp, or that the Ravens waterboy suddenly channels his inner Johnny Unitas, just come out and admit that you are not signing Kaepernick because of his protest of the national anthem. I also call bullshit for the simple reason that the Ravens franchise has had its share of controversial players with off-the-field incidents such as the forementioned Lewis and Ray Rice. It was Bisciotti, who in 2014, sent text messages to Rice of support and publicly stating that he deserves a second chance. I find that both hypocritical and utterly spineless considering his current reasoning for balking at the chance to take a chance on Kaepernick. Not to bring race into it, but Baltimore has the eighth-largest African-American population at 63.7 percent and one of the largest black fan bases in the NFL. There are those who are vehemently opposed to the sight of Kaep donning the purple and black, but when you have the 12th-largest NFL fan base, per Fansided.com Joe Schiller of the Ravens blog, Ebony Bird, when did one’s personal and social stance become relevant after standing besides a domestic abuser such as Rice? Mind you, you also have a African-American general manager—and one of the sharpest NFL executives in the game today—it sounds more like Bisciotti is look for an excuse not to sign Kapernick instead of seeking real ‘input’ I’m going to call a spade a spade in that owners such as Biscotti have created this so-called distraction narrative of Colin Kaeperinck. I mean what other off-the-field issues does he have? No history of drug use, no domestic violence or run-ins with the law, no questionable character issues, yet because he protested peacefully that he is a “distraction”. Okay, whatever. Players like Greg Hardy, Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson and Randy Gregory can be given second chances despite assaulting women, killing dogs, abusing drugs and children, but Kaepernick is being blacklisted for exercising his First Amendment rights. It’s sad that Kapernick can exercise his right of peaceful protest and free speech, but also become a proverbial lightning right rod and social pariah of consequence. Such cowardly reactions from Bisciotti and fans threatening to protest in not supporting said team seem to have a form of selective amnesia and Stockholm Syndrome in contributing to a billion-dollar business in which they will gladly sign wife beaters and repeat domestic violence offenders to a contract, but blackball someone who stood up for something they felt was right. It’s a sad day in the NFL when teams such as the Dallas Cowboys won’t even take a flier on you and that other quarterbacks such as Austin Davis, Chase Daniels, Mike Glennon and some indoor football stiff in 2 / 3 David Olson is signed over a player of Kaepernick’s pedigree and caliber. I mean, he did lead a team to the Super Bowl, and was within five minutes of being a champion himself. I guess past success and resumes don’t matter as cowardly owners such as Bisciotti have proven that it’s all about the bottom line and caring too much what others think. 3 / 3 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).