Colin Kaepernick ends his national anthem protests. Whether you like him or not, his actions last year did exactly what he intended them to do: get people talking.
By sitting -- and eventually kneeling -- during the anthem, the entire country started talking about serious issues like police brutality, social inequality and discrimination.
That was all good. My issue is, those are all still serious issues -- arguably more so now than when he started his protests last year.
So, what caused Kaepernick to reverse course this week and announce he'll stand for the anthem next season?
Well, for one, he's set to become a free agent for the first time in his career after opting out of his contract in San Francisco.
Let's be honest: Last year, Kaepernick was under contract and really didn't have anything to lose. This year? Much different story.
Kaepernick thinks he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL again, and maybe he can be. But the fact is, one major deterrent among NFL teams when considering a player is: Will that player be a distraction?
Now again, I think some good did come out of those protests. I do. It wasn't perfect. His message was a little muddled with the Fidel Castro t-shirt and the fact he didn't exercise his right to vote -- which was contradictory to the whole idea of get out there and make a difference. But he did get the nation talking.
It just feels a little opportunistic when, all of a sudden, Kaepernick's future is on the line -- and that's when he decides to say, "I think I've made my point."
