Colin Kaepernick and Roger Goodell have long been a consistent sub-story bubbling beneath the surface of a league in constant motion. Players have come and gone across every corner of the league, but at some point, someone eventually mentions Kaepernick’s name.
With the Super Bowl taking place in San Francisco on Sunday, there has been hardly a mention of Kaepernick, a quarterback who helped San Francisco get to the team’s third most recent Super Bowl appearance. Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore noted in a Saturday post that Kaepernick “might as well be a ghost.”
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“Colin Kaepernick might as well be a ghost. … Goodell may have been acting out of his personal moral imperative as opposed to the will of the NFL’s team owners, from whom all the league’s power truly flows,” Kilgore wrote. “But it still shifted how the league publicly presented itself.
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“The league also committed to donate $90 million to social justice initiatives. Ultimately, the NFL has seemingly attempted to separate itself from social activism and political matters. Last year, in the first Super Bowl after Trump’s second inauguration, the NFL changed the motto it stenciled in the end zones from ‘End Racism’ to ‘Choose Love.'”
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Of course, while Kaepernick’s omission has been noted, the addition of Bad Bunny to the Super Bowl halftime show underlines that the league has been doing what it can to keep as many people happy and as many markets engaged. At the end of the day, the NFL operates to generate revenue, and turning off a significant segment of the market is a business no-no.
Read More: Why is Colin Kaepernick not in the NFL?
Roger Goodell offered one chance to deliver Colin Kaepernick nod
The NFL commissioner hasn’t mentioned Colin Kaepernick yet, but he still has a chance to slip the quarterback’s name into the Super Bowl. Whether it be something orchestrated at halftime or a comment delivered after the game during the Lombardi Trophy ceremony, there is still a huge stage available for Roger Goodell to silence critics like Adam Kilgore.
Of course, while many would view it as too little, too late, Goodell has one upcoming notable stage he can use to retroactively put out the fire if he misses the mark at the Super Bowl. Goodell traditionally offers opening remarks and speaks directly to fans at the NFL Draft, which would give him a chance to slip the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s name into the public zeitgeist.
Still, it would not be nearly as impactful as if he were to have a moment before the game offering a nod at Kaepernick, even if it was the stadium announcer reading a statement from a script.
Edited by Ian Van Roy
