I still remember watching Colin Kaepernick play in the Kraft Bowl which solidified him as the greatest player in the history of the University of Nevada football. His playing style was captivating, as he became the only player in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in their college career

He didn’t waste any time establishing his NFL career either as he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season.

Unfortunately, Kaepernick’s amazing football career is being overshadowed by things that have nothing to do with his play on the field. After igniting a national debate around kneeling during our national anthem, Kaepernick has continued to remain in the headlines despite not taking an NFL snap in over three years.

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Hundreds of NFL Free Agents Can Only Dream of Getting a Personal Workout

The average NFL career typically lasts around three years – that makes it the most competitive profession on the planet. In a league that welcomes a little over 300 rookies per year, you can only imagine the turnover. Needless to say, there are literally hundreds of great players who train for years as they try to get back into the National Football League after they get cut.

I still remember how my former Minnesota Vikings teammate and childhood friend spent almost six years training for another shot to get back into the NFL. To the surprise of the entire sports world, Patrick Chukwurah defied the critics in 2013 and signed a contract to play for the Seattle Seahawks.

When I heard that Colin Kaepernick was getting another chance to workout for 26 teams after more than 3 seasons out the league, I was very happy for him.

At the end of the day, he is one of the hundreds of my NFL brothers who have sacrificed their entire lives to get a chance to represent the shield.

Unfortunately, 30 minutes before his scheduled workout, all of the joy that I had for him turned into disgust when I realized that his ego was so big that he took for granted the very tryout that so many of our brothers can only dream about.

Kaepernick’s ego drove him to make this unique opportunity about himself versus making his job interview about how he could become a great quarterback and teammate for one of the 32 NFL teams.

As a former NFL player and captain of three teams, it’s disturbing to see a football player whose ego is so big that even after being given a special workout with 26 teams, he couldn’t humble himself enough to respect the teams and league that has provided him with great wealth and a platform to impact the community.

Demonizing Those Who Have Supported Him

Here’s a little history about how we got to this place in 2019.

The first offseason following the 49ers decision to part ways with Kaepernick in 2017, things started to look doubtful once training camp began and the controversial quarterback was still not signed.

My dear friend -- and Baltimore Ravens legend Ray Lewis -- then stepped in to meet with ownership in support of bringing Kaep to the Ravens.

Then, on August 2, a tweet by Kaepernick’s vocal girlfriend, radio host Nessa Diab, compared Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and Lewis, a longtime face of the franchise, to characters from the Quentin Tarantino film "Django Unchained." The two men were depicted as Leonardo DiCaprio's cruel plantation owner and Samuel L. Jackson's loyal house slave, respectively.

Surprisingly, Kaepernick never came out to apologize to Ray Lewis or did he have his girlfriend apologize.

Lewis responded by saying "Then, his girl [Colin Kaepernick's girlfriend] goes out and put out this racist gesture and doesn't know we are in the back office about to try to get this guy signed. Steve Bisciotti has said it himself, 'How can you crucify Ray Lewis when Ray Lewis is the one calling for Colin Kaepernick?'”

Imagine having one of the greatest players in NFL history going to bat for you and your ego is so big that you allow your girlfriend to smear Lewis online without pushing back on her?

Three years later, the ego has continued to lead Colin to disrespect his biggest supporters. Rapper and cultural icon Jay-Z signed a multiyear deal with the NFL and was immediately disrespected by the same Kaepernick crew -- including his best friend and former teammate Eric Reed as well as his disrespectful girlfriend.

I found this one particularly ironic, given the fact that Reed himself is under NFL contract and is employed and paid well his NFL team.

Simultaneously, Kaepernick is asking to sign a multiyear deal himself in the same league that they are all trashing Jay-Z for working with.

The worst part of this is the fact that Jay-Z has always supported Kaepernick’s message and proudly wears his NFL jersey.

Jay-Z also went as far as denying passing on the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl in a gesture to stand in of support for Colin Kaepernick.

To make matters worse, Jay-Z was a big factor in working with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to help set up this rare opportunity to have 26 teams travel from all over the country to watch one former player who hasn’t taken a snap in over three years.

Most decent people would be thanking Jay-Z, but we’ve learned by now that Kaep’s ego just won’t allow that.

Don’t Forget You Were A Backup Before You Started Kneeling

I’m really beginning to wonder if Kaepernick has forgotten that he was not a starting quarterback when he began to kneel.

It appears that his ego has also caused him to overlook the fact that he was already a backup when the 49ers decided to part ways with him. As a backup in the NFL, you just cannot be the guy who is causing the noise. No matter what noise you’re creating.

I don’t want to come across as just attacking Kaepernick here because I actually have a lot of respect for him. I’m praying for him, too.

I am just witnessing his ego leading him to forget the reality that the opportunity to play in the National Football League is not a right, but it is a great privilege.

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Kaepernick’s ego has led him to be consumed by the narrative that NFL players are slaves as the NFL owners are slave owners.

This was in full demonstration by his the Kunta Kinte T-shirt he wore at the workout on Saturday.

Someone should remind him that he’s made over $40 million from the NFL and there are actually tens of millions suffering slaves who don’t deserve a rich egotistical football player minimizing the horrific realities of modern-day slaves.

Kaepernick’s ego is leading him to believe that, despite being a backup player when he last played in the NFL, he should somehow get more preferential treatment than the hundreds of other backups who have worked for years to get back into the league.

His ego has lead him to believe that his social justice image gives him the right to dictate how NFL owners run their private businesses.

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His animosity and actions would make you think that the NFL owners wear a badge and are the police officers who are shooting unarmed blacks in the street.

Unfortunately, it appears that Kaepernick’s ego also caused him to disrespect the time and resources of the 26 NFL teams who came to participate in his workout. And that is where he lost me.

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