Riverdale, Georgia (CNN) Colin Kaepernick on Saturday strode over to a flock of reporters gathered on a bizarre day during which the free-agent quarterback skipped an NFL-sponsored workout and held one of his own.

He had a message for the league: The ball is in their court, so to speak.

"So we're waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, (Commissioner) Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running," said the 32-year-old, who hasn't played in nearly three years following a season in which he protested social injustice by refusing to stand for the National Anthem. "Stop running from the truth, stop running from the people."

The league said in a statement that Kaepernick called officials at 2:30 p.m. ET, saying he would not appear at a workout set up by the league at the practice facility for the Atlanta Falcons. The quarterback, instead, held a session in Riverdale, south of Atlanta. About 300 fans -- and at least six scouts -- came to see him.

Representatives for Kaepernick said their client had asked for the session to be open to the media and the NFL had balked. Agent Jeff Nalley and attorney Ben Meiselas also said Kaepernick had been denied being able to have his own film crew.

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