Should Kaepernick Want to Return to the League?

Colin Kaepernick's two year battle with the National Football League has now finally come to a close. Both the NFL and Kaepernick (along with former teammate Eric Reid) reached a settlement along with a non-discourse agreement to follow.

While the chatter on the topic now largely includes estimates as to how much Kaepernick was awarded in the settlement (many suggesting upwards of a 50 million dollar payout) the conclusion

of the collusion case now may lead to a Kaepernick return to the NFL.

In a recent CNN interview, Mark Geragos, Kaepernick's attorney gave brief details on his client's hush-hush battle with the league. He also offered his personal opinion as to where Kaepernick will ply his talent upon re-entry into the league.

"I think the natural would be if Cam Newton is out then the natural place to be is to play with Eric (Reid) in Carolina."

Kaepernick and Reid were teammates on the San Francisco 49ers and Reid followed Kaepernick's lead in the protests against racial injustice during the national anthem.

Kaepernick's choice to take a kneel has led him to become a notorious figure in U.S. social relations. For those who disagree, he has become a symbol of treason and hypocrisy, one who is ungrateful for all that the nation has to offer. For those that support him, he is revered as a patriot and a continuing symbol of the fight for civil rights.

Now two years since last being signed to a professional team his grievance has been settled and he is eager to return to the league.

"He absolutely wants to play he wants to compete at the highest level," Geragos continued. "This is a competitive young man."

But after such a fight against the system, should he want to take his talents back to the system? Kaepernick's case to get back to the league revealed the many forces at play trying to silence him. Changing policies to outlaw kneeling, calling for the jobs of protestors to be taken, and even boycotting a brand that affiliates themselves with Kaepernick, the criticism was constant. That also doesn't include the collusion which may or may not have been the reason why "Kap" was kept out of action.

Outside of his place of work, however, is where Colin garnered his support. Kaepernick's case was put under a microscope by the media allowing his truth's to be told on a grand scale. Kaepernick's charity works including his free Know Your Rights campaign showcased his support for the community and his stature as a public figure. The hashtag #ImWithKap, and Americans who subsequently began to boycott watching the NFL was a display of his influence. Even the Super Bowl halftime show, one of sports biggest stages led to a string of musicians turning down the offer in favor of Colin Kaepernick.

With all these people standing on your side to go against the system and helping to propel your cause, why would you want to go back into that territory? Kaepernick as a quiet figure may not answer this question directly for the public so we will have to wait and see his response the next time he takes the field.