Colin Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit against the National Football League was reportedly withdrawn on Friday, likely indicating that a settlement was reached between the football league and the quarterback who claimed he was blackballed by NFL teams out of a job.
Yahoo Sports reported on Friday that Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit was withdrawn, noting that the quarterback and activist had previously noted that he would not do that unless a settlement between the two parties was reached.
In a stunning move strongly signaling a financial settlement between Colin Kaepernick and the #NFL, Yahoo Sports has learned the QB has withdrawn his collusion complaint against the NFL. Sources previously said Kaepernick would only withdraw if a lucrative settlement was secured.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 15, 2019
And indeed, shortly after breaking that news, the legal team representing Kaepernick and Eric Reid released a statement saying that a settlement had been reached with a confidentiality agreement.
— Mark Geragos (@markgeragos) February 15, 2019
What that almost certainly means is that Kaepernick and Reid will get a substantial bit of money in exchange for them dropping their case. Kaepernick has been out of football a full two years now after starting a nonviolent protest against police brutality against people of color during the 2016 season. The subsequent drama that resulted from that protest has rocked the league, and Kaepernick has not been able to find a job in football since.
More on this…the final hearing in Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid's joint collusion case versus the #NFL was set to take place this month. The settlement was reached prior to presenting final evidence in front of arbitrator Stephen Burbank. https://t.co/AhFPv8zKEK
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 15, 2019
The news came on the same day as reports that Kaepernick wanted as much as $20 million to play in the startup football league the AAF. While exact numbers of Kaepernick’s settlement are not clear, football media seemed stunned that the NFL would settle before the case played out, which almost certainly means the league paid Kaepernick a significant sum to make this all go away.
