Patriots owner Robert Kraft is among the NFL owners who will be deposed and asked to turn over their cellphone records and emails “in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Schefter reported that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair will also be deposed and depositions from other owners and league officials will be sought.
Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, is pursuing a grievance, via the league’s collective bargaining agreement, that claims the NFL colluded to keep him out of the league after he became the first player to protest racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before games last season.
Kaepernick, who turned 30 on Friday, opted out of his contract with the 49ers in the offseason and is still looking for an NFL job. Numerous NFL players followed Kapernick's lead by kneeling during the anthem before games this season.
Kraft was among the owners, cited in an ESPN story last month, who played a prominent role in discussions between owners and players about the anthem protests in a meeting in New York on Oct. 17.
That ESPN story said Kraft “politely rebuked” hard-line owners who were demanding that all players stand for the anthem.