President Donald Trump wants everyone to know that he knows several NFL owners, especially New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft.
Trump cited Kraft while answering a question from reporters about former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Trump has previously been an outspoken critic of Kaepernick, who famously protested police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem. He hasn't played a snap in the NFL in more than three years.
“Only if he’s good enough,” President Trump said on Friday when asked if Kaepernick should be back in the league. “If he’s good enough. . . . And I think if he was good enough, I know the owners, I know Bob Kraft, I know so many of the owners. If he’s good enough, they’d sign him. So if he’s good enough — I know these people — they would sign him in a heartbeat. They will do anything they can to win games.
“So I’d like to see it. Frankly, I’d love to see Kaepernick come in, if he’s good enough. But I don’t want to see him come in because somebody thinks it’s a good P.R. move. If he’s good enough, he will be in.”
Earlier this week, Kaepernick tweeted a video showing him working out. It featured a clock displaying how many days he's been denied from work, and said that he's "still ready." Considering Kaepernick led his 49ers to the Super Bowl, the consensus is that he'd be a better option than many starting NFL quarterbacks, if not almost every backup. According to Trump, Kraft and the other NFL owners disagree. Last fall, Kraft didn't deny a New York Times report that the Patriots had interest in signing Kaepernick as a backup to Tom Brady.
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