LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Kaepernick workout reportedly nixed over kneeling

[April 13, 2018] The Seattle Seahawks were set to work out former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick earlier this week, but rescinded the invitation after he wouldn't say whether he plans to continue kneeling in protest during the national anthem, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday.

The team wasn't so much concerned with Kaepernick's position as it was that he didn't seem to have a firm plan for his future, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Kaepernick has a pending lawsuit alleging collusion by the league office, owners and teams to keep him out of the NFL. He was deposed by the NFL's lawyers in that lawsuit on Tuesday. Kaepernick began his pregame protest following excessive force cases involving police. He first sat during the anthem in the 2016 season and then knelt. Eventually he was joined by his San Francisco 49ers teammates, including safety Eric Reid, and players on other teams followed suit.

Kaepernick, who last played Jan. 1, 2017, hasn't had a workout with any NFL teams since becoming a free agent.

--San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was charged with three felonies in relation to a February arrest, according to a news release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Foster, who turned 24 last week, was arrested in February on suspicion of domestic violence and possession of an assault rifle after police were called for an alleged domestic violence incident at a residence in Los Gatos, Calif.

Foster was also charged with possession of an assault weapon, a felony, and possession of a high-capacity magazine, a misdemeanor. Foster, who has been out on $75,000 bail, faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of all charges. It was the second time Foster has been arrested since the NFL regular season ended.

--Wide receiver Jarvis Landry is nearing agreement on a five-year, $75.5 million deal with the Cleveland Browns that would replace the $16 million franchise tag he signed before the Miami Dolphins traded him this offseason, according to multiple reports.

The new deal will reportedly guarantee the 25-year-old Landry $47 million.

The Browns traded fourth- and seventh-round picks to Miami to acquire Landry, who earned $894,000 when he led the NFL with 112 receptions in 2017 but fell short of 1,000 yards by 13. He also caught a career-high nine touchdowns.

--Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre believes he has suffered "hundreds, probably thousands" of concussions over his football life and said if he had a son, he would try to convince him not to play football.

The former Green Bay Packers icon told NBC News' Megyn Kelly on the "TODAY" show that while he was only diagnosed with three or four confirmed concussions, he has had the sensation of "getting dinged" on countless occasions.

"When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that is a concussion," Favre said. "If that is a concussion, I've had hundreds, probably thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening. If I had a son myself... I would really, really, strongly discourage him from playing. And that seems to surprise people when I tell them."

--Days after telling reporters his surgically repaired right forearm is "100 percent," New York Giants safety Landon Collins said he will need another operation.

"I hate surgery," Collins told NorthJersey.com via text message. "And then I'm thinking I'm fine and excited about this season, being on the field for OTAs. It's a bone. It's going to come back stronger, so it shouldn't affect nothing I'm trying to do (moving forward)."

Collins' arm is not healing properly. Collins will undergo a second surgery to plate the break a second time, which would keep him out six to eight weeks. That timeline still would have Collins on track to be ready for training camp, which opens in mid-July.

[to top of second column]

--Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is officially suspended for the first four games of the NFL season for a failed drug test in December, according to multiple reports.

Burfict was reportedly appealing the violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy on the basis that he was on prescribed medications for a concussion and a shoulder injury and the test was done after he had been ruled out for the season.

Burfict can still report to offseason activities, training camp and preseason games, but will be suspended without pay once the season starts.

--Derek Newton was informed he will be released by the Houston Texans after five seasons as the primary right tackle.

Newton played only six games in 2016 because of torn patella tendons in each of his knees and did not play in 2017.

The 30-year-old out of Arkansas State was drafted in the seventh round in 2011. He became the starter at right tackle in 2012 and held down the position until he was hurt in 2016. USA Today reported that Newton will file a grievance against the Texans in hopes of reclaiming an unpaid roster bonus.

--The Packers will re-sign free-agent cornerback Davon House to a one-year deal, according to multiple reports. Terms of the agreement were not immediately available.

House, 28, rejoined the Packers on a one-year contract last offseason after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who signed him away from Green Bay as a free agent in the spring of 2015. He finished 2017 with six passes defensed and 44 tackles in 12 games, all starts, while battling a shoulder injury and a transverse process fracture in his back.

House is the second veteran cornerback to return to the Packers this offseason, after the team brought back former Pro Bowler Tramon Williams in March. Williams spent the first eight years of his career in Green Bay before playing two years with the Cleveland Browns and last season with the Arizona Cardinals.

--Former New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro is visiting the Miami Dolphins, according to multiple reports.

Per the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are not expected to give Vaccaro a "huge offer," noting that a one-year "prove-it" deal is more likely.

It is the first reported visit for the 27-year-old, who spent the first five years of his career with the Saints after they took him 15th overall in the 2013 draft. Vaccaro had three interceptions, seven passes defensed and 60 tackles in 12 games (all starts) last season, missing four games while battling groin and wrist injuries. He said in March he is fully recovered from core muscle surgery that ended his season prematurely.

--There is a movement afoot to award a Congressional Gold Medal to inspirational former football player Steve Gleason.

Lawmakers in Louisiana, where Gleason played for the Saints, and in Washington, where he starred for Washington State, have introduced legislation looking to honor Gleason for his advocacy work on behalf of those who suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Gleason revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and has worked to improve the living conditions of those afflicted with the disease in the years since. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is leading the charge, with Democratic senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington and Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana among the co-sponsors for the legislation.

--Field Level Media

Back to top