'It Boils Down To Maturity': NFL General Manager Speaks On Not Signing Colin Kaepernick

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An anonymous NFL general manager described Colin Kaepernick as a "distraction," which is why his team chose not to sign the athlete.

In a report from Sporting News, the NFL general manager said the following:

It doesn't have to do with the protests — if it did, then teams would be cutting the players who are standing or kneeling during the anthem. The league is filled with guys who are protesting the same exact way who are on rosters.

I have no comment on [Kaepernick's] views or convictions. Those are his own and I don't think a team would sign him or not sign him solely over those actions. My caution — and I think it is echoed by nearly everyone I’ve talked to — is that he's become a distraction. At this point, the way he's handled it, the way he's tweeting and all that garbage, it doesn't help.

Although the GM acknowledges Kaepernick's abilities as a quarterback he says it is the athlete's handling of the situation that ultimately led to him not signing Kaepernick, saying: "He's become a distraction in a place where winning is foremost. It is an issue of mentality, personality. I think it boils down to maturity."

READ: Baltimore Ravens Owner Resisting Colin Kaepernick Signing

"It has nothing to do with his play," the GM added. "When we talked about the possibility, explored the possibility — and it was very casual — we had to weigh the pros and cons. He's a quarterback, he's a fine quarterback. But look at the baggage he brings. If you're an established team, you don't want that coming in. There's a perception he'd kill a locker room because he's such a distraction. He's not worth the risk given the baggage."

Sports Illustrated also did a report on Kaepernick and why he has not been signed yet. Three NFL executives and one coach anonymously spoke with the sports outlet but unlike the GM who spoke with Sporting News, they blamed Kaepernick's abilities on the reason why he has not been signed yet, comparing him to football player Robert Griffin III.

Source: sportingnews.com