Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll says he regrets not signing former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick visited the team in 2017 after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

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“I regret that we weren’t the one way back when that just did it just to do it, even though I thought that it wasn’t the right fit necessarily for us at the time,” Carroll said. “The reason it wasn’t the right fit is because I held him in such a high regard I didn’t see him as a backup quarterback and I didn’t want to put him in that situation with Russ. It just didn’t feel like it would fit right. That’s the way I felt about it. So I just wish it would happen, and I wish we would have been a part of it when the time was available then. We’re kind of set up right now, so football-wise, it doesn’t seem to fit us like I said. But there’s a lot of time here. We’ll see what happens.”

Carroll says, in 2017, he thought Kaepernick was too skilled for a backup position and was confident he would be signed as a starter elsewhere. 

In regard to the Seahawks signing Kaepernick now, Carroll had this to say: “I like our setup right now. I love the way Geno [Smith] fits together in our role and all that, so it’s not really available at this time for us. But I wouldn’t hesitate — I’ve said this ongoing for years — if Russ ever got tangled up and couldn’t play or something, Kap would have been an extraordinary candidate to take over because of the dynamics of his play. We’ve always really cherished the unique qualities that players bring, and he had a unique style that we couldn’t [have] respected more. But as the backup, I hope he’s going to get a chance to do that because really he deserves to be playing.”

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Cam Newton had a difficult start to the NFL offseason as the Carolina Panthers decided to release him. Originally, their plan was to trade him but they weren’t able to get a deal done. This ultimately turned Newton into a free agent, and now, he is looking for a brand new team. Finding a new squad could prove difficult considering his injury history although he is trying to prove to everyone that he can still get it done and play at an elite level.

Newton has been posting his workouts to Instagram, including one yesterday in which he took to the field with none other than Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ is one of the best wide receivers in the league so it makes him the perfect choice to train with.

Newton’s arm strength and accuracy are looking good even if this video is edited to only show the highlights. You can’t help but feel like Newton should be the starter on a team right now, and hopefully, things work out for him soon. There are plenty of NFL teams in need of a good quarterback, and when he’s healthy, Newton certainly fits that bill.

Let us know in the comments below where you would like to see Newton play next.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich says Roger Goodell and the NFL owners are hypocrites for their handling of Colin Kaepernick and social justice. 

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Speaking with Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, Popovich sides with the NFL players who kneeled during the National Anthem: “A smart man is running the NFL and he didn’t understand the difference between the flag and what makes the country great—all the people who fought to allow Kaepernick to have the right to kneel for justice. The flag is irrelevant,” he said. “It’s just a symbol that people glom onto for political reasons, just like Cheney back in the Iraq war.”

Regarding the NFL’s newfound support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Popovich had this to say: “It’s just hypocritical. It’s incongruent. It doesn’t make sense. People aren’t blind. Do you go to your staff and your players and talk about injustices and democracy and how to protest? I don’t get it. I think they put themselves in a position that’s untenable.”

Popovich also claimed Goodell “got intimidated when [Donald] Trump jumped on the kneeling” and that Goodell “folded.”

Last week, Popovich used the Spurs’ social media platform to speak about police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

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Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien plans to take a knee during the National Anthem, in solidarity with his players, to protest racial inequality and police brutality.

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“Yeah, I’ll take a knee — I’m all for it,” O’Brien told the Houston Chronicle. “The players have a right to protest, a right to be heard and a right to be who they are. They’re not taking a knee because they’re against our flag. They’re taking a knee because they haven’t been treated equally in this country for over 400 years.”

O’Brien attended George Floyd’s funeral, joining several other players and staff members associated with the Texans.

“It wasn’t a conscious effort,” O’Brien told the Chronicle about the team attending Floyd’s funeral. “It wasn’t like we had a conversation together and decided to do it. I think we just said enough is enough, and we’ve got to do what’s right. As an organization, we’re part of the conversation, and we want to do our part.”

Floyd died on May 25, after former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Protests erupted around the world afterward, calling for drastic policing reform and the defunding of police.

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Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield says he will be taking a knee during the National Anthem this season. When a fan asked Mayfield if he would kneel, Mayfield responded with his stance.

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"Please tell Browns fans you’re not going to be kneeling this season," the fan commented on Instagram. 

"Pull your head out. I absolutely am," Mayfield responded. 

Later, Mayfield posted a lengthy statement regarding the situation on his IG Story.

"Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place... Nate and Kap came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality," Mayfield wrote. "I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It's been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.

"If I lose fans, that's okay. I've always spoken my mind. And that's from the heart," he added.

Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien recently said that he will also kneel during the anthem with his players.

Over the past couple of weeks, the debate surrounding kneeling during the national anthem has crept back into the National discourse. Some NFL players have been kneeling during the anthem for four years now and there are still many out there who see it as disrespectful to the flag. In light of the injustice that is happening all around the United States right now, the concept of kneeling has become as prevalent as ever.

Recently, Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien announced that he would kneel with his players when the season starts. This prompted a fan to say that JJ Watt would never be caught doing such a thing. Well, Watt didn't appreciate those comments and clapped back on Twitter, saying: "A) don’t speak for me B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening."

Terrell Owens was always an outspoken player during his days in the NFL and sometimes, it got him into trouble. Regardless, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest receivers ever and he certainly has the stats to back it up. Unfortunately, his abilities on the field didn’t always allow him to move freely when it came to the various teams he played for.

During an interview with TMZ, Owens made the revelation that he faced systemic racism while playing in the league, specifically with the San Francisco 49ers. More specifically, Owens said head coach Steve Mariucci was a culprit.

“I could’ve still continued to play but because I was outspoken, because of who I was, I wasn’t allowed the opportunity,” Owens said. “Because I was outspoken. Because of who I was and because of some of the coaches that said things behind closed doors and got in the ears of these owners, that’s why I wasn’t able to really continue on with my career. To me, that was systemic racism. I experienced it when I was in San Francisco under coach Mariucci. I experienced it. Trust me, I experienced it.”

These are pretty hefty accusations although, considering the NFL’s history, it’s not all that surprising. Owens was always seen as misunderstood and there were times when he wasn’t allowed to express himself. If he feels this way, there has to be some credence to it.

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Antonio Brown made national headlines back in January after an incident at his home involving himself, his trainer, and a moving truck driver. The driver accused Brown and his trainer of theft and battery. After police tried to get Brown to surrender, he finally turned himself in and was charged with felony battery. According to ESPN, Brown plead "No Contest" to that charge, meaning he has no intention of trying to defend himself further in court.

As punishment for the crime, Brown must now complete 100 hours of community service and will be on probation for two years. He also has to take part in a mandatory psychiatric evaluation. Of course, the biggest win for Brown here is the fact that he will not have to serve any jail time.

Roger Goodell and the NFL have been looking to make amends for the mistakes they have made over the past four years. When Colin Kaepernick and others began kneeling for the National Anthem, they were immediately talked down upon with many saying that their protests were disrespectful. Eventually, Kaepernick was somewhat blackballed from the league and the NFL has fallen out of favor with many black fans, since. Last week, Goodell tried to rectify this by releasing a video in which he apologizes for the league's mistakes and claims he plans to protest with players. In addition, the league is donating $250 million over the next 10 years to combat systemic racism.

Today, Goodell took the league's new philosophy one step further as they have announced that Juneteenth will now be a league-wide holiday. For those unaware, Juneteenth refers to June 19th which is the day America officially freed the slaves following the Civil War.

Roger Goodell released a statement last week in which he noted that the NFL was wrong to disagree with players who kneeled during the National Anthem. Throughout the message, he stated that he was ready to protest with the players and now, he is putting his money where his mouth is. Today, the NFL pledged $250 million over the next 10 years in an effort to combat and stop systemic racism.

According to Judy Batista of NFL.com, the league is actually planning on teaming up with players to create a program for criminal justice reform, as well as financial education. In fact, one anonymous source around the league says the NFL is willing to partner up with the likes of Colin Kaepernick.