Kaepernick Is a Fraud [OPINION]

My patience with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been exhausted. Not that I had a whole lot of patience for the original kneeler to begin with.

Kaepernick burst onto the scene and put up some impressive numbers for the San Francisco 49ers, but as is sometimes the case with pro athletes, his success was short-lived. When he was no longer performing at a level that pleased the people who pay his salary and are under intense pressure to field a winning team, he was benched. It happens all the time. Ask Drew Bledsoe.

It was then that Kaepernick began taking a knee during the playing of our national anthem. Kaepernick claimed that the gesture was to draw awareness to problems facing our inner cities, but it never was. Kaepernick was looking to draw attention to himself and that was never more evident than by his actions over the weekend.

It hasn't been easy for Kaepernick to find a new job in the industry. He rejected the few offers that were actually made. He is toxic and most in the league wanted nothing to do with him. Football is a team sport, and when individual players attempt to steal the spotlight, it can be a distraction to the rest of the franchise. Ask anyone who has crossed the head hoodie.

The inability of Kaepernick to find a job with another team led some in the media and in the industry to suggest that maybe Kaepernick was being treated unfairly. Okay. I didn't think so, but that's me. So the NFL arranged a workout for Kaepernick, something they don't often or ever do for anyone else, so that he could put on an exhibition of sorts for potential employers.

More than two dozen teams sent representatives to Atlanta to watch Kaepernick work out. The rest agreed to watch a video of the exhibition. Kaepernick was a no-show. After agreeing to all of the terms for the workout in advance, Kaepernick reneged at the last minute and refused to participate.

Colin Kaepernick has wasted opportunity after opportunity to show what he is really made of. Or, maybe he has shown us, and his behavior on Saturday simply confirmed what many of us already knew.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.