The NFL players’ union says it will support Colin Kaepernick in his grievance against the NFL, but the union also says it had no role in it and didn’t even learn of it until it was reported in the media today.
In a statement issued this evening, the NFL Players Association said it plans to work with Kaepernick advisors.
“Our union has a duty to assist Mr. Kaepernick as we do all players and we will support him,” the statement said. “The NFLPA has been in regular contact with Mr. Kaepernick’s representatives for the past year about his options and our union agreed to follow the direction of his advisors throughout that time. We first learned through media reports today that Mr. Kaepernick filed a grievance claiming collusion through our arbitration system and is represented by his own counsel. We learned that the NFL was informed of his intention to file this grievance before today. We are scheduling a call with his advisors for early this week.”
It’s unclear why Kaepernick and his advisors did not inform the union about the grievance, but the union still seems to think it has a role in helping Kaepernick fight to get back on the field.