Stephen Ross questioned in Kaepernick collusion case

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The parade of NFL owners to the hot seat continues.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has become the latest prominent witness in the Colin Kaepernick collusion grievance. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that Kaepernick’s lawyers questioned Ross under oath on Tuesday.

Ross joins Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Texans owner Bob McNair, Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, and Commissioner Roger Goodell as league-side witnesses who have been questioned by Kaepernick’s camp.

Last month, Ross told reporters that his players will be standing for the anthem in 2018, primarily because Ross believes that kneeling is bad for business. It instantly became obvious that Ross had won himself a ticket to the festivities. Later efforts to take back the things he’d said about players standing or kneeling didn’t save him from being required to make a commitment to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and then to embark on facing question after question aimed at proving that the NFL collectively decided, in coordinated fashion, that players at the forefront of the anthem protests are as bad for business as the protests themselves.

57 responses to “Stephen Ross questioned in Kaepernick collusion case

  1. Enough of the witch hunt.. this is as bad as the federal govt.
    If an owner doesn’t want him on the team then that is his right to decide that. If you own a company and do not want to hire someone, what is the difference?!?!?!

  2. Enough of the witch hunt.. this is as bad as the federal govt.
    If an owner doesn’t want him on the team then that is his right to decide that. If you own a company and do not want to hire someone, what is the difference?!?!?!
    ——————————
    The difference is politics. PFT believes that owners should be forced to hire someone who doesn’t have the talent to back up the loss of revenue he’s going to cause.

    Winning cures everything, but a backup QB who lost a competition to Blaine Gabbery isn’t going to give you enough wins to balance it out. Doesn’t stop their constant whining though.

  3. Question: “Would paying millions to a QB that celebrated a Dictator that murdered gays, violently silenced opposition, and hated America be bad for your business in Miami, home to many exiles from Cuban that had relatives killed and property stolen by that same Dictator?”

    Answer: “Yes. I would be insane to employ him, especially as he is not that good.”

    Case dismissed.

  4. Ross is especially vulnerable because two of last season’s three kneelers are gone. Julius Thomas was no surprise – expensive contract, didn’t play especially well. But Michael Thomas, captain of special teams and PFF Spec Teams player of the year wasn’t resigned. He eventually signed a very affordable contract with the Giants.

    Ross should get hammered on that alone.

  5. As in any business, a business owner has the right to decide who he wants to hire, after all he’s the one shelling out the money to the potential employee, if he chooses not to hire him, for whatever reason, it should be his prerogative…end of story.

  6. I’m not an expert in labor law – but I believe the fact that the players are unionized probably makes the difference. I’m sure Florio has written something on the subject.

  7. Stephen Ross is rich and a successful businessman. That does not mean what comes out of his mouth is well timed or smart to say.

  8. One simple statement: I have never entered into an agreement with one or more NFL owners to not hire an individual player. All my hiring decisions are based on the individual, team needs and compensation requirements and are made as a single member of the league and not as a representative of the league.

    Does Kaepernick get deposed by league lawyers?

  9. Is it collusion if no modeling agency hires an ugly person? Is it collusion if a fitness center doesn’t hire an obese sloth to train athletes is that collusion? So why is it collusion if NFL owners don’t want to hire a less than adequate quarterback who would cause their team to lose revenue because of his non-football actions? I honestly don’t understand why Kaepernick is getting the time of day on this issue.

  10. “As in any business, a business owner has the right to decide who he wants to hire, after all he’s the one shelling out the money to the potential employee, if he chooses not to hire him, for whatever reason, it should be his prerogative…end of story.”

    There is a players Union that offers protection to the players, this is part of the due process… end of story

  11. In the end, regardless of how many owners, coaches, players, or officials that Kaep’s camp deposes, he will still end up out of the league and with zero compensation. The real story on Colin is that he was a player on the decline, a reporter noted his lazy rump sitting when others were standing for the anthem ( and published it ), and the rest is history. Kaep wasn’t being a “Social Justice Warrior”, he was simply a lazy fool that was upset because he had been beaten out in camp by a better player and was on the sidelines pouting.

  12. So what is the final outcome Kap wants? They are not going to sign him, so is this a monetary thing? I told you so thing? What the does he want? He is not gettting signed, that ship sailed once he started this. I am not pro Kap or anti-Kap, just trying to figure out, what the end game is.

  13. If Kapernick and his per diem lawyers win this case, against billionaire owners, which could be substantial givin the opposition. They will devote the settlement to the cause they have based their case on? It only seems fitting.

  14. handsatlanta says:
    April 24, 2018 at 1:56 pm
    Ross is especially vulnerable because two of last season’s three kneelers are gone. Julius Thomas was no surprise – expensive contract, didn’t play especially well. But Michael Thomas, captain of special teams and PFF Spec Teams player of the year wasn’t resigned. He eventually signed a very affordable contract with the Giants.

    Ross should get hammered on that alone.

    _________________________________________________________________

    Why should he get hammered because he doesn’t want off field distractions for players that contribute very little? Julius was terrible and is still a FA because he has nothing left in the tank. Michael Thomas was nothing more than a Special Teamer and was a huge liability on defense. I think they would rather have players they can plug into the lineup should one of their safeties go down.

  15. Last month, Ross told reporters that his players will be standing for the anthem in 2018, primarily because Ross believes that kneeling is bad for business.
    ______________________

    Absolutely not. Of course the media is going to twist words to make the story more enticing. Ross said that kneeling did not have the same affect and it’s hurting the cause more now that people are connecting it with disrespecting the flag and not with the original intent of racial awareness. Ross has always stood by his players who wanted to voice their opinions both on and off the field. Ross has won several awards for his work in the community with his RISE organization.

  16. 1st Question. What is your impression of Colin Kapernick. Answer. He’s a crappy QB. Case closed. Next… Same answer.

  17. Funny how some post being offended by Fidel Castro’s atrocities towards the Cuban people, but most here support a racist president that that has no respect towards women and other cultures….hypocrites.

  18. Everyone gets all upset and cries “disrespect!” But if you remember, Kap initially sat, then asked a veteran his opinion on how to do this more respectfully, once he saw that it was being misconstrued and vilified. And let’s be honest, many people just don’t like his cause but it’s not polite to say that, so the whole troops thing is the convenient crutch that people think is the ultimate trump card for everything. All Kap has to say is “it’s not a shot at troops” and that’s all there is to it. You just can’t tell another person what their words and actions mean, only they can.

    I wish people threatened to stop watching the NFL this widely and passionately when guys like Greg Hardy or Josh Brown and men of their ilk get signed by teams. You know…a situation where people ARE ACTUALLY HARMED. Don’t you guys have mothers, sisters, daughters? If you think beating or terrorizing a woman is less of a crime than someone being questionably patriotic, you ought to be deeply ashamed of yourself.

  19. The person in the White House can cozy up to Putin, but Kaep is unamerican cause he took a knee?

  20. The NFL has an anti-trust exemption, except for agreeing on players contracts, that is obviously in the collective bargaining agreement.

    The owners all have the right to deny this guy a place on their team as long as it doesn’t involve an agreement with any other team.

    Kaepernick is unlikely to have a case.

  21. I wonder why Florio doesn’t have the same level of concern for all the thousands of other players who feel slighted by the NFL. All the players who felt their career ended too soon for whatever reason. Who feel they got unfairly treated by a team. Hmmmm…..why the selective concern and outrage? I wonder if he’d ever be that candid about his skin in this game.

  22. If he was really demanding $8 million or so last year like some people reported, I don’t get why owners or front office executives wouldn’t just come out and say that amount is ridiculous for a backup QB…

  23. first of all, i do not care if you stand or not. that’s your choice & you shouldn’t be forced to.

    however, he lost me at pig socks.

  24. I need to call an attorney about my collusion case against the NFL, nobody is signing me either!

  25. Question I have is this: when you’re on company time, surely you have to toe the company line. If there is something you can’t do, then you bring this up with the team management – be it for religious reasons etc.

    To be honest, I couldn’t care less (correct use of the term) if a player stands, sits, does press ups, or remains in the locker room.

  26. good lord, some of you all…

    A) No, the league cannot make a coordinated effort to keep him out.

    B) Yes, he is good enough to be in the NFL–every NFL player asked this question has said he is–but I’m sure you armchair QBs/keyboard warriors know better than those that play the game.

    C) It never bothered you before Kaep kneeled that some players sat during the anthem (Lynch) or didn’t come out at all. You only care because a news network told you to care.

  27. The constant whining of people acting like children because it’s not fair he’s not employed reiterates why Trump won the presidency.

    There’s a difference between right and wrong, and Kap did nothing right and bettered NOTHING.

  28. gauchosporlife says:

    April 24, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    Funny how some post being offended by Fidel Castro’s atrocities towards the Cuban people, but most here support a racist president that that has no respect towards women and other cultures….hypocrites.
    ———————
    If you vote Republican or Democrat = YOU LOSE!

  29. 9 out of 13 people so far think it’s more important to stand for the anthem than to not beat up women. Simply stunning. What a country, what a time to be alive.

  30. I don’t know why Ross would be afraid of telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. As with the Seahawks/Bengals, he’s either commented on or implied business related concerns. That is not collusion, at all. It doesn’t take collusion for a team owner to form a decision to avoid a player who will divide his fanbase, distract from football, and drive away sponsors.

  31. I’m tired of Kap being held up as a hero. If you watch the video of the first time he sat for the anthem, it is pretty apparent by his posture and body language that he was simply pouting like a child after being benched. He later came up with the excuse of protesting because he didn’t want to look like the spoiled egomaniac that he is.

    Plus, Chip Kelly had an app on the playbook tablets he gave each player to see how often they read the playbook. Kap was zero and that was a big reason why he was benched.

  32. gauchosporlife says:
    April 24, 2018 at 2:19 pm
    Funny how some post being offended by Fidel Castro’s atrocities towards the Cuban people, but most here support a racist president that that has no respect towards women and other cultures….hypocrites.

    ———————————-

    Our presidents wife is an immigrant who is fluent in 3 different languages.

  33. Enough already with this guy. Mike, no matter how you try to spin it the reason CK is not in the NFL is that he made a conscious decision to turn himself into a marketing nightmare. No one will touch him.

  34. bartor1544 says:
    April 24, 2018 at 1:58 pm
    I’m not an expert in labor law
    ——
    Florio is, at least somewhat considering he was a professional employment lawyer, which makes the typical “ur stupid” type of comments all the more interesting.

  35. The assumption that there was actually collusion among the owners is the most entertaining part of this this entire fiasco. It is becoming painfully obvious to everyone who isn’t a Kaepernick cheerleader that evidence of collusion on the part of the NFL owners will be found only in Kaepernick’s own mind. In the process, Kaepernick is sealing his fate, and only insuring that he’ll never get another shot to play again.

    By the way, Ross has every right to demand that his players stand for the anthem. The players are wearing his uniform, and he is signing their checks.

  36. This is so much more complex than some seem to realize. While the union muddy’s the waters and I am not sure that Kaep can win this lawsuit the reality is pretty straightforward. Let’s look at a regular job. A company is hiring and as such has a certain set of pre-requisites. Several apply for the job and eventually someone is hired. That all works if no one challenges the decision or if in fact the person hired is the “most qualified” candidate. This is where it gets interesting…if the company is pressed to proved that the process hired what they believe to be the most qualified candidate without violating the protected classes then all is well. While the CBA and makes this a bit different I am pretty sure the general premise applies.

    I am fairly certain that even the most anti-keep person would not in good faith argue that any of the below QBs are more qualified than Kaepernick. (Kellen Clemens, EJ Manuel, Aaron MurrayMark Sanchez, Garrett Gilbert, David Faces, Matt McGloin, and the list goes on).So with that said, his ability to be on a roster is not skill related, regardless of the ludicrous comments made. With that said if he is at least as talented as the guys being signed (not debatable) then why hasn’t anyone offered him a contract even at league minimum? The not so smart comments and actions of several, Cowboys, Bengals, Seahawks, Dolphins, Texans have made it plausible that there is a concerted effort to keep him out and that’s the shot he’s taking.

  37. fwippel says:
    April 24, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    By the way, Ross has every right to demand that his players stand for the anthem. The players are wearing his uniform, and he is signing their checks.
    =================================================================================================
    Not really, the NFL says that players don’t have to stand…in future CBA’s Rulebooks it can be clarified but after the NFL doubled down on the interpretation, not much the team can do really.

  38. I believe there is a player that can make a case for collusion but it’s not Kaep. Its Ray Rice. The guy could still play and all 32 teams colluded against bringing him back. Now I am no fan of hitting women and I think all 32 teams were well within their rights not to look at Ray Rice but my overall point is, that is what collusion looks like. Kaep, not so much.

  39. I don’t think this even needs investigating. Kaepernick is being blackballed and it’s clear as day. Robert Griffin, Stephen Morris and Austin Davis have jobs. If you have a differing opinion or stand up for human rights, you have conviction, that doesn’t equal bad for business. The team that signs Kaepernick will easily sell the most jerseys in the NFL.

  40. I hope a team signs him. I hope he plays.

    He will fail. He will be cut. Then he will go away.

    He doesn’t want to play because then all of his followers who think he’s some kind of martyr will realize that the reason he’s not in the league is because he sucks, not because he knelt.

  41. gauchosporlife says:
    April 24, 2018 at 2:19 pm
    Funny how some post being offended by Fidel Castro’s atrocities towards the Cuban people, but most here support a racist president that that has no respect towards women and other cultures….hypocrites.

    ————

    Bill Clinton hasn’t been President since 2000

  42. The team that signs Kaepernick will easily sell the most jerseys in the NFL.

    Maybe, but, those buying the shirts will not be attending games! His supporters by and large don’t buy tickets! …they wait for the free stuff!

  43. gauchosporlife says:
    April 24, 2018 at 2:19 pm
    Funny how some post being offended by Fidel Castro’s atrocities towards the Cuban people, but most here support a racist president that that has no respect towards women and other cultures….hypocrites.
    ======================================

    Racist President= WRONG
    Disrespects women & other cultures= WRONG

    I think you’ve been watching to much CNN or reading the tabloids. Totally ignorant statement. Please look up the definition of “ignorant” btw. You really should educate yourself more before blabbing.

  44. Stephen Ross is a NFL Franchise owner who is always trying to be politically correct. Sometimes it’s necessary to just shut up,keep quiet or stop trying to please everyone. He has been a good owner for the Dolphins but in the past has hired the wrong people to run his football operations. Sorry but very few teams have drafted worse than the Miami Dolphins. So Stephen keep quiet and pray for a great draft.

  45. Many people who were supporters of Colin (Mistakenly) said he had the RIGHT to perform his kneeling protest during the playing of the National Anthem.

    If they truly beleive that and respect that, then they should also believe that Team owners also have the Right not to hire him.

    Why hire a person for your business that is bad for your bottom line and has had people in his camp make racist comments about one of your partners (Steve Biscotti)?

    Let him go be an advocate for Social Justice.

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