"You can't be a martyr if you don't die" - NFL analyst explains how Colin Kaepernick’s return to football could tarnish his legacy
Colin Kaepernick could risk the legacy of what he achieved off the football field if he were to step back onto it, according to former NFL linebacker turned TV host Emmanuel Acho.
Acho, hosting his sports debate show Speak for Yourself on Fox Sports 1, got into a passionate debate about the free agent QB, who recently had a workout with the Las Vegas Raiders, his first with any team in over six years.
The former Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback was allegedly blacklisted by the league after he protested police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem before the start of games, sparking intense reactions on both sides of the argument.
Acho provided his take following Kap's visit with the Raiders:
"Colin Kaepernick's life has been much greater than anything he could have accomplished on a football field. His impact has been much greater than anything he could of accomplished on a football field. Colin Kaepernick his legacy, it resounds not only in America but throughout the world, because he was to some degree a figurative martyr. Yeah, but you can't be a martyr if you don't die. So Colin Kaepernick can't be a martyr if his NFL career does not die.
After all the talk will Kaepernick finally return?
Kap has been one of the most talked-about players in the league over the past six years, despite not having played. His time with the Raiders has sparked feverish discussion, with everyone seemingly having an opinion, and sometimes more than just one.
This certainly seems to be the case for Acho, who less than three months ago was imploring NFL teams to sign the former San Francisco 49er, with no mention of tarnished legacies.
An @NFL team should sign Colin Kaepernick this off-season. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain
https://t.co/7e6j6olds4
For many, it would seem that Kap's legacy is secured, and returning to play in the league that allegedly shunned him would not tarnish anything he has achieved.
This is Colin Kaepernick's legacy. What an absolute hero. twitter.com/PatrickMahomes…
Reports in the aftermath of Kap's workout suggest that everything went well, with the former Niner impressing the Raiders coaching staff. However, no deal has yet been forthcoming between the parties, leading some to spectulate whether the Raiders will be the team to end his long-running NFL exile.
What's next for Colin Kaepernick and the Raiders? In the immediate future, nothing. wp.me/pbBqYq-chQf
Whatever the outcome of the Raiders workout or its influence on the decisions taken by other franchises, it will undoubtedly spark a tsunami of debate and alternative opinions. Just a mention of Colin Kaepernick gets people talking, perhaps that will be considered a huge part of his overall legacy when it is all said and done?