Colin Kaepernick Denied By XFL Football League Because Of His ‘Exorbitant’ Salary Demand, Says Commissioner

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Denied By XFL Football League Because Of His ‘Exorbitant’ Salary Demand, Says Commissioner

Former NFL star Colin Kaepernick was included in a list of former players invited to sign with the Xtreme Football League. Over the weekend (Feb. 9th), the XFL commissioner spoke to reporters on the league’s interest in signing the controversial former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned activist. According to reports, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck says the league approached Kaepernick, but “significant salary restrictions” ultimately resulted in both sides going their separate ways. Luck says,

“We gave it some thought. We have some pretty significant salary restrictions, you know. We’re a start-up league, so we want to make sure that we can be fiscally responsible and fiscally prudent. And the salary requirements that some folks shared with us were, in our case, exorbitant, so we couldn’t go down that path.”

Colin Kaepernick, Nessa Diab

He adds,

“We spoke with his representative and the salary requirements that were broached in that conversation were exorbitant and certainly out of our range.”

In addition, XFL commissioner also adds the league stands by Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest. The ex-NFLer began protesting against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. There’s lots of speculation that he’s been blackballed since then as he has yet to be signed by an NFL team again.

“Players have numerous opportunities to express themselves with all the platforms that exist today. So, you know, standing for the national anthem we believe is a part of their responsibility as players in our league. But we think it’s important to have that requirement for our players.”

Colin Kaepernick was also in negotiation with another football league in 2019. He reportedly had high salary demands for the Alliance of American Football, seeking $20 million which is an average of $2 million per game. At the moment, it’s unclear what his salary demand was for the XFL.

As previously reported, Kaepernick and the NFL have continued to bump heads since his controversial protest. Last year, the league and Kaepernick finally came to an agreement to give him one last opportunity to make his return with a private workout. However, the workout made headlines as Kaepernick and his reps called out the league for foul play.

After the workout, the free-agent quarterback spoke with the media on another opportunity to be apart of a roster. In his message, the social justice activist puts the league on notice, calling out league commissioner, Roger Goodell, and all 32 owners to “stop running” from him. He said,

“I’ve been ready for three years. I’ve been denied for three years. We all know why I came out here. [I] showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So we’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people.”

Kaepernick added,

“We’re out here. We’re ready to play. We’re ready to go anywhere. My agent, Jeff Nalley, is ready to talk any team. I’ll interview with any team at any time. I’ve been ready.”

Goodell said the league provided Kaepernick with a unique opportunity to make his return to the field after a 3-year hiatus, but he reportedly added that the league has officially “moved on” from signing the former 49ers quarterback.

What are your thoughts on Colin Kaepernick’s alleged demands? Let us know in the comments!