Colin Kaepernick is finally getting his shot at returning to the National Football League.
Nearly three years after the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback played his last NFL game, the now-free agent is set to take part in a private workout organized by the league this weekend.
"I’m just getting word from my representatives that the NFL league office reached out to them about a workout in Atlanta on Saturday (November 16)," Kaepernick tweeted Tuesday evening (November 12). "I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday."
According to ESPN, the NFL sent a memo on Tuesday to all of its 32 teams, saying the session will include on-field work and interview time with the athlete-turned activist. The workout will reportedly take place at an undisclosed location in Atlanta. However, it will be closed to the media. For clubs that don't attend in person, they will have access to videos of both the workout and the interview. Per the memo, several NFL teams inquired about Kaepernick's "football readiness" and desire to return to the league.
It should be noted that Kap's reps reportedly asked for the workout to be on a Tuesday, which is typically when all NFL workouts take place because head coaches and general managers can more easily attend since "almost half of the NFL teams" will be traveling for their Sunday/Monday games. However, the league didn't budge, ESPN reports.
As fans know, Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016 season — the same season he began his National Anthem protests to bring awareness to police brutality, and a number of social injustices faced by black Americans. Less than a year after his first silent protest, the quarterback, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013, became a free agent with no team offering him a contract for the 2017 season. Kap then filed a grievance against the league, claiming team owners colluded to keep him from playing because of his refusal to stand during the National Anthem.
After a two-year battle, Kaepernick settled his case against the league earlier this year. While he hasn't touched an NFL field since January 1, 2017, Kap's been training for his NFL comeback ever since. Back in August, the athlete even shared a video of himself in the gym, which he captioned: "5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready."
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