Stephen A. Smith Goes Off On Kaepernick – ‘You Ain’t Played In 5 Years’

Earlier this week, we reported that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was effectively begging the NFL to take him back months after he compared the league to slavery. Now, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith is firing back to reveal why he’s “sick” of talks of a Kaepernick comeback five years after the “woke” athlete last played in the NFL.

Smith began his rant by taking Kaepernick’s side, saying that the former quarterback was “black-balled” and “mistreated,” and that he “should be in the NFL.” However, he then shifted to addressing Kaepernick directly, blasting him for not taking advantage of any of the help he was given in the years since he left the 49ers after the 2016 season.

Backstory: Colin Kaepernick Grovels To NFL – Says He’s ‘Fine’ Even With Playing Backup Quarterback

Smith Lets Loose On Kaepernick

Smith said: 

“In 2019, after you filed a lawsuit against the National Football League, after you reached a multimillion-dollar settlement, after you made it clear you don’t have any trust for them and they made it clear they have no trust for you, because of pressure from Jay-Z, who is obviously advising the NFL on social justice issues and things of that nature, along with a multitude of people inside and outside of the media and you’re listening to one of them because I spoke to many people on behalf of Colin Kaepernick, the NFL said we’re gonna conduct a workout. And Colin Kaepernick refused to workout because of some waiver issue, some liability issue.”

“At the end of the day, what are you saying, Colin Kaepernick, you didn’t trust them?” Smith added. “Well, duh! We know you didn’t trust them.”

“They didn’t trust you because they felt like if an individual team, none of whom called you by the way, if an individual team gave you a workout that you would sit up there, if you don’t make the team, they were saying you might sit up there and accuse us of being racist because they didn’t pick you on the team so as a result we can’t trust you either,” he continued. “Both sides don’t trust one another. Who the hell don’t know that?”

Related: Colin Kaepernick Effectively Begging NFL Teams To Sign Him – ‘I Can Help You Win Games’

‘My Brother, You Ain’t Played In Five Years’

Smith then said that if Kaepernick wants to play professional football, he needs to start showing the world what he can actually do, rather than just talking about it. 

“My brother, you ain’t played in five years,” Smith stated. “We don’t know what you can do but we still believe in you. I believe Colin Kaepernick could be on an NFL team right now and help a team despite being gone for five years because I think he’s that gifted. That ain’t the point!”

Not stopping there, Smith proceeded to explain to Kaepernick why exactly NFL officials “don’t want to touch” him:

“The point is coaches, players and executives all answer to owners of those respective football teams and they don’t want to touch you. And you knew that and the one in, you refused to exploit. I understand your point about not trusting them, hell we don’t trust them.”

“But we were willing to fight for you, you didn’t want to listen to anybody. And now the NFL is saying, ratings are up 10% from the year before. Super Bowl ratings were up 6%. We got some of the best numbers since 2015, that’s without Colin Kaepernick. Why would we invite this trouble? Who didn’t know they were gonna do that? Who didn’t warn Colin Kaepernick they weren’t gonna do that?”

“That’s why we told you. Go work out. Show what you can do and let the momentum build to force their hand,” Smith concluded. “But you didn’t wanna play. You didn’t wanna talk. And that’s why you’re still doing interviews instead of throwing touchdowns.”

Kaepernick Claims He ‘Absolutely’ Wants To Play Pro Football

This came days after Kaepernick gave yet another interview in which he claimed that he “absolutely” still wants to play in the NFL. 

“Five years of training behind the scenes,” Kaepernick said on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast on Monday. “You don’t do that if you don’t have a passion, and you don’t believe you’re gonna find a way on that field.”

“I know I have to find my way back in. So yeah. If I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine,” he added. “But that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”

Kaepernick became infamous in the eyes of many Americans during his time playing for the 49ers when he began taking a knee during the national anthem before games. Though he claimed that he was doing this to protest against racial inequality in America, many saw this as a clear sign of disrespect towards the American flag and those who fought and died for it. 

In the eyes of patriotic Americans everywhere, the sidelines are exactly where Kaepernick belongs. Here’s hoping he stays there.