McCoy: Kaepernick too much of a distraction
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. » Bills running back LeSean McCoy isn’t surprised Colin Kaepernick has had difficulty finding a job. And thinks it has little to do with the quarterback’s decision to not stand for the anthem last season.
Some teams, McCoy said following practice Thursday, might consider it not being worth the “chaos” to take on a polarizing player such as Kaepernick to fill what’s likely to be a backup role.
“You’ve just got to look at all sides like, if I’m an owner or the GM of a team, do I want to put him on my team?” McCoy said. “Is he good enough to be on the squad to even deal with everything that’s going on?”
Kaepernick remains unsigned after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers after last season. Critics have accused the NFL of punishing the sixth-year player for refusing to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality against blacks.
“That may have something to do with it, but I think also it has a lot to do with his play,” McCoy said. “There’s certain players that could be on the team with big distractions, and there’s other players that it’s not good enough or not worth it.”
He said it’s easier on teams to take on a distraction if it involves a star player such as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady or New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. because, unlike Kaepernick, they would immediately fill starting roles.
McCoy didn’t change his stance when his former Eagles teammate Michael Vick was brought up as comparison, even though a distinction was made that Vick had been convicted of a crime. Vick signed with the Eagles after spending 18 months in prison on dog fighting charges, drawing criticism from some fans who believed he should not be allowed to play pro football. Kaepernick has not been accused of any crimes.
“That’s a great example. Take a guy like Michael Vick, who went through all that he went through,” McCoy said. “He’s 10 times better than Kaepernick. So you’ll deal with that situation, you’ll deal with that attention, the media aspect of it, the good, the bad attention to it compared to Kaepernick.”
McCoy shared his views after being asked about his position regarding players protesting the anthems . He supports freedom of speech while adding he believes players can “choose a better platform to state their beliefs.”