Mike Bianchi: Miami must avoid pro-Castro Kaepernick.
Running off at the typewriter … If there’s one team that absolutely cannot sign the Fidel Castro-sympathizing Colin Kaepernick, it is the
Miami Dolphins.
Even if starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill is lost for the season and even if Kaepernick is the most viable option to help the Dolphins make a return to the playoffs, Miami’s vast and vocal Cuban population would explode if their hometown team signed a quarterback who has endorsed a brutal dictator who was responsible for killing thousands of Cubans and incarcerating tens of thousands of political prisoners.
Kaepernick, if you’ll recall, wore a Castro T-shirt last year to a news conference to
discuss the oppression of African-Americans. That’s right; he attended an anti-oppression news conference wearing a T-shirt favorably depicting one of the most oppressive dictators in world history.
To make matters worse, Kaepernick, when questioned about the T-shirt, actually lauded Castro for investing so much more on Cuba’s education system than on the country’s prison system. Kaepernick probably never stopped to consider that maybe Castro figured killing prisoners is much cheaper than incarcerating them.
That said, I believe if any NFL team needs a quarterback and Kaepernick is considered the best option for winning games, then he should certainly be signed. Any team, that is, except Miami. Bringing Kaepernick to Miami would be like bringing Bill Cosby to a feminist convention. Remember when former Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen expressed admiration for Castro a few years ago? The protests were immediate and the Marlins suspended Guillen for five games. Guillen quickly apologized and admitted that the comments were the biggest mistake of his life.
Likewise, signing Kaepernick would be one of the biggest mistakes in Dolphins history.
SHORT STUFF: With no stars and barely any starters playing in the first NFL exhibition game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, the league should have changed the name from “Hall of Fame Game” to “Hall of What’s-His-Name Game.” … Since giving up his full-ride athletic scholarship because he simply wasn’t willing to even consider compromising with the NCAA, ex-UCF kicker and current YouTube sensation Donald De La Haye has started a GoFundMe page so gullible internet dupes can pay for his college education. Sorry, but I find it laughable that he wants others to provide him with the free education that he just gave up and is asking others to sacrifice their money so he can continue to make his. Two words: Student loan. …
Did you see where the University of Florida’s newest quarterback — Notre Dame transfer
Malik Zaire — says he thinks the Gators could have the best offense in the country this season? Love his enthusiasm, but personally I think UF’s offensive rallying cry this year should be: “Just don’t finish ranked 100th or worse, baby!” … The preseason Amway Coaches Poll was released earlier this week, spawning hours of mindnumbingly meaningless debate on pointless rankings that really mean nothing in the grand scheme of the college football season. That said, FSU SHOULD BE RANKED NO. 1, NOT ALABAMA!!! … By the way, how do you become a voter on the Amway Poll? Do you have to recruit 10 other voters who then recruit 10 other voters and so on? … A moment of silence, please. Ara
Parseghian has gone to That Big Golden Dome in the Sky. …
I’m not saying Jon Gruden doesn’t belong in the Tampa Bay Bucs Ring of Honor, but it’s a joke that he’s getting in before Tony Dungy .I realize Gruden won the Bucs’ only Super Bowl in his first season after Dungy was fired, but as
Warren Sapp once said — and I’m paraphrasing — “Tony Dungy went to the store, bought the ingredients to make the cake, mixed up the batter, poured it in the pan and put it in the oven. Then — ding! — the bell went off. And Jon Gruden took the cake out of the oven.” … Orlando City has signed Peruvian midfielder Yoshimar Yotún. Yes, THAT Yoshimar Yotún.
LAST WORD: How cool is it that the Chicago Cubs are giving Steve Bartman a World Series ring? Even cooler would be if they tossed it to him during the ring ceremony and Moises Alou intercepted it! …
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on Twitter @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on FM 96.9 and AM 740.