Kaepernick grievance against NFL moves on
Gronkowski gets new contract; full-time officials hired
An arbitrator in Philadelphia is sending Colin Kaepernick’s grievance with the NFL to trial, denying the league’s request to throw out the quarterback’s claims that owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests of social injustice.
Kaepernick’s lawyer Mark Geragos tweeted a picture Thursday of a ruling by arbitrator Stephen B. Burbank.
The former 49ers quarterback argues that owners have colluded to keep him off any NFL roster since he hit free agency in 2017.
Kaepernick began a wave of protests by NFL players two seasons ago, kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. The protests have grown into one of the most polarizing issues in sports, with President Donald Trump loudly urging the league to suspend or fire players who demonstrate during the anthem.
Kaepernick contends the owners violated union rules by conspiring to keep him off of teams.
The Ravens considered signing Kaepernick in summer 2017 when starting quarterback Joe Flacco was dealing with a back injury that would keep him out for the entire preseason.
At a fan forum, owner Steve Bisciotti said the organization had consulted with everyone from season-ticket holders to former players — including Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis — on the possibility of signing the controversial quarterback.
The story took another twist when Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, posted an image on Twitter that seemed to equate Lewis and Bisciotti’s relationship with that of a slave and his master.
The Ravens ultimately backed away from signing Kaepernick, and Lewis said Diab’s tweet was a factor.
Earlier this year, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh were interviewed for Kaepernick’s collusion case. Kaepernick Gronk gets big raise: Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots has all the incentives to become the NFL’s highest paid tight end.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Thursday the Patriots have added $4.3 million in incentives to Gronkowski’s contract for the next two seasons. The deal includes $1 million in per game bonuses and $3.3 million in incentives for catches, playing time and touchdowns.
Gronkowski has the potential to make $12.3 million this season and $13.3 next year when his base salary jumps to $9 million.
If he hits all the incentives, Gronkowski would be the NFL’s highest paid tight end. He is fourth among tight ends in base salary, trailing Green Bay’s Jimmy Graham ($10 million), Kansas City’s Travis Kelce ($9.36 million) and Washington’s Jordan Reed ($9.35 million).
Most of the incentives are reachable if the 29-year-old says healthy.
The nine-year veteran would receive incentives of $1.1 million for 70 catches, playing 80 percent of the offensive snaps, nine touchdown catches and 1,085 yards receiving. However, he can collect on no more than three incentives.
Gronkowski had 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games last season. Full-time officials: The NFL has hired 24 full-time game officials, including veteran referees Walt Anderson and Pete Morelli.
The NFL and NFL Referees Association made the announcement Thursday. The number of full-time officials is up from 21 last season.
All seven on-field officiating positions — referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge — will be represented with full-timers.
The full-time officials will work throughout the year to help improve various aspects of officiating, including game preparation and administration, analyzing game trends, communicating with teams, and helping develop a pipeline of future officials.
Alberto Riveron, the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Officiating, says the full-time officials were beneficial last year and improved communication with teams.