Clear that Big Blue’s moral compass points wherever winds of public opinion blow
JOHN MARA, Steve Tisch and Jerry Reese kept Josh Brown on the Giants even after finding out he was arrested for domestic violence in 2015. Then they signed him to a new two-year contract with a raise in 2016 after another incident with his wife at the Pro Bowl that they knew about, retained him even after details of his problems became public when the NFL suspended him last summer for the first game and didn’t fire him until an even more chilling account was released by authorities midway through last season.
Public and media pressure made it impossible to keep him. Only then did they cut him. But any disgust Giants fans had with the organization that holds itself to the highest standard finished no better than second to their fans who said they would disown Big Blue if their players followed Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the National Anthem.
Not that the Giants, who Mara said never discussed signing Kaepernick this offseason, had any intention of adding Kaepernick to back up Eli Manning even without this controversy swirling around him. The potential asking price and not being a pocket passer made Kaepernick a less than ideal fit, but it does answer why the Memorial Day weekend passed and Kaepernick’s only visit during the free agency period that began March 9 was to Seattle last Wednesday. He left without a contract. Clearly, teams are concerned about alienating their constituency, and the dollars it could cost them.
In a revealing comment to The MMQB, Mara put an owner’s voice to the words: Kaepernick’s politics were a problem.
“All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said.
More emotional than the decision to keep Brown, a wife beater? Really? That does not say a lot for the fans corresponding with Mara. He said the sentiment from Giants fans of Kaepernick was, “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game.”
None of the Giants protested to support Kaepernick as others around the NFL did, but it’s also worth pointing out that in his comments Mara didn’t even say Kaepernick didn’t break any laws, has never been accused of domestic violence, and, if you don’t want your tickets, somebody else will.
I’m not blaming the Giants for signing Geno Smith instead of Kaepernick, but only because after the Brown mess, a backup QB who automatically would become a lightning rod was just not worth it.
If fans were threatening to boycott the Giants, it’s logical to believe it was happening to other teams in other cities as well. It comes down to this: No fans have set up outside any team’s headquarters demanding they sign Kaepernick, but no owner wants to risk protesters showing up at the office if they do sign him. They would be getting more than a No. 2 quarterback; they would be buying a major distraction.
If Kaepernick was a transcendent talent, if he was the rare superstar quarterback who makes it to the open market, then somebody would have given him a shot by now. Eagles coach Andy Reid talked dog-loving owner Jeff Lurie into signing Michael Vick after he was released from prison for dogfighting — even though he had Donovan McNabb — because back in 2009 Vick was considered an unstoppable weapon.
Kaepernick, despite excellent numbers of 16 TDs and four INTs last season, was 1-10 starting for the 49ers and is considered a declining talent. By itself, that doesn’t explain why he hasn’t yet been signed as a backup. Look at some of the QBs who have found new homes as free agents in the last few months: Brian Hoyer (49ers), Matt Barkley (49ers), Josh McCown (Jets), Nick Foles (Eagles), Mike Glennon (Bears), Mark Sanchez (Bears), Smith (Giants) , Chase Daniel (Saints), EJ Manuel (Raiders), Case Keenum (Vikings), Blaine Gabbert (Cardinals), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Bucs).
Hoyer, Glennon and McCown are all expected to start. None are as talented as Kaepernick, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl just five years ago and is only 29 years old. If Kaepernick stood for the National Anthem, he would not be unemployed right now.
If fans were threatening to boycott the Giants if any of their players followed Kaepernick’s boycott, is it really far-fetched to think that he has been blackballed? I’m not saying this is collusion where teams have made a pact to leave him on the street, but it’s possible they all came to the conclusion on their own: His talent doesn’t justify the negative publicity. He is polarizing.
Mara received plenty of letters by fans warning the Giants would lose them if his players sat down for the anthem, as Kaepernick did at first, or then kneeled down, as he did later.
“It wasn’t one or two letters,” Mara said. “It was a lot. It was an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I’ve run into.”
The Giants signed Smith, coming off a torn ACL, to a cost-effective contract and then drafted Davis Webb in the third round. That was their plan all along: Find Manning an experienced backup at minimal dollars to compete with Josh Johnson and develop a young quarterback taken with a relatively high draft pick.
After the criticism the Giants received following their mishandling of Brown last year, they were not about to subject themselves to another round of it for a backup quarterback. There’s too many others who don’t come with that baggage.
Brown was just a kicker, a replaceable part the Giants should have parted with the first time they heard he abused his wife. Perhaps Mara saw good in Brown as he attempted to turn around his life with counseling and wanted to help him. The Giants had enough red flags waved in their face but passed on every opportunity to get rid of Brown until they had no choice. They didn’t let him get on the plane to London for their game against the Rams in late October when damning new details emerged and cut him soon after they returned. Without the external pressure, it’s certainly possible Brown would still be on the Giants. aepernick still seems likely to sign with Seattle where he will back up Russell Wilson. They are similar style players so he’s a good fit. Pete Carroll will not have to change the offense if Wilson is injured.
Roger Goodell dismissed the possibility that Kaepernick has intentionally been excluded from signing with any of the 32 teams. He says teams make individual decisions how to improve.
Until the Seahawks or another team gets Kaepernick’s signature on a contract, what they have all decided is the best way to improve is by not signing him.
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