A former NFL executive says teams were wrong for not signing Colin Kaepernick, and urges the Minnesota Vikings to add the controversial quarterback to their roster now.

Key points: Former Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not played since 2016

Former Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not played since 2016 He caused controversy by kneeling during the national anthem at games to protest police brutality

He caused controversy by kneeling during the national anthem at games to protest police brutality Kaepernick has funded a legal defence team for protesters arrested after the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody

Joe Lockhart penned a column for CNN on Saturday, as race riots that began in Minnesota continued to rage across the United States.

The former NFL spokesman turned CNN contributor responded to the violence happening in Minneapolis in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody earlier this week during an arrest.

Lockhart wrote that nothing challenged the league more while he was an executive VP of communications than Kaepernick's national anthem protests.

The then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback sparked a wave of protests by NFL players in 2016 when he kneeled during the anthem in a pre-season game to call attention to police brutality and racial inequality.

The protests grew into one of the most polarising issues in sports, with US President Donald Trump urging the league to suspend or fire players who demonstrated during The Star-Spangled Banner.

While he has been away from the playing field, Kaepernick has become an advocate for battling social and racial injustice, with many experts saying his political activism was the key reason teams were wary of signing him.

This week, Kaepernick has helped fund, through his charity, the establishment of a legal defence fund for people in Minneapolis who are arrested while protesting against police brutality and the death of Mr Floyd.

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On the weekend, Lockhart wrote that his stance at the time was that league execs "had all done a righteous job" trying to convince team owners to sign Kaepernick.

"I was wrong," Lockhart wrote in his column. "I think the teams were wrong for not signing him. Watching what's going on in Minnesota, I understand how badly wrong we were."

Lockhart defended the league in the column.

"Kaepernick was not blocked because the league wanted to punish him for setting off the protests. In fact, just the opposite is true. The commissioner and several other league executives spent a lot of effort prodding and pushing owners to sign him," Lockhart wrote.

Colin Kaepernick scored in Super Bowl XLVII for San Francisco, but he has not played in the NFL since 2016. ( Reuters: Brian Snyder )

"But for many owners it always came back to the same thing. Signing Kaepernick, they thought, was bad for business.

"That symbol of racial injustice was reinforced every day that Colin sat on the outside of the football world.

"It may have seemed like a good business decision for the clubs to not sign him, and it certainly wasn't illegal, but it was wrong."

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In 2018, Nike ran a controversial ad campaign featuring Kaepernick, with the tagline: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

Last year, Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid privately settled their collusion grievance case against NFL owners.

Kaepernick had filed the suit in October 2017 after going unsigned as a free agent following his decision to opt out of his contract with San Francisco and test the market.

He had argued that teams had worked together to keep him out of the league.

His desire to play in the NFL remains — Kaepernick held his own workout at an Atlanta high school last year in front of cameras and a number of team scouts after refusing to attend a league tryout because of disagreement over media access and liability waivers.

"I've been prepared for three years, I've been denied for three years and you all know why," Kaepernick said at the time. "I've been ready. I'm staying ready."

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on Saturday addressing the death of Floyd and the ensuing protests.

"As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league. These tragedies inform the NFL's commitment and our ongoing efforts," Goodell wrote, in part.

"There remains an urgent need for action. We recognise the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society.

"We embrace that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and partners."

While Goodell was not specific, the man who was responsible for overseeing league statements for two years was very specific on Saturday, saying the Vikings should sign Kaepernick.

"It will not solve the problem of blacks and police violence. But it will recognise the problem that Kaepernick powerfully raised, and perhaps show that, with courage, real progress can be made," Lockhart wrote.

"I hope they will do it. It's the right thing to do. And it's something the city — and all of America — needs right now."

Reuters/ABC

Source: ABC News (AU)

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