Commissioner Roger Goodell will be deposed in Colin Kaepernick collusion case
There’s a new and not entirely unexpected name to add to the list of NFL bigwigs who will be deposed in Colin Kaepernick’s collusion case against the league: commissioner Roger Goodell.
Citing a source, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Goodell, NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and vice president of player engagement Arthur McAfee will be deposed and asked to turn over all cellphone records and emails that relate to the Kaepernick situation.
The three league executives are in addition to several prominent owners who have also been called upon to hand over records: Dallas’ Jerry Jones, New England’s Robert Kraft, Houston’s Bob McNair, Seattle’s Paul Allen and San Francisco’s Jed York.
The owners were chosen based on statements they’ve made publicly about Kaepernick or player protests, which have been happening during the playing of the national anthem before games.
Kaepernick’s collusion filing is demanding an arbitration hearing, and says the NFL and its owners “have colluded to deprive Mr. Kaepernick of employment rights in retaliation for Mr. Kaepernick’s leadership and advocacy for equality and social justice and his bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States.”
Kaepernick, who turned 30 this week, remains unsigned despite injuries to several starting quarterbacks. Most recently, Houston lost rookie starter Deshaun Watson for the season to a torn ACL. The Texans signed T.J. Yates, who has not played a regular-season snap since 2015, and Matt McGloin to back up Tom Savage.
