Spike Lee Announced The Colin Kaepernick Seahawks Deal That Hasn’t Happened

Spike Lee congratulated Colin Kaepernick for signing to the Seahawks on Instagram, even though the deal hasn't gone down.

May 28, 2017

Saturday night, actor, director and activist Spike Lee took to Instagram to announce the Seattle Seahawks had finalized a deal with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The post was a head-scratcher for a number of reasons, including but not limited to Lee not exactly being a regular source for breaking NFL news and the small detail of Kaepernick never having officially signed with the Seahawks. Lee’s IG post of himself and Kaepernick gained traction, presumably because people assumed Lee had some type of inside information.

“Big Love Shoutout To The Head Coach Pete Carroll For Signing My Brother Colin Kaepernick To The Seattle Seahawks,” Lee wrote in the caption of his post. “The Truth Is On Your Side. Much Success For The Coming NFL Season.”

The post was later deleted, as news came in that the Seahawks had not signed Kaepernick. Thursday, Kaepernick visited the Seahawks, but no deal was signed. The visit was confirmed roughly a week after Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed Kaepernick was one of the quarterbacks the team considered for the backup job behind Russell Wilson. Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta confirmed the Seahawks and Kaepernick have yet to reach an agreement on any potential deal, citing Kaepernick’s desired salary for the upcoming season as a likely culprit.

Kaepernick became a polarizing figure for his decision to sit during the National Anthem as a member of the San Francisco 49ers last season in part to protest the treatment of people of color.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said, when questioned about his decision. Later in the season, Kaepernick began kneeling on one knee, as critics of his protest deemed it unpatriotic and disrespectful to members of the military.

There has been speculation Kaepernick was being blackballed by various NFL teams after seemingly inferior quarterbacks such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer all signed free agent deals while Kaepernick remained unsigned. Over the last two seasons, Kaepernick’s 88.9 passer rating was higher than both Glennon, Fitzpatrick and several other of the 19 quarterbacks who were signed this offseason.