If Colin Kaepernick gets cut by the San Francisco 49ers, it will have nothing to do with him not standing during the national anthem.
It will be because he's not performing, and in the world of the NFL -- a businessman's business -- that's a sin.
So far in the preseason, Kaepernick is 2-of-6 passing for 14 yards.
Every other quarterback trying to make the team has thrown at least 11 passes.
It appears Blaine Gabbert will be the starter this season, after taking over for Kaepernick last season when he hurt a shoulder. Nine games into last season, Kaepernick had six touchdown passes and five interceptions. Even Gabbert was more productive than that.
Jeff Driskel, formerly of Florida and then Louisiana Tech, appears set to make the team, having completed 14 of 27 passes for 129 yards. He's also ran nine times for 87 yards.
Christian Ponder also is pushing hard with 8-of-11 passing for 97 yards.
His $11.9 million salary for this season was guaranteed when the 49ers did not cut him before April 1, so the quarterback will have made about $40 million from the $114 million contract he signed in 2014 that had a ton of clauses.
It has been rumored the 49ers tried to trade their franchise quarterback, but he would have had to pass a physical, and if he could not that might explain why he wasn't cut before April 1. One of the clauses in his contract guaranteed his salary if he was cut before April 1 if it was because of injury, and Kaepernick was recovering from surgery to his nonthrowing shoulder in the offseason.
Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl during the 2012 season, made as many headlines last week when he refused to stand for the national anthem before an exhibition game as he has on the field recently.
No one is disputing that is his right, although some veterans and active military members probably felt betrayed.
This country has been able to keep its freedoms through two world wars, which cost the United States 600,000 lives.
World War II alone was almost 500,000 lives lost to fight off Germany, Italy and Japan, which wanted to oppress the entire world. The two global wars combined cost the world 88 million lives.
Kaepernick's explanation of why he sat was aimed more at the hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers who serve and protect our cities and towns.
"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 told NFL Media in an interview after Friday's game. "To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Granted, there are some rogue cops who should never have been allowed to wear a badge, and hopefully screening will be more stringent in the future, but they are a small percentage in a profession that takes its jobs seriously. No one has to look further than Dallas, where five police officers were killed in July during a protest of police actions.
Still, it was Kaepernick's right to not stand. Just as it would be his right to take a portion of the $22 million he is reportedly worth and give it to organizations who help minorities.
Everyone in this country has freedom of speech.
And NFL teams have the right to sign or cut any player it wants, and it appears Kaepernick is about to become just another person who had a well-paid job in the NFL that was ended by an injury or the inability to perform.
In the NFL, players are paid to play.
Sports on 08/31/2016