With the XFL on the road to returning to professional football, it is unsurprising that the liberal sports media just had to ask proprietor Vince McMahon if he would be open to hiring anti-American protest inventor Colin Kaepernick.
But what McMahon said in reply might surprise many of his potential fans.
One of the first things WWE mogul Vince McMahon said when he announced the return of his XFL football league was that players would have to stand for the national anthem. So, one might think this rule would automatically exclude unemployed national anthem protest inventor Colin Kaepernick from joining the new league.
But when McMahon was asked specifically about hiring the former San Francisco 49er second-string quarterback, the re-minted football league boss said he absolutely would consider giving Kaepernick a shot, NESN reported.
“Anyone who plays the game of football well and meets our criteria in terms of quality of human being, why not?” McMahon told reporters. “As long as everyone abides by the rules as laid down.”
This quixotic offer might be surprising to fans who have already been promised that politics would be left off the XFL’s gridiron. And with Kaepernick’s reputation as a major left-wing, Black Lives Matter activist, one might think that McMahon would have little interest in the former 49er.
Still, if you look at McMahon’s full statement, it is easy to assume Kaepernick himself would reject the opportunity to play in the XFL — especially if his activism were to be quashed at the outset. After all, McMahon was careful to note that Kaepernick would have to follow the XFL’s no politics rule, and that might be one restriction Kaepernick won’t abide.
One thing is sure, it’s McMahon’s game, and he makes the rules. If Kaepernick wants a shot at the XFL, he’ll have to make peace with standing for the national anthem.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
