According to ESPN’s Diana Russini and sources, Ravens Head Coach, John Harbaugh and General Manager Ozzie Newsome are on board with signing Colin Kaepernick. However, Ravens Owner Steve Biscotti is resistant to signing him. Some NFL players, fans, and sports personalities have wondered why Kaepernick is not a member of an NFL roster yet. It seems the answer is that, owners are more worried about their bottom line, than winning games. The real question that players, fans, and media personalities must ask is why are owners treating Kaepernick like a criminal?

Thanks to reporting by Russini, fans now may have concrete proof that coaches and GM’s have wanted to sign Kaepernick, but owners of the team have stopped it from happening.  The Ravens have said that Steve Biscotti is not resistant to the idea of signing Colin Kaepernick.

Owners like Biscotti, must worry about the profitability of their teams, but Kaepernick is not a criminal. Yes, some people may not like how he protested, by refusing to stand for the national anthem. However, most people overlook the underlying message of Kaepernick’s protest. Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem due to what he saw as police brutality against unarmed African-Americans.

It is amazing that an owner like Biscotti can try to reportedly, take a moral stand on the signing of Kaepernick. Biscotti allowed, Ray Lewis to play for his team in the 2001 super bowl. After being accused of murdering a man in 2001. Lewis ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice.  Lewis still played in the super bowl and was a crucial part in helping the Ravens win the 2001 super bowl.  A statue of Lewis is currently sitting in front of M&T Stadium.  Biscotti also did everything he could to not release Ray Rice, who was accused of domestic violence, and a video was released of him beating up his fiancé in an elevator in an Atlantic City casino. That video is ultimately what led the Ravens to release Rice.

It seems a huge double standard exists in the NFL when it comes to Kaepernick.   He cannot be on an NFL roster but Greg Hardy, Ray Lewis, Ray Rice, and others can be.  The National Football League may have an image problem, but Colin Kaepernick is not the problem. It seems the problem maybe Biscotti and owners like him, who continue to be allowed to get away with this double standard, unchallenged.

The real question America must ask is why are owners treating Kaepernick like a criminal,  and will America continue to play the role of Charlie Brown? While letting owners like Biscotti play the role of Lucy, and continue to pull the football away from us. Kaepernick is just a symbol, if he can be ostracized from the NFL for exercising his first amendment right. Then any player can. The reason owners like Biscotti continue to treat Kaepernick like a criminal, maybe because they are of the mindset that their teams will make less money with Kaepernick on the team, than they will without him on the roster. There will be more Kaepernick’s in the sports world, and it is up to fans to decide, if they want athletes with opinions or robots.