Colin Kaepernick’s legal team is reportedly expected to seek federal subpoenas in the next few weeks in order to get President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, among possible others, to testify in the quarterback’s grievance case against the NFL.
Kaepernick’s lawyers hope to dive into the White House’s political involvement with the league during the quarterback’s free agency and the league’s handling of player protests, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday, citing sources with knowledge of the collusion case.
The former San Francisco 49ers star will have to jump through another set of hoops while trying to get the White House involved in its case.
According to Yahoo, Kaepernick’s legal team will have to convince the system arbitrator overseeing the grievance case that Trump, Pence and others’ testimony would be relevant and make an impact on the case. If the arbitrator grants the request, the lawyers will then have to seek the subpoenas in a district court under the Federal Arbitration Act. Should both hurdles be cleared, it could call into question whether Trump, and others, could be forced to sit for depositions.
The latest development in the Kaepernick grievance case comes more than a week after it was revealed Trump’s public and personal pressure on NFL owners played a big role in the league’s decision to change its national anthem rules amid controversial player protests.
In depositions by NFL owners obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that Trump personally told him “you can’t win this one.”
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly said he thought Trump “changed the dialogue.” He reportedly added that he was supportive of the players’ protests until Trump’s comments.
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to protest police violence and racial injustice by refusing to stand for the national anthem in 2016.
He declined an option with the 49ers in free agency prior to the 2017, and has failed to latch on to a team since then.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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