Ray Lewis: Tweet Kept Ravens From Signing Colin Kaepernick
Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis says one of the reasons the team did not sign free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick was due to a tweet Kaepernick's girlfriend posted regarding Lewis and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti.
The tweet posted on Aug. 2 by Nessa Diab shows Lewis embracing Biscotti, similar to movie the "Django Unchained," where a character played by Samuel L. Jackson hugs slave-owner Leonardo DiCaprio's character.
"We were going to close the deal to sign him," Lewis said on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" on Tuesday night. "Steve Bisciotti said, 'I want to hear Colin Kaepernick speak to let me know that he wants to play football.'"
"His girl goes out and put out this racist gesture and doesn't know we are in the back office about to try to get this guy signed," Lewis said. "Steve Bisciotti has said it himself: 'How can you crucify Ray Lewis when Ray Lewis is the one calling for Colin Kaepernick?'"
Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem before games last season, and said he won't do so until there is significant change in the United States. He said earlier this year that he will now stand for the anthem.
The 29-year-old has not been signed by any team, causing speculating from around the league that his free agency status might have something to do with his political views and that he is being blackballed by some NFL teams.
