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Seattle Seahawks cancel workout with Colin Kaepernick

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 02:   (L-R) Eli Harold #58, Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel on the sideline during the ant
Image: Colin Kaepernick began the NFL's kneeling protest during the 2016 preseason

The Seattle Seahawks postponed a planned workout with quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he told them he was yet to decide whether he would continue his national anthem protest.

Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, started the movement of NFL players kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner in the 2016 preseason over racial inequality and oppression in the United States.

The 30-year-old went on to start 11 games that year, but opted out of the rest of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017 and set about getting a new team.

But Kaepernick is yet to even secure a tryout with any team and has an open grievance case against team owners, who he claims have colluded to keep him out of the NFL because of the protest.

Kaepernick's workout with the Seahawks was due to happen in the same week he was deposed by NFL lawyers as part of that collusion case.

The Seahawks have not ruled out contacting Kaepernick to rearrange the visit, per the Seattle Times, who were following up an earlier report from ESPN analyst Adam Schefter.

The anthem protest continued last season, with players from multiple teams kneeling, while others linked arms in their own form of protest and some players remained in the locker room while Star Spangled Banner was being played.

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Eric Reid has received minimal interest on the free agent market
Image: Eric Reid has joined Colin Kaepernick on the free agent market

President Donald Trump was highly critical of the protestors, coming out firmly in favour of owners dismissing players who failed to respect the US anthem, which led to a short-term increase in the number of players kneeling.

Earlier this week, Kaepernick's former team-mate Eric Reid - another high-profile anthem protestor - left the Cincinnati Bengals without a contract after a meeting dominated by talk whether his protest would continue.

Strong safety Reid, who acknowledged at the end of last season that his protest would affect his free agent market, has also been unable to find a new team since leaving the 49ers after the 2017 campaign.

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