Saturday 16 February 2019 12:11, UK
The fledgling Alliance of American Football tried and failed to tempt Colin Kaepernick into joining the league during its development stage according to co-founder Bill Polian.
Polian told The Athletic that AAF chief executive officer Charlie Ebersol reached out to Kaepernick, who has not played in the NFL since 2016 over his decision to start kneeling for the national anthem in protest against racial injustice.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick is pursuing a grievance against the league, claiming teams have colluded against him to keep him out of the NFL.
"I don't know what transpired, but he's obviously not playing," Polian said.
The Associated Press reported that Kaepernick wanted $20m to play in the AAF, where all players signed $250,000 deals over three years but can earn more in bonuses.
Players who sign AAF contracts are free to try out for NFL teams after the season ends in May but are then obliged to return to the league if they are unable to find a new employer.
Polian also confirmed he had approached former New York Jets and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow about joining the AAF, an eight-team league which kicked off its inaugural regular season last weekend.
But Tebow, who is trying to break into Major League Baseball with the New York Mets, also turned down the chance of a return to football.
