This Dec. 24, 2016 photo shows San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick talking during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick filed a grievance against... (Associated Press) 
 
 This Dec. 24, 2016 photo shows San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick talking during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017 alleging that he remains unsigned as a result of collusion by... (Associated Press) 
 
 This Dec. 24, 2016 photo shows San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick talking during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017 alleging that he remains unsigned as a result of collusion by... (Associated Press) This Dec. 24, 2016 photo shows San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick talking during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams. Kaepernick filed a grievance against... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL on Sunday, alleging that he remains unsigned as a result of collusion by owners following his protests during the national anthem. 
 
 Kaepernick started a national conversation about political activism by athletes last season when he decided to sit, and then kneel, during the anthem to bring attention to mistreatment of African-Americans by police. Other players have continued the protests this season, prompting an angry response from President Donald Trump, who said players should be fired for not standing during the anthem. 
 
 Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers at the end of last season and remains a free agent despite a rash of injuries and poor play at the quarterback position. 
 
 Mark Geragos, one of Kaepernick's attorneys, said in a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday that he filed the grievance "only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives." 
 
 "If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest — which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago — should not be punished," Geragos said in the statement, "and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the executive branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation." 
 
 San Francisco safety Eric Reid, Kaepernick's former teammate, has been kneeling during the anthem before games, including Sunday's 26-24 loss at the Washington Redskins. 
 
 "I'll have to follow up with him," Reid said after the game. "It sure does seem like he's being blackballed. I think all the stats prove that he's an NFL-worthy quarterback. So that's his choice and I support his decision. We'll just have to see what comes of it." 
 
 The NFL players' union said it would support the grievance, which was filed through the arbitration system that's part of the league's collective bargaining agreement. 
 
 "Colin Kaepernick's goal has always been, and remains, to simply be treated fairly by the league he performed at the highest level for and to return to the football playing field," Geragos said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 More AP NFL: http://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL ||||| Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick is pursuing a collusion grievance against the NFL under the CBA, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. 
 
 The NFL spokesman told La Canfora that he is checking on it. 
 
 Kaepernick remains a free agent since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March. Kaepernick was one of the NFL's biggest stories in 2016 after he decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest and raise awareness against racial injustice in America. Players throughout the league have continued protesting during this NFL season. 
 
 As explained by Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann in March, "Collusion occurs when two or more teams, or the league and at least one team, join to deprive a player of a contractually earned right. Such a right is normally found in the collective bargaining agreement signed by a league and its players’ association. For example, the right of a free-agent player to negotiate a contract with a team cannot be impaired by a conspiracy of teams to deny that a player a chance to sign." 
 
 • Does Colin Kaepernick have a legit collusion case? 
 
 Kaepernick has hired attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented high profile clients including Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder and NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield. Geragos issued the following statement: 
 
 "We can confirm that this morning we filed a grievance under the CBA on behalf of Colin Kaepernick. This was done only after pursuing every possible avenue with all NFL teams and their executives. 
 
 If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest -- which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago -- should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the Executive Branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation. Protecting all athletes from such collusive conduct is what compelled Mr. Kaepernick to file his grievance. 
 
 Colin Kaepernick's goal has always been, and remains, to be simply be treated fairly by the league he performed at the highest level for and to return to the football playing field." 
 
 According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFLPA released a statement saying it would assist Kaepernick in this process and will talk with him soon. 
 
 The statement reads: 
 
 "Our union has a duty to assist Mr. Kaepernick as we do all players and we will support him. 
 
 The NFLPA has been in regular contact with Mr. Kaepernick's representatives for the past year about his options and our union agreed to follow the direction of his advisors throughout that time. 
 
 We first learned through media reports today that Mr. Kaepernick filed a grievance claiming collusion through our arbitration system and is represented by his own counsel. We learned that the NFL was informed of his intention to file a grievance before today. 
 
 We are scheduling a call with his advisors for early this week." ||||| Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images 
 
 After remaining unsigned through six weeks of the 2017 NFL season, Colin Kaepernick claims the league is participating in collusion. 
 
 As first reported by Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has filed a grievance against the owners for collusion under the latest collective bargaining agreement. 
 
 Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on what Kaepernick is looking to accomplish with the grievance: 
 
 "Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Kaepernick wants to trigger termination of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. 
 
 "Article 69, Section 2 of the CBA allows for the agreement to be terminated prematurely in the event of proof of collusion. Under Article 17, Section 16(c) of the CBA, termination can arise from only one incident of collusion involving only one player if there is clear and convincing evidence of a violation." 
 
 Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, released a statement on why the grievance was filed, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network: 
 
 Kaepernick opted out of his contract at the conclusion of last season with the expectation he would find a new landing spot but has not gotten a new deal and has received surprisingly little interest compared to how well he played last season. He finished the year with 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 12 games. 
 
 The 29-year-old was notably the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem at the start of last season as a protest against racial injustice. The media attention is a holdup for several organizations. 
 
 As former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese recently explained to 102.5 The Game (via Jason Wolf of the Tennessean), "You don’t want this circus." 
 
 However, Commissioner Roger Goodell has denied there has been any blackballing of the quarterback. 
 
 "I believe that if a football team feels that Colin Kaepernick, or any other player, is going to improve that team, they're going to do it," he said in June, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. 
 
 La Canfora reported last Sunday that Kaepernick is "not quitting" and is willing to prove himself as a quality option.
– Colin Kaepernick, still unsigned six weeks into the NFL season, believes he is being blackballed for his role in protests during the national anthem and has filed a grievance against NFL owners. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback became a free agent at the end of last season and has failed to land a contract despite impressive statistics and injuries to other quarterbacks. His complaint accuses team owners of collusion, which Sports Illustrated defines as what happens when "two or more teams, or the league and at least one team, join to deprive a player of a contractually earned right," including the right of a free-agent player to negotiate a contract. Last year, Kaepernick was the first player to protest racial injustice by refusing to stand for the anthem. If the NFL is to remain a meritocracy, "principled and peaceful political protest ... should not be punished," his attorney, Mark Geragos, said in a statement, per Bleacher Report. Kaepernick's grievance was filed under the latest collective bargaining agreement and the NFL player's union says it is supporting him. Former 49ers teammate Eric Reid, who started kneeling during the anthem soon after Kaepernick began his protest, tells the AP that it "sure seems like he is being blackballed." "I think all the stats prove that he's an NFL-worthy quarterback," he says. "So that's his choice and I support his decision."