Tom Brady Hopes Colin Kaepernick Gets an Opportunity to Return to the NFL

Tom Brady said he hopes Colin Kaepernick gets an opportunity to return to the NFL.

Colin Kaepernick held a workout near Atlanta over the weekend for a limited number of NFL scouts. While he waits to hear from teams, Tom Brady says he is rooting for him.

"It's great that he got an opportunity and hopefully he makes the most of it. It is like everyone in the NFL, it's a great privilege to play and do something you love to do. I've felt that way for a long time. Hopefully, he gets an opportunity. That’s kind of how I feel," Brady said during his weekly appearance on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show.

"I like Colin. I've got to know Colin a little bit. I know he's obviously hoping he can play."

The NFL scheduled Kaepernick's workout for Saturday at the Falcons' practice facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. However, 30 minutes before the event was set to start, his camp moved it to a high school one hour away to ensure transparency after the NFL denied his request for media access. The league released a statement later in the day saying it didn't hear until Saturday that Kaepernick wanted media in attendance.

Kaepernick's team and the NFL also disagreed on what type of waiver he should sign for the league-organized workout. The NFL asked Kaepernick to sign a waiver promising he wouldn't sue the league if he went unsigned after the workout. Kaepernick's representatives responded with a standard injury form.

After Kaepernick and his team decided to move location and hold the workout on their own, only six teams sent scouts to watch.

Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017 and later filed a grievance against the NFL in October of that year with former teammate Eric Reid. The two sides reached a settlement in February 2019.