President Donald Trump has chimed in on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his attempt to return to the league.
Kaepernick posted a video on Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday which showed the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback working out, saying he is “still ready” despite being out of the NFL for over two seasons.
Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers back in March 2017 and has not been signed to a team since.
Trump was asked about Kaepernick and his potential return to the NFL, and the President offered his response.
“Only if he’s good enough” Trump said, according to ESPN. “If he was good enough, they’d hire him. Why wouldn’t he play if he was good enough?
“I think if he was good enough, I know the owners, I know Bob Kraft, I know so many of the owners, if he’s good enough, they’d sign him,” Trump said. “So if he’s good enough, I know these people — they would sign him in a heartbeat. They will do anything they can to win games.
“Frankly, I’d love to see Kaepernick come in, if he’s good enough. But I don’t want to see him come in because somebody thinks it’s a good PR move. If he’s good enough, he will be in.”
Trump and NFL players have been at odds over NFL players who protested during the national anthem, with the President putting pressure on team owners to release players who took part in the protests, alleging that the protests were “hurting the game” and saying that offended fans should walk out of games.
Trump also seemed to have taken credit, in the past, for Kaepernick not being able to find a new team following his departure from San Francisco.