Steve Bisciotti on Kaepernick’s Anthem protest: “I liked it a lot when he went from sitting to kneeling”

On Sunday evening, while Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti addressed fans alongside commissioner Roger Goodell, the man himself made interesting comments about Colin Kaepernick and his anthem protests.

It has been speculated all offseason that Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL owners and although Bisciotti didn't say that was the reason the team hasn't, or will not sign Kaepernick, it’s still a pretty damning look into how NFL owners are viewing the situation of his peaceful protest. Bisciotti went on to mention that he has had discussions with NFL players past and present—including Ravens’ legend Ray Lewis— about the Kaepernick situation and how to best approach it. To be fair to Bisciotti, he stated that he was favorable to Kaepernick kneeling as opposed to sitting and that garnered more support from Bisciotti himself.

Another thing that stands out about this situation is that Bisciotti noted that Kaepernick has assured teams that he will not be protesting the anthem this year.

There has been a lot of discussion amongst the fanbase on social media, and even here at Baltimore Beatdown about the ramifications and support that would come with signing Kaepernick. While many support the move and the cause that Kaepernick has kneeled for, others have vehemently voiced that they would abandon the team as fans if he was brought in.

This builds off comments that Giants’ owner John Mara made earlier this offseason when he stated he had received a ton of emotional letters from fans that stated they would never come to another game if a Giants player did what Kaepernick did.

The more and more we hear about the Kaepernick situation and see that owners aren't necessarily in agreeance with what he did, it becomes harder to believe that at least a few NFL owners haven't banded together to send him a message. Something else that may be weighing on Bisciotti’s mind is the Ray Rice situation. Rice was a black eye on the organization that still impacts how the Ravens acquired players to this day. At the State of the Ravens address, Bisciotti mentioned that the Ravens would stay away from players with a history of domestic violence. While what Kaepernick has done doesn't even begin to compare to such heinous acts, it appears that going forward the team wants to be viewed as postitively as possible in the public eye.