With the potentially season-ending injury of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the Miami Dolphins braintrust huddled in a scramble to find a replacement before the start of the season.
But despite Colin Kaepernick’s talents and starting experience, there was no chance the former 49er would be filling that void. That’s because as controversial as the Black Lives Matters icon is around the rest of the country, he’s particularly unpopular among many Cuban-Americans in Florida.
As Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi points out, Kaepernick alienated many in the Sunshine State by wearing a pro-Fidel Castro t-shirt to a press conference last year. He went so far as to say a potential signing would be the biggest mistake in Dolphins history, even if it cost Miami a playoff berth.
“Even if starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill is lost for the season and even if Kaepernick is the most viable option to help the Dolphins make a return to the playoffs, Miami’s vast and vocal Cuban population would explode if their hometown team signed a quarterback who has endorsed a brutal dictator responsible for killing thousands of Cubans and incarcerating tens of thousands of political prisoners,” he wrote.
Kaepernick caused major outrage among many NFL fans over his decision last season to take a knee during the National Anthem to protest police brutality against the black community. While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denies the quarterback has been blacklisted, he remains a free agent without any major prospects.
Instead, Miami head coach Adam Gase opted for (briefly) retired Chicago Bears Jay Cutler, who was coaxed out of the broadcast booth.
“Bringing Kaepernick to Miami would be like bringing Bill Cosby to a feminist convention,” wrote Bianchi.
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