Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick to be deposed in collusion grievance

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was scheduled to be deposed Tuesday in his collusion grievance against the NFL.

Kaepernick, who filed a grievance against the NFL in October 2017 that accused the 32 owners of collusion, is the first witness to be deposed by the league, Yahoo Sports reported.

A free agent since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017, Kaepernick remains unsigned. He filed his grievance after his agent reached out to all NFL teams to make sure they were aware of his interest in playing last season.

Kaepernick has been a controversial figure since he first sat and then knelt during the national anthem before games while with the 49ers in the 2016 season as a protest against police brutality against African-Americans, social injustice and racial inequality.

At the heart of Kaepernick's grievance is his claim that owners colluded to keep him off the field because of the protests and not due to his ability.

"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," his attorney, Mark Geragos, said when announcing the collusion grievance.

Kaepernick and his legal team said that league owners violated terms of the collective bargaining agreement, specifically a clause that prohibits teams from acting together in regards to a player's employment status.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated on multiple occasions last season that Kaepernick was not being blackballed. Goodell, along with several owners, is expected to be deposed in the case.

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair already has testified in the case, as have Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh.