Column: NFL shamelessly commandeers Kaepernick's cause

File-This Nov. 16, 2019, file photo shows free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick participating in a workout for NFL football scouts and media, in Riverdale, Ga. Kaepernick’s tryout: scouts dispatched, A busted play, with strings attached. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File)

FILE - In this March 23, 2018, file photo, former NFL player Anquan Boldin, speaks during a session to discuss criminal justice issues with other current and former NFL football players at Harvard Law School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Cambridge, Mass. The NFL has suddenly become a clarion in the quest for social justice, most strikingly tackling the issue of police brutality against African-Americans. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The same guys who banished Kaepernick from the league for kneeling during the anthem to raise awareness about those very same issues have ruthlessly commandeered his cause. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2013, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) runs for a 56-yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game, in San Francisco. The two teams that have combined for nine Super Bowl titles will meet with a spot in the ultimate game on the line once again when the 49ers (14-3) host the Packers (14-3) in the NFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)