Unnecessary lies are just aggravating

I used to get really angry when someone claimed I was lying. That was my biggest pet peeve growing up, especially because I always considered myself an honest man. So when I’m called a liar, it would infuriate me, even when I’d show evidence to claim otherwise.

I don’t get mad anymore partially because I’ve grown to not care what strangers think and partially because this job kind of forces you to tell white lies to get what you need. But one thing that still irritates me is when I hear someone say something so egregiously false that I want to shout out “Wrong. Wrong!” like Charlie Murphy in a Dave Chappelle skit.

There’s been an ongoing story in the sports world involving NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his path toward being blackballed from the league.

Due to limited amount of space, I’ll sum up the story like this. Kaepernick protested openly while the pre-game by first sitting then changing his stance and kneeling during the national anthem.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in late August 2016. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Whether you agree with his stance or not, Kaepernick, as an American citizen, has the right to protest as stated in the Constitution. So he did. Fast forward to now and Kaepernick is without a job, even though there is statistical proof that shows he’s one of the best 96 quarterbacks in the league.

The other week Kaepernick was asked to show up to Seattle to show off his skills for the Seahawks. After tryouts, Austin Davis signed a contract to become the Seahawks’ backup, instead of Kaepernick. Again, without getting into too much detail, there is statistical proof that Kaepernick is a much better option at quarterback than Davis.

So what happened?

"Colin's been a fantastic football player, and he's going to continue to be," Pete Carroll said. "At this time, we didn't do anything with it, but we know where he is and who he is and we had a chance to understand him much more so. He's a starter in this league. And we have a starter. But he's a starter in this league, and I can't imagine that someone won't give him a chance to play."

Essentially, Carroll and the Seahawks front office claimed that Kaepernick was simply overqualified to becoming the backup to Russell Wilson.

In my best Charlie Murphy voice…Wrong. Wrong!

When is having someone who is “overqualified” a bad thing in sports? Especially in a sport where grown men collide for a living. Injuries happen. If Wilson was to go down, you think the Seahawks would prefer going with a quarterback that is “not” good enough to be a starter? No. You go with talent.

Kaepernick wasn’t signed because he’s too good. He’s not signed because NFL owners believe a man who uses his platform to protest wrongdoings done on minorities isn’t worth the trouble. Domestic violence? Just a few games of suspension. Kneeling during the anthem? Expulsion from the league.

I get not being able to tell the full truth to the media. I’ve had this job for over four years now, which may not be too long but it’s long enough to where I know how things go. I’ve written stories where sources would feed me quotes that aren’t necessarily 100 percent true. However, it’s one thing where you’re not being completely honest. It’s another where you’re just feeding me Grade-A bull honky, as they say. And what Carroll fed the media was exactly that — bull honky.

Don’t insult our intelligence. I know in sports, quotes tend to be boring. That’s the nature of the game. But a full-blown lie? I’m not down with that.

I remember early on in my career having a conversation with someone about our newspaper. This person, who I’ll keep his name secret, claimed that we weren’t getting the support we needed since we weren’t “locally owned.”

Some more Grade-A bull honky.

The staff then (and now for that matter) all either lived in county or right next to it. Speaking only for myself, I shopped locally, paid taxes, etc. I would grab a bite to eat and maybe something to drink at local spots here in town. So that “locally owned” claim was pretty ridiculous.

I’ll admit, it took a while for me to finally respect the person again. But eventually I got over it.

I’m sure Kaepernick has seen the writing on the wall for months. He’ll get over it too if he doesn’t find employment in the NFL. Just don’t feed me a lie that can easily be taken apart.