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Rishard Matthews claims Titans were part of Colin Kaepernick collusion

By Michael Moraitis

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 05: Rishard Matthews #18 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 05: Rishard Matthews #18 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews says the team was part of a concerted effort to keep Colin Kaepernick out of the NFL.

In the case of free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his inability to get a job in the NFL, there has been an accusation of collusion among NFL teams to keep him out of the league — and former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews says his old team was part of it.

Matthews, who was with the Titans for two-plus seasons from 2016 to 2018, posted a long message about Kaepernick on Instagram late Saturday night, giving his insight into who the quarterback is away from the football field.

In his post, Matthews suggests that the Titans were part of a broader conspiracy by teams around the league to keep Kaepernick out of the NFL. He says he discovered this based on two separate conversations he had with his general manager and head coach during one of the three years Kaepernick has been out of the league.

Now, Matthews does not mention the Titans specifically, but based on the timeline of Kaepernick being out of the NFL from 2017 to 2019 and other details from Matthews’ post, it lines up for him to be talking about Tennessee.

Here’s the excerpt.

"Another Fun fact: One of the 3yrs he was out Our QB kept getting hurt. And i suggested to both the GM & to the Head Coach separately in a face to face conversation that we should bring Kap in he’d be perfect for this offense. They both not knowing i had talked to one another had literally gave me the same exact answer. At those moments i knew they all collectively were keeping him away. We then signed TWO qbs that weren’t even of range of Kap. That also showed me that people are willing to lose then to present him with an opportunity. Taught me a lot about people, business, & overall just good & evil. I mean no preseason, no workouts, no nothing. For 3yrs.. Crazy"

Considering Matthews played in 14 games for the Titans in 2017 and three games in 2018 before being released, these conversations could have taken place in either of those seasons. And, in both of those seasons, starting quarterback Marcus Mariota dealt with injuries.

In 2017 and 2018, the Titans signed Matt Cassel and Blaine Gabbert, respectively.

If the conversations in question took place in 2017, the head coach was Mike Mularkey, but if they happened in 2018, the head coach was Mike Vrabel. Of course, Jon Robinson was the general manager in both of those seasons.

Take these comments by Matthews how you will because of course there’s no way to prove whether he’s telling the truth or not. The insinuation that NFL teams are colluding to keep Kaepernick out of the league is nothing new.

The Titans were one of eight teams to attend Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday.

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