(WHDH) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been ordered to preserve his cell phone records and emails in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL.
Court documents indicate Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair have also been deposed in the case. Other teams and league officials are expected to be deposed as well.
“Rules of Evidence, you are required by law to preserve all documents, emails, text messages, memoranda, notes, and all other electronically stored information (ESI) which is reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence in this action. Any deletion of or tampering with evidence shall be deemed willful spoliation and will subject you and your agents to the fullest extent of penalties permitted by law,” the documents said.
“There certainly might be something there. Can he make any progress within the court of law? The time’s going to tell,” said 7News legal analyst Tom Hoopes.
Kaepernick, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, filed a grievance in October against the league and its owners alleging he remains unsigned as a result of owners colluding against him after he kneeled during the national anthem before games last season.
Kaepernick believes the collusion stems from the owners’ desire to silence his cause and avoid possible backlash from the public, fans and league sponsors. He began sideline protests to raise awareness for social issues such as discrimination against minorities and policy brutality.
One of Kaepernick’s attorneys, Mark Geragos, issued a statement over Twitter that said, “If the NFL (as well as all professional sports leagues) is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest — which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago — should not be punished and athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the executive branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation.”
“I don’t believe there’s base to that claim that he’s being blackballed,” 49ers CEO Jed York previously said about Kaepernick’s claims.
Click here to view Colin Kaepernick’s grievance in its entirety.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)