Newly-Signed Wide Receiver Says He Knew Participating in Colin Kaepernick Workout Would Help Him

Jordan Veasy
RIVERDALE, GA - NOVEMBER 16: Colin Kaepernick stands with Bruce Ellington, Brice Butler, Jordan Veasy, and Ari Werts during the Colin Kaepernick NFL workout held at Charles R. Drew High School on November 16, 2019... Carmen Mandato/Getty

After signing with the Washington Redskins Wednesday, wide receiver Jordan Veasy told The Washington Post that he knew participating in last month's workout with quarterback Colin Kaepernick would help him.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to be a part of it," Veasy said. "Just being a part of the history of it, and I knew it was going to help me."

The workout was held on November 16 to improve Kaepernick's chances of being signed, but Veasy was the only member that came out of it with an NFL contract.

Prior to his workout, Kaepernick was told by the NFL that it was unclear who his receivers would be for his workout, according to Howard Bryant of ESPN. Instead, Kaepernick brought his own group of receivers that included Veasy.

Veasy was a free agent for about a month after being released from the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. His participation in the Kaepernick workout allowed him to showcase his skills in front of a number of NFL scouts, bringing his name back into the public eye.

Kaepernick's decision to include Veasy in his workout appeared not random; the two met three years ago at the University of California at Berkley. The wide receiver said in the Post interview that he and Kaepernick took a class about black representation in popular culture together at the university.

After being released by the Bills, Veasy went back to his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama. Since driving from Gadsden to Atlanta--where the Kaepernick workout was being held--is about two hours, it made Veasy's decision to attend even easier.

"I was going to be in Gadsden running routes anyway," Veasy told the Post. "Might as well run 'em in front of some scouts."

After Kaepernick decided at the last minute to move the location of the scheduled workout from an Atlanta Falcons facility to a high school, a number of NFL teams decided to forego their attendance. Veasy recalled the workout as "pretty intense."

Days after the workout, Veasy was contacted by the Cleveland Browns, but it didn't result in a contract. The wide receiver was then contacted by the Redskins, who were one of the seven NFL team that attended the workout and later awarded Veasy a spot on their practice squad.

Kaepernick has been a free agent for the past three years after he received a severe backlash for his decision to kneel for the National Anthem in an effort to protest police brutality against black Americans.

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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more

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