Report: NFL used polling firm to get public opinion on signing Kaepernick

The NFL sought the help of a Washington consulting firm to gauge public opinion on whether Colin Kaepernick should be signed last offseason, sources told Charles Robinson of Yahoo.

The Glover Park Group, a consulting firm that was co-founded by then-NFL communications chief Joe Lockhart, conducted the poll four months into Kaepernick's 2017 free agency and prior to President Donald Trump's attacks on the league.

While the specific numbers from the poll weren't shared with Robinson, some of the questions were. Two were specifically about Kaepernick:

Whether Americans believed Kaepernick should have been signed by an NFL team; and given that Kaepernick remained a free agent, whether fans believed that was because he refused to stand for the national anthem or due to his on-field performance or other reasons.

The poll also asked about player protests in general, player safety, and domestic violence, among other subjects, including how people felt about potential discipline for those who protest during the national anthem.

Robinson's source did provide an overview of the results, saying the poll "revealed a deep racial, political, and generational division when it came to player protests."

Kaepernick is currently suing the NFL for collusion to keep him unsigned, and the existence of the poll may be a significant factor in his case against the league.