Colin Kaepernick 'Blackballed' As Washington Redskins Sign Mark Sanchez

Many have come out and claimed former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was being blackballed amid the Washington Redskins signing Mark Sanchez.

Following the gruesome injury to starting quarterback Alex Smith over the weekend, the Redskins (6-4) were in need of a backup quarterback for Colt McCoy and it led to speculation as to whether Kaepernick could finally return to the league for the first time since 2016.

A source also told NBC Sports that the former quarterback still wanted to play and "continues to work out five hours per day, six days per week" for that very reason.

However, Washington opted to sign Sanchez instead, who like Kaepernick, has not played since 2016 when he appeared for the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, Kaepernick wasn't invited to work out either while the likes of EJ Manuel, TJ Yates and Josh Johnson were.

Kaepernick wasn't likely to get the role regardless, but that didn't stop people from expressing their displeasure at all the reports leading up to Sanchez's signing.

His girlfriend Nessa, a radio and TV personality, took to Twitter on Monday stating everyone involved in the NFL knows he still trains.

"Colin trains everyday," she wrote. "All the teams know. But they'd rather keep blackballing him. The league, owners & mgmt are the ones who don't want him to play. Journalists should ask the league why they’re blackballing Colin."

Former NFL player Charles Woodson also spoke out as he believes Kaepernick should have been in the conversation.

"I don't think he will be picked up but he definitely should be in the conversation," Woodson told TMZ Sports. "There's a lot of guys that are in the conversation to be picked up. We know the reason [Kaepernick is] not one of those guys ... but he should be."

Former cornerback Antonio Cromartie also chipped in, stating that Kaepernick was better than all the options the Redskins were considering.

Kaepernick is known for being the first NFL player to controversially kneel during the national anthem in protest against racial inequality and violence. Other players proceeded to follow his lead as well.

The 31-year-old has since become a polarizing figure in the United States, with President Donald Trump attacking him and others for "disrespecting" the national anthem.

He is yet to receive an offer from a team since opting out of his 49ers contract two years ago and is currently suing NFL owners for colluding in keeping him out of the league.

However, he was notably part of a successful ad campaign by Nike who used him as the face for the 30th anniversary of their "Just Do It" slogan back in September. The ad's message read, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

Kaepernick threw 331 passes and scored 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions in the 12 games he played for the 49ers in the 2016 season.