The possibility of Colin Kaepernick returning to the NFL has been a source of much debate in the United States over the past month, but never has that discourse been as fevered as in the past 24 hours.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who has been without a team for nearly four years, has been touted to make a long-awaited return to the NFL in the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter debate, which has centred around the killing of George Floyd.

In the past 24 hours, President Donald Trump was asked about Kaepernick returning to NFL action and said that “If he deserves it, he should. If he has the playing ability.” In reference to Kaepernick’s form before his NFL exit in 2016, Trump said: “His playing wasn’t up to snuff.”

Quite apart from the fact that Donald Trump’s worries over Kaepernick’s standard of play count for about as much as a vegetarian’s restaurant review of an all-you-can-eat steakhouse, Trump’s less-than-glowing recommendation that the former 49er returns to football sounds borne of fear more than anything else. Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner told ESPN on Monday that “if Kaepernick] wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s going to take a team to make that decision, but I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that.”