Michael Vick’s Advice For Jobless Colin Kaepernick: Get A Haircut

No NFL team has yet overtly expressed interest in signing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick following the former San Francisco 49ers star’s national anthem protest, but Michael Vick has some advice for Kaepernick to help improve his chances at finding a new job: getting a haircut.

Colin Kaepernick & Michael Vick news

“The first thing we got to get Colin to do is cut his hair,” the former NFL quarterback said on Fox Sports 1’s Speak For Yourself on Monday.. “I don’t think he should represent himself in that way in terms of the hairstyle. Just go clean cut. Why not? You’re already dealing with a lot of controversy surrounding this issue. What he needs to do is just try to be presentable.”

Kaepernick currently sports a giant Afro.

Vick is a former Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets quarterback who rebuilt his own career after serving two years in prison for organizing dog fights and torturing dogs. On Tuesday, the 37-year-old appeared to change his tone regarding Kaepernick, however.

“Colin Kaepernick’s hair has nothing to do with him not being on an N.F.L. roster right now,” Vick said on Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field again. Trust and believe what I said was not in malice.”

Vick retired from the NFL as a Falcon in February after a 13 year-career in the league.

Kaepernick, 29, opted out of his contract with the 49ers on March 3 after six seasons with the team. The backup quarterback — who is mixed-race (black and white) — gained notoriety in the sports world after refusing to stand for the national anthem before a preseason game in August 2016 in order to make a statement about racial inequality and the unjust oppression of minorities across the United States. Kaepernicks’s protest, which turned from sitting to kneeling, was quickly replicated by dozens of other NFL players and athletes from other major sports leagues who also felt the need to voice their discontent with the repeated instances of unarmed black Americans physically and unjustly hurt by law enforcement.

Several conservative sports fans, celebrities, pundits and NFL members heavily criticized Kaepernick’s protest, citing how disrespectful the move was towards American troops among other reasons. Many other celebrities, fans and army veterans, nevertheless, supported the quarterback.

Kapernick has also made headlines in recent months due to his other forms of social activism. He has bought suits for recently-released inmates looking for jobs, and was also one of dozens of celebrities who created a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to ship tons of food and water supplies to impoverished nations like Somalia and Sudan. Kaepernick has also donated more than $1 million to organizations all around the U.S.

The former 49ers quarterback’s barber recently explained to USA TODAY Sports why Kaepernick has chosen to keep his hair, saying it is part of his identity as a black American:

“I wish I could cut it. I wish I could just transform him back to what Kap was because now he’s a different person,” the barber explained. … “If I cut it and put him back in place to what he was before, oh yeah, that’s what I want to do, I want to bring him back.’’

But Stevens, who like Kaepernick is African American, said the current hair style has helped Kaepernick’s transformation from soft-spoken quarterback to social activist who has refused to stand during the national anthem.

“A lot of people don’t think he’s black because his foster parents are white. So when he grows his Afro out … I feel like that’s definitely making a statement.’’

On Tuesday, Kaepernick tweeted the definition of Stockholm Syndrome, a condition displayed by victims of abuse or kidnapping who eventually identify with and grow to even like and respect their captor or abuser. Although the quarterback offered no explanation for his post, although some believe it may have been a veiled retort at Vick.

The definition ends with two alternative descriptions for Stockholm Syndrome: “traumatic bonding” and “victim brainwashing.”

SAN DIEGO, CA – OCTOBER 12:  Quarterback Mike Vick #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers yells during a game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on October 12, 2015 in San Diego, California.  (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)