The commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, says he would "encourage" and "support" a team making the decision to sign former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, per ESPN.

Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, when he famously kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality.

In November of last year, Colin Kaepernick celebrated his birthday by helping homeless people in Oakland:

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"Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it's gonna take a team to make that decision," Goodell said during a conversation with ESPN's Mike Greenberg. "But I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that."

Goodell continued;

"If his efforts are not on the field but continuing to work in this space, we welcome him to that table and to help us, guide us, help us make better decisions about the kinds of things that need to be done in the communities. We have invited him in before, and we want to make sure that everybody's welcome at that table and trying to help us deal with some very complex, difficult issues that have been around for a long time.

"But I hope we're at a point now where everybody's committed to making long-term, sustainable change."

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Previously this month, Goodell released a video on behalf of the NFL in which he issued an apology for not doing better when it came to listening to players' concerns about racial inequality. However, the commissioner received criticism for not mentioning Colin Kaepernick by name in the video.

Of the NFL's decision to speak up, Goodell said;

"What they were talking about and what they were protesting and what they were trying to bring attention to was playing out right in front of us -- and tragically.

"And so all of us saw that, and it was difficult for all of us. And so that was an important point for all of us."

Goodell was speaking to ESPN's Mike Greenberg for the sports network's The Return of Sports show.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he would 'encourage' a team to sign Colin Kaepernick