VIDEO: Colin Kaepernick Makes Defiant Statement to NFL Owners and Roger Goodell Following Workout

There's a certain type of swagger that eventually came to ooze off Colin Kaepernick after his effective exile from the NFL took on a life of its own. Today, however, it felt like his three-year absence entered a new stage -- one that might just end in his long-awaited return to the gridiron. After a private workout for representatives of a number of teams, the quarterback issued some impassioned remarks directed right at the league.

"Stop running from the truth, stop running from the people," Kapernick said before gathering of fans and media members following his throwing session in the Atlanta area, calling out Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 NFL owners directly.

While it's possible that framing his situation this way might encourage more confrontation and decrease his actual chances of a return to the league, the guy is certainly being true to himself. He's not here to make nice or kowtow. Any team that signs him is getting a brutally honest gunslinger who's become a symbol that resonates beyond the world of sports.

He's not backing down. The only question is whether there's any team out there ready to step up.