TMZ says U.S. military official warned Ravens about signing Colin Kaepernick

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — A U.S. military official allegedly advised the Baltimore Ravens to tread with caution as the team considered signing Colin Kaepernick in 2017, according to a report from TMZ.

The news outlet says that head coach John Harbaugh talked with a number of close friends, including the "high-ranking member of the U.S. military" as he weighed the decision of whether or not to sign the controversial quarterback.

Kaepernick has been out of football since the 2016 season after he became a national figure credited with starting a movement to protest against discrimination by kneeling, sitting or making some other demonstration during the National Anthem.

Harbaugh's friend reportedly told him to question ifKaepernick's protest fit the Ravens' "core values" and that Baltimore should give him specific guidelines to follow to stay on the team.