DETROIT -- Numerous news outlets on Tuesday reported new Detroit Lions principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp has given a green light to the coaching staff to hire Colin Kaepernick as a backup quarterback if they so choose.

If hired, Kaepernick would back up Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. After a strong start, the Lions fell apart last season when Stafford was injured.

Hamp also stated that she will be supportive if players choose to knell during the national anthem but that she will not be taking a knee.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this month, appearing on ESPNS’s “The Return of Sports,” encouraged teams to sign Kaepernick.

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“If he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s gonna take a team to make that decision. I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that,” Goodell said.