Colin Kaepernick just got a big win in his collusion case against the NFL

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• An arbitrator on Thursday denied the NFL's request to dismiss Colin Kaepernick's collusion case against the league.
• The ruling is a win for Kaepernick's team, as it means the arbitrator thinks they have found sufficient evidence to let the case continue.

Colin Kaepernick received a big win in his collusion case against the NFL on Thursday.

According to Yahoo's Charles Robinson, an arbitrator denied the NFL's request to have Kaepernick's collusion grievance dismissed over insufficient evidence. Robinson reported that the dismissal essentially means the arbitrator thinks that Kaepernick's team has found sufficient evidence to continue with the case.

"Basically, he's seeing smoke," Robinson tweeted.

In July, the NFL requested a summary judgment of the case, asking an arbitrator to weigh the evidence and make a judgment about whether to continue. If an arbitrator found the evidence insufficient to advance, he could throw out the case, making it a win for the NFL. In denying the NFL's request, the arbitrator allows the investigation to continue, possibly moving toward a hearing.

Kaepernick's lawyer Mark Geragos released a statement about the ruling on Thursday:

In June, Robinson reported that Kaepernick's team may seek federal subpoenas to get testimony from President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and others. Trump has been critical of players who have protested during the national anthem, a movement Kaepernick started in 2016 to protest social injustice.

Kaepernick has remained unsigned since the end of the 2016 season. He filed his collusion grievance against the NFL last October.