NFL demanded Colin Kaepernick's complaint be tossed out - and the ruling just came down

Colin Kaepernick's complaint against the NFL has survived a request to an arbitrator that it be dismissed, meaning that his complaint will move forward.

Here's what that means

Kaepernick has claimed that NFL owners have conspired to keep him from playing as a quarterback in the league because of his controversial actions and statements about his protests during the playing of the national anthem.

The NFL sought in July from an arbitrator to have the complaint dismissed. They were refused Thursday based on Kaepernick's ability to produce enough evidence to support his claim to continue his complaint.

Here's the statement from the arbitrator released Thursday.

"On August 28, 2018, the System Arbitrator denied the NFL's request that he dismiss Colin Kaepernick's complaint," the statement read, "alleging that his inability to secure a player contract since becoming a free agent in March 2017 has been due to an agreement among team owners and the NFL that violates Article 17, Section 1 of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA (union)."

Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, posted the entire statement on his Twitter account Thursday.

The statement, which was signed by Stephen Burbank, is seen as a huge blow to the NFL.

Other NFL players took up the cause of protesting on behalf of the "Black Lives Matter" movement during the national anthem. The protests exploded when President Donald Trump criticized the players during a rally in Pennsylvania.

The NFL issued new rules before the 2018 season that said all players on the field had to respect the national anthem or be fined. But it also allowed for some players to stay off the field during the presentation of the national anthem.

Here's a recent debate on the merits of Kaepernick's collusion claim: