Sports
Colin Kaepernick culture war appears to have died out as Colts and others find QB solutions without uproar
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When the Indianapolis Colts, in desperate need of a viable quarterback, reached deep into their emergency contacts list to sign Philip Rivers, it was surprising because he was retired and hadn’t played since 2020.
And you know what has been equally surprising in the wake of this move? No one of note complained Colin Kaepernick wasn’t an option.
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No Kaepernick Complaint Whatsoever
Colin Kaepernick looks to make a pass during a private NFL workout held at Charles R Drew high school on November 16, 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Kaepernick didn’t get a workout with the Colts, wasn’t contacted, wasn’t even considered, although the Colts did reach out to other quarterbacks.
And what followed after that Kaepernick omission was, well, nothing.
There has been no backlash. No notable complaints about Kaepernick being blackballed. No charges of racism after Indianapolis signed a 44-year-old white guy instead of the 38-year-old black guy.
There has not been so much as a mention in NFL media and pundit circles about another Kaepernick snub – not even from Kaepernick advocate-in-chief Mike Florio.
So why is this noteworthy?
It merits attention because it could signal the end of an era. Finally! It signals that maybe we’re past the days when people accused every NFL team of being racist when they didn’t sign Kaepernick to fill a quarterback need.
Colin Kaepernick arrives for a workout for NFL football scouts and media in Riverdale, Georgia, on Nov. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File)
Colin Kaepernick Memory Fades
It signals an understanding that teams don’t care about fan or media complaints nearly as much as Kaepernick’s complications.
It signals that folks at last understand charges of racism from people of a certain political bent against the 75-percent-black NFL ring hollow.
So, yeah, this is a big deal.
BRONCOS’ PRACTICE SQUAD QUARTERBACK REVEALS HE DECLINED OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO COLTS
It matters because the worshipers that portrayed Kaepernick as some kind of hero when he said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” once forgot what a hypocrite he was the very day of his first protest.
But now maybe they’ve just forgotten him.
Tons Of QB Moves Without Complaint
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) on the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Dec. 6, 2020. (Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports)
Rivers is not the first quarterback this year to come out of nowhere and get signed to a practice squad deal ahead of Kaepernick. We’ve had a slew of mostly unaccomplished quarterbacks sign practice-squad contracts throughout this season.
Shane Buechele with the Bills.
Brady Cook with the Jets.
Bailey Zappe with the Browns.
Seth Henigan with the Jaguars before he worked out for the Colts on Tuesday, just as Rivers did.
More? Well traveled Trevor Siemian with the Titans, Chris Oladokun with the Chiefs, Cam Miller with the Raiders.
Colts Also Added Brett Rypien
There are close to a dozen more such quarterbacks toiling on NFL practice squads. And some of these guys were cut and replaced. Some even caught on with other teams.
Brett Rypien started out with the Bengals, then got promoted to the active roster, then got released, then got signed to the Colts’ practice squad, then got promoted to the Indy active roster on Wednesday.
But amid all these moves, no Kaepernick
And no complaints about it, either.
Activists in 2017 would not recognize this peace.
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The End Has Come For Kaepernick
None of these other guys have reached the ceiling Kaepernick once did in starting for a Super Bowl team. But their potential is much higher than the floor Kaepernick fell to at the end of his NFL career.
Notice what I did there? “At the end of his NFL career” was not typed by mistake.
That end indeed came after the 2016 season.
It just so happens that it took nearly a decade for everyone to accept it and apparently move on.
Today is a very important and decisive clash between India and Pakistan to reach the semi-finals in the Under-19 World Cup 2026.
This important match will be played today, Sunday, in Zimbabwe, which will start at 12:30 pm according to Pakistani time and 1 pm according to Indian time.
This match is the last match of the Super Six stage and one team is yet to be decided for the semi-finals, England from Group 2 has already qualified for the semi-finals, while the other team will be India or Pakistan.
India is currently in a better position with six points and its net run rate is 3.337, it is very easy for India, it only has to win the match and it will qualify for the semi-finals.
But on the other hand, Pakistan has four points and its net run rate is 1.484, which is significantly lower than India. Pakistan not only needs to win this match but also by a large margin to equal India in points and also surpass them in net run rate.
If Pakistan scores 300 runs batting first, it will need to win by at least 85 runs. If Pakistan bowls first and restricts India to around 200 runs, the target will have to be achieved in 31.5 overs.
If India scores 251 runs, Pakistan will have to achieve this target in around 33.2 overs to make it to the semi-finals.
It should be noted that this match will not be just about winning or losing but will be a test of runs, overs and nerves where a small slip-up can knock one team out of the World Cup.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The judge in Alabama men’s basketball player Charles Bediako‘s eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA has recused himself from the case.
Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge James Roberts filed the order Wednesday, according to court documents. AL.com first reported Roberts’ recusal.
The case was reassigned to Judge Daniel Pruet, an Alabama graduate who is overseeing the murder case involving former Crimson Tide player Darius Miles.
The NCAA filed a motion for recusal Tuesday, noting Roberts’ donations to the university as well as public perception that his relationship with Alabama athletics could alter his judgment in the case. Roberts was listed as a donor on the Crimson Tide Foundation’s website.
“Courts in Alabama and beyond have widely recognized that a mere appearance of partiality is sufficient to require the recusal of a trial judge,” the NCAA wrote. “This appearance can be compounded by widespread media and public scrutiny questioning the trial court’s impartiality. Despite the NCAA’s confidence that the Court can disregard his connections to the University of Alabama and its athletics programs, recusal is still necessary to protect these proceedings from an appearance of impropriety.”
Bediako’s attorneys did not oppose the motion.
Bediako is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college eligibility despite leaving school and entering the 2023 NBA draft. He went undrafted but signed a two-way NBA contract and played the past three seasons in the G League. Roberts granted a temporary restraining order last week that allows Bediako to play for the Crimson Tide, at least until a hearing on an injunction can be held.
No. 23 Alabama plays at No. 19 Florida on Sunday.
The NCAA and several college coaches, including Florida’s Todd Golden, have strongly opposed Bediako’s return to college basketball.
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Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 for “aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Saturday.
The league’s announcement said the incident happened with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 126-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns Friday.
Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game when he stormed the court after a no-call against Sam Merrill for driving on Collin Gillespie after he bumped into an official before being escorted off and ejected from the game.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat April 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise)
Atkinson whipped his arm against the nearby referee before the whistle was blown.
Atkinson ripped the officials in a postgame news conference.
PGA TOUR STAR JUSTIN THOMAS RIPS NCAA FOR CURRENT STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 6, 2025. (David Richard-Imagn Images)
“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls],” Atkinson said. “And the second free throw we got was after a flop. I’m not pleased. I thought the game got out of hand, quite honestly. Parts of the game seemed circus-like, quite honestly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.
“Certain characters in this league take liberties, and we don’t stand up to them. And the game turns into reviews, challenges, go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think it’s good for the league, and I know it wasn’t good for us tonight. Thought they let the game get out of hand.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 4, 2025. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19.
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