Kaepernick’s rookie jersey could fetch US$100K

The white No. 7 jersey worn by blackballed NFL QB Colin Kaepernick during his debut with the San Francisco 49ers could fetch US$ 100,000 when it goes up for auction in December.

Julien’s Auctions said on Thursday the jersey, which is signed by Kaepernick, was worn by the quarterback on Oct. 2, 2011 when he entered the 49ers’ game against Philadelphia in the first quarter. The seller wishes to remain anonymous.

Kaepernick, 32, has since become one of the most prominent and controversial sports figures in the United States.

His decision in 2016 to kneel during the playing of the national anthem in order to put a spotlight on police brutality helped inspire the Black Lives Matter movement. Critics said he was disrespecting the United States and its flag.

“He’s a cultural icon. He’s up there now with Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson — somebody that’s using their fame to make a peaceful, powerful statement to highlight and bring attention to inequalities,” Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, told Reuters.

It will go up for auction in Beverly Hills on Dec. 4, along with some 500 other sports items, including apparel owned by basketball players Michael Jordan and the late Kobe Bryant.

❚ ❚ Coyotes tap Armstrong as next general manager

The Arizona Coyotes named former St. Louis Blues assistant GM Bill Armstrong as their GM on Thursday.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the team for Armstrong, who becomes the 10th general manager in franchise history.

Armstrong succeeds John Chayka, who left the team in July.

❚ ❚ Alleged shooter of player arrested in Georgia

Georgian police have arrested the vice president of the country’s rugby union, Merab Beselia, over the shooting of player Ramaz Kharazishvili, who was shot in the leg at the sport’s governing body’s offices in the capital Tbilisi on Wednesday.

Kharazishvili, 32, the former captain of the Georgian national Sevens team, underwent surgery and his life is not in danger, doctors said.

❚ ❚ Fed Cup to be renamed to honour Billie Jean King

Almost 60 years after Billie Jean King helped the United States win the inaugural Fed Cup, the team event is being renamed in honour of the greatest trailblazer in women’s tennis.

King, a 12- time Grand Slam singles champion and the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, said she was “humbled” to have the competition named after her.