Colin Kaepernick’s status changed from ‘retired’ to ‘UFA’
Nfl.com corrected Colin Kaepernick’s designation from “retired” to “UFA,” or unrestricted free agent. The league’s official website, which was recently re- designed and added the “retired” status, updated the quarterback’s designation after the error was pointed out Friday night. “Thank you to everyone who held the @NFL accountable for falsely reporting that Colin ‘retired’ on their website,” Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, tweeted Saturday. “They heard you loud & clear bc the NFL put the accurate description that @Kaepernick7 is a Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). Tell them to stop denying him employment.” Kaepernick, 32, has not played in the NFL since finishing the 2016 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017 alleging collusion by the owners to keep him out of the league for kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice. He settled with the NFL in February 2019. Last November, Kaepernick held a workout for representatives from eight NFL teams to show his readiness but got no job offers. A second-round draft pick in 2011, Kaepernick started 58 games over six seasons with the 49ers and passed for 12,271 yards with 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also ran for 2,300 yards and 13 scores. During the 2012 season, he led San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII, a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. LEAF ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC BATTERY >> Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ryan Leaf was arrested on a domestic battery charge in California. He was taken into custody Friday afternoon in Palm Desert. He was released on $5,000 bail later in the day, according to Riverside County jail records. His next court appearance was set for Sept. 25. Leaf, 44, played at Washington State and was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft, following Peyton Manning. While Manning went on to win two Super Bowls and is a lock for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Leaf lasted just three years in the league, posting a 4-17 record as a starter with the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. He threw for 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 25 games. Since the end of his NFL career, Leaf has faced problems with both substance abuse and the law. He was arrested twice in 2012, charged with burglary and theft of prescription drugs. In 2014, he was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted of breaking into a Montana house and stealing drugs. In a 2019 interview, Leaf credited his cellmate, a military veteran, with helping him to turn his life around. Since then, he has worked with the NFL Legends Community, which offers assistance to former players, and as an analyst for Pac12 games on ESPN. RB FREEMAN WILLING TO SIT OUT SEASON >> Free-agent running back Devonta Freeman is willing to sit out the 2020 season if he doesn’t get the right offer, NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported. Freeman, who spent the past six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, reportedly turned down a $4 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week. “Freeman believes he is worth more than what was being offered and has insisted he is willing to sit out and skip the season if his number isn’t met,” Silver tweeted Friday. The Falcons released Freeman in March with three years left on a fiveyear, $41.25 million extension he signed ahead of the 2017 season. Freeman, 28, posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and made the Pro Bowl in both 2015 and 2016. He totaled 1,066 yards from scrimmage in 14 games last season.
Baseball
NATS REJECT VIRTUAL RING CEREMONY >> The Washington Nationals canceled plans for a virtual World Series ring presentation at the request of the players. “The players collectively decided they would prefer to receive their rings when the team could be physically reunited,” the team said in a statement. “We support that decision.” With the coronavirus pandemic delaying the start of the season, the Nationals had made plans for a virtual ceremony today. The date, May 24, is significant because it marked the low point of the 2019 season for the team, which had a 19-31 record entering play that day. Washington defeated the Houston Astros in seven games last October to claim the franchise’s first World Series championship. The team is proceeding with plans today to unveil the ring design and release the debut of a documentary about the season called “Improbable.”