Colin Kaepernick

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ACLU honors Colin Kaepernick with Ralph Ellison Award

Yahoo Sports NFLJul 17, 2026, 8:32 PMSource ↗

Colin Kaepernick continues to win off the football field. The ACLU announced on Friday, July 17 that Kaepernick has been selected for a new award recognizing profound contributions to American thought and culture: the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports. The ALCU also announced musician Bruce Springsteen as a recipient in a press release . The biennial award recognizes lifetime achievements and contributions to civil rights and civil liberties. "Bruce Springsteen and Colin Kaepernick epitomize talent with a purpose. Bruce Springsteen’s iconic songs like 'Born in the U.S.A.' date back decades, and so does his advocacy on behalf of civil rights and liberties. Colin Kaepernick’s activism off the field has changed lives for a decade, long after the backlash he received for speaking out against racial injustice," ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero said in a statement. "We are proud of the partnerships the ACLU has formed with Bruce and Colin, and we’re honored to recognize their lifetime achievements with one of the ACLU’s highest honors." Kaepernick played in the NFL for six seasons. He helped guide the San Francisco 49ers to an NFC championship and a Super Bowl 47 appearance. But Kaepernick’s widely known for kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 as a form of protest against police brutality and racial injustices. His protest sparked a racial reckoning across the country. Kaepernick went unsigned following the 2016 season and hasn’t played in the NFL since. In 2019, Kaepernick reached a confidential settlement with the NFL to resolve his grievance accusing NFL owners of colluding to blackball him over his national anthem protests. Off the football field, Kaepernick founded the Know Your Rights Camp, an initiative that empowers youth through legal education and self-advocacy. He most recently helped fund an independent autopsy for Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teen who disappeared during a trip with friends to Horn Island before his body was recovered. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: ACLU honors Colin Kaepernick with Ralph Ellison Award

Brandon Aiyuk

WR · SF

Jayden Daniels

QB · WAS

+2 players

general

The Brandon Aiyuk saga has a new chapter—one involving a hat

Yahoo Sports NFLJun 7, 2026, 9:44 PM+79 stories · 30dSource ↗

Brandon Aiyuk Jayden Daniels Colin Kaepernick

This Brandon Aiyuk update has less to do with plans of the San Francisco 49ers holding onto him for as long as possible or a strange warrant for the wide receiver’s arrest. This nugget comes from where a lot of Brandon Aiyuk overreactions stem from: social media. Aiyuk posted a pair of selfies on his Instagram story wearing a Washington Commanders hat. Take a look, and we’ll continue: The second post has some text that NBC Sports Bay Area translated it to: “Stop the cap, the gig is up!” Aiyuk linked to the Commanders is nothing new. During his contract disputes in 2024 , it was speculated that the ideal outcome would be to reunite with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels . Daniels’ first year at Arizona State was also Aiyuk’s last before the latter went to the NFL. The last time we’ve had such controversial hat takes dates back to then-49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick wearing a Miami Dolphins hat. Both Kaepernick and Aiyuk were under contract when their respective social media stories hit, and both received very different overreactions. Something more relevant is the Pittsburgh Steelers drama with Antonio Brown . 2019 was Antonio Brown watch, and the 49ers were a possible destination should the Steelers trade him. Brown made the decision easy with an (incomplete) 10-question AMA that some might still be trying to translate to this day, followed by a move to Instagram demanding everyone call him Mr. Big Chest. We’re quite a bit away from hitting Mr. Big Chest levels of obnoxiousness here. We could also overanalyze two Instagram stories with a different NFL Team’s hat on, but we’ve gone down this road before, and odds are we usually get it wrong. It’s been documented how difficult a Brandon Aiyuk trade could be, given his contract. The 49ers have no reason to release him until later this summer, once the league has installed their offenses with the players on their roster. That doesn’t mean we can’t overanalyze anyway. Do you take anything from this? Or is this another instance of Brandon Aiyuk going Brandon Aiyuk?

Brock Purdy

QB · SF

Alex Smith

+3 players

general

Alex Smith gives brutally honest answer about Brock Purdy

Yahoo Sports NFLJun 7, 2026, 4:12 AM+10 stories · 30dSource ↗

Brock Purdy Alex Smith Trey Lance

Since Brock Purdy was drafted with the 262nd pick of the NFL Draft by the 49ers in 2022, he has gone from Mr. Irrelevant to relevant . On Saturday morning, former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith was a guest on the Krueg Show, hosted by Larry Krueger. When Smith was asked about what makes Purdy stand out as a quarterback, he was quick to answer. “So prepared, and I think had such great perspective on the game, right? Like this is a guy that could already process and compartmentalize,” Smith said. “I think, naturally, he’s a super mature kid. Like anyone that has been around Brock, I’m blown away when I would talk to him for the first time I’m like ‘Are you 35 or 40?’ he just seems so much older, he has such great perspective on things.” Unlike Purdy, Smith was crowned as Mr. Relevant after he was selected first overall by the 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. Smith played 14 years in the NFL, seven of them with the 49ers, including in 2011 when the 49ers went to the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens . Smith shared snaps at quarterback that year with Colin Kaepernick and would eventually sit on the bench as Kaepernick would become the starting quarterback. Similar to Kaepernick, Purdy found himself as San Francisco ’s starting quarterback during his rookie year after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries. In his first season, Purdy led the 49ers to the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles . Purdy was unable to finish the game after exiting early due to an elbow injury, following a sack by defensive end Haason Reddick . California Post News : Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X , YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters : Sign up here! California Post App : Download here! Home delivery : Sign up here! Page Six Hollywood : Sign up here! In his second season, Purdy had a Pro Bowl season, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl loss against the Kansas City Chiefs . “This is what I don’t think people realize: this guy pushes the ball downfield. When you look at the down the field from the quarterback as far as attempts, completions, accuracy, I mean this guy leads the league in the NFL every year in every one of those categories,” Smith said. “This is the guy that battles the game manager thing. Like he’s just a product of the system. It just couldn’t be further from the truth.” Purdy threw for over 3,000 yards the next year, but didn’t match his usual production last season, throwing for 2,167 yards and 20 touchdowns. But even in a down year, that was also filled with injuries in the 49ers locker room, Purdy led the team to a playoff victory over the Eagles and would eventually be eliminated by the Seahawks in the divisional round

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