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It has now been six years and five seasons since Colin Kaepernick‘s last game in the NFL before being basically blackballed over his “controversial” (read: totally reasonable and understandable) opinions on the National Anthem. Despite the time away and unfair treatment by the league, it seems he hasn’t lost his passion for the game or his desire to play. And apparently, no one wants to see him get a second chance more than J. Cole.

The rapper, who is a friend of Kaep’s and one of his staunchest advocates, shared a letter the QB recently wrote to the New York Jets seeking an opportunity to prove himself. The Jets, of course, are down one starting field general due to Aaron Rodgers’ injury in the Jets’ September 11 game against the Buffalo Bills. Cole said he asked Kaepernick if he could share the letter, likely hoping that publicizing it would increase his chances at getting a callback — if not from the Jets than from one of the teams that could use a QB.

“My argument was that I believe the people and all organizations should know the truth about how hard he works and how much he still wants to play,” the rapper wrote. “And always has. In the end, he agreed to let me.” In the caption, he wrote, “Everyone from players, to coaches, to execs are feeling the pressure I’m sure. I hope y’all can turn it around, and I hope there’s a spot out there for my boy Kap.”

You can read the letter in its entirety below.

September 21, 2023

Joe Douglas New York Jets 1 Jets Dr. Florham Park, NJ 07932

Joe,
I hope this letter finds you in great spirits, despite the less-than-ideal start to a big season. I’m wishing you, your staff, and the players a great game this weekend as you look to bounce back.

I’m writing, of course, in response to the unfortunate loss of Aaron Rodgers. I know the aspirations this season were, and still are, to win a championship, and so that Hall of Fame-sized hole will need to be filled as best as possible to keep the team on a Super Bowl track. As of right now, Zach Wilson is charged with that task, and I wish him and the rest of the team the best moving forward.

However, I know that there are currently depth issues at the position, and I’ve heard that the back-up spot is likely to be filled by a veteran Quarterback. As much as I would love the opportunity to fill that spot, I’m writing you in hopes that you can imagine a much different approach involving me; I would be honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to come in and lead the practice squad. I would do this with the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week. If I were able to fill this role for the team, I believe this allows for multiple things.

1. It gives your Defense the advantage of getting a truer read on the more mobile/athletic/versatile quarterbacks it will face when in weeks 4, 5 and 6 (Mahomes, Wilson, and Hurts). I would consider it a privilege to be able to do this and would take on this responsibility with the dedication and passion as if it were the QB1 position.

2. This would also allow you guys as an organization to take a real look at where I’m at football wise, in game-like situations against an elite defense, while also not putting any competitive pressure on Zach. I understand the importance of keeping him confident and focused as QB1, and I would only look to boost that confidence in any interactions that we may have if I was given this role within the team.

In a perfect world for the Jets, Zach Wilson finds his stride and shows that he is able to lead this championship caliber team that you’ve put together to the Super Bowl. I believe a confident Zach Wilson has the tools to do this. However, in the event that this is not the case, I would love to offer you a risk-free contingency plan.

I am sure of my ability to provide you with an elite QB option if, God forbid, QB1 goes down. However, I know that there may naturally be uncertainties from you and possibly from others about my playing abilities. This plan, I believe, allows me to be of great service to the team as a practice squad QB, while also giving you a low-commitment chance to assess my capabilities to help in any other capacity you may see fit.

Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer and you’re not that impressed. Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it. In either of these scenarios, I would be committed to getting your defense ready week in and week out, all season long, and I would wear that responsibility like a badge of honor.

As a final point, I would like to add this. Unlike many of the veteran QB’s that have been named in the media, I’ve never retired or stopped training. My training schedule has remained the same for 6 years; Monday through Friday, 5am-8am training on the field and in the weight room. I’ve kept this training schedule without failure for the past 6 years, in hopes that an opportunity will present itself. I say this to give you some perspective on where I’m at physically.

I have also attached a list of my references within the league that will vouch for my character, work ethic and ability.
Thanks so much for your time.

Colin Kaepernick

References

Jim Harbaugh — Michigan Head Coach – San Francisco 49ers Head Coach 2011-2014
Chip Kelly — UCLA Head Coach – San Francisco 49ers Head Coach 2016
John Harbaugh — Baltimore Ravens Head Coach
Mark Davis — Las Vegas Raiders Owner

A Wheel of Fortune contestant pulled off an incredible solve that left Pat Sajak stunned during Tuesday night’s episode. As the longtime (and soon to be retired) host of the hit game show, Sajak has seen a lot over the decades, but even he couldn’t believe it when dental hygienist Angelisa Cintron knocked out a puzzle with only two letters on the board.

During the category “Food And Drink,” the contestants were looking at a sizable board that only read “_ _ _ A _ _ _ _N _ _ _ _ _ _ _” thanks to the Triple Toss-Up Round where letters appear one at a time. Impressively, that was enough for Cintron to nail the answer, according to TV Insider.

“Himalayan sea salt,” Cintron guessed, prompting a stunned Sajak to ask, “How the heck did you do that?”

“I love salt,” a laughing Cintron responded, but the still gobsmacked Sajak needed more than that. “I love salt is not a sufficient answer.”

Unfortunately for Citron, she did not make it to the final round as Virginia coupon enthusiast Tameka Stephens became the night’s big winner. However, knocking the socks off of Pat Sajak is no small feat. Although, it probably didn’t hurt that Cintron’s incredible solve arrived on the heels of a solve that went in the completely opposite direction.

During Monday night’s Wheel of Fortune episode, contestant Jessica Washington whiffed a puzzle that only had one letter left. Instead of “Dining in the dining car,” she guessed, “Dining in the dining jar,” which is obviously not a thing. It was a pretty brutal loss that made Cintron’s solve look all the more impressive.

(Via TV Insider)

Usher is gearing up for some incredible career milestones. In February, the legendary hitmaker will perform the Apple Music Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. He will also drop his ninth studio, Coming Home, on the same day.

But despite his status as an R&B heartthrob for nearly 30 years, he still knows to tread lightly with certain ladies. In a video shared to Instagram, Usher serenades actress Gabrielle Union at a show in Paris with a live performance of his song “Boyfriend.” But when he realized her husband Dwyane Wade was right next to her, he quickly pulled back.

“Wait, let’s stop, let’s not get carried away,” Usher said, laughing. “This is Dwyane Wade. I ain’t crazy! That man will knock my whole head off and then dunk it.”

Clearly, Usher remembers the whole kerfuffle with Keke Palmer. Thankfully, all parties maintained good spirits about the whole thing.

Elsewhere in the clip, Usher and Wade are seen hugging. He tells Wade and Union that he is “so happy to see” the couple.

Both Wade and Usher shared the clip on Instagram, with Usher captioning the video “Look, I don’t want no smoke” with a crying-laughing emoji.

You can see the clip above.

Coming Home is out 2/11/2024 via Mega/Gamma. Find more information here.

Megan Thee Stallion has long been an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness. Last September, she launched a website of mental health resources called Bad B*tches Have Bad Days Too, and she has written and spoken at length about the trauma she experienced when she was shot by fellow rapper Tory Lanez.

This week, she continued that mission, joining a mental health awareness campaign Seize The Awkward to share her story. Other celebrities and influencers such as the WWE’s Big E and Liv Morgan, Noah Cyrus, Ava Max, and Christina Perri, also share their stories. The site provides tips on recognizing signs of someone struggling with their mental health and how to have a conversation about it, and offers resources such as links to help lines, therapy sources, and of course, Megan’s own website.

The campaign focuses on checking in on your “strong friends” and how to begin a discussion about mental health with someone who might be struggling — however awkward it may feel in the moment. As Meg puts it in her collection of contributions, “To be everything for everybody wears on you.” She also encourages being vulnerable when friends check in and seeking help when it’s needed. You can watch the rest of Megan’s Seize The Awkward PSAs below.

Coldplay is continuing their Music Of The Spheres Tour starting tonight (September 27) at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, as they wrap up a North American leg. The band is also set to head to Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia before 2023 ends — so there are a lot of fans across the globe hoping to catch one of their shows.

For those who are either heading to see Coldplay tonight, this week, or a show a few months from now, you might be wondering what time they will take the stage to prepare — and we have you covered.

According to Yahoo News, during the band’s UK tour, they performed starting at 8:55 p.m. and treated fans to a two-hour set. The show ended at 10:55 p.m. — as a ballpark for what to expect for the North American run.

The concert itself starts at 6:30 p.m. because two opening acts play before Coldplay does. In total, if fans want to see all the performers, they can expect at least staying there for four hours.

In the next week, Coldplay will also play two shows at Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl. Finally, they will head back to Europe for a Summer 2024 leg that will end in exactly a year. For a list of all the upcoming dates, visit their website.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dan Harmon used to talk. A lot. Arguably too much. But in recent years, since Community imploded and he was embroiled in a #MeToo scandal, Harmon has let his work — mostly Rick and Morty, but now also Krapopolis and a Community movie — do the talking. He did, however, give his first long-form interview in some time with the Hollywood Reporter to discuss his relationship with girlfriend/Jury Duty showrunner Cody Heller (the “woman of my dreams”), therapy (he’s a fan), and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, who has been accused of sexual assault.

The last time they interacted was through a text message in 2019. “He said things that he’d never said before about being unhappy,” Harmon revealed, “and I remember saying to him the last time we spoke in person, like, ‘I am worried about you, and I don’t know what to do about that except to give you all the string and also just say I’m scared that you’re not going to come back.’ But then this conversation became unprecedentedly confrontational.”

Harmon also discussed an NBC News report that Roiland used his fame to pursue Rick and Morty fans, some as young as 16.

“The easiest thing for me to say about Justin has been nothing. Easy because he isolated so well and easy because I’m nobody’s first choice as a judge of anything or anyone. This is where I’d love to change the subject to myself, to what a piece of crap I’ve been my whole public life,” he says. “I would feel so safe and comfortable making this about me, but that trick is worthless here and dangerous to others. It’s other people’s safety and comfort that got damaged while I obsessed over a cartoon’s quality. Trust has now been violated between countless people and a show designed to please them. I’m frustrated, ashamed and heartbroken that a lot of hard work, joy and passion can be leveraged to exploit and harm strangers.”

Rick and Morty returns for season seven, without Roiland, on October 10th.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Ice Spice is killing the rap game right now. With three Billboard Hot 100 top 10s to her credit, as well as a partnership with Dunkin’ under her belt, Ice, whose real name is Isis Gaston, is quickly becoming a household name. But she’s not the only talented person in her family. While Ice is becoming a mainstay in music, her younger brother is also showing his talent in the realm of sports.

Who is Ice Spice’s little brother?

Ice’s younger brother, Joey Gaston, was discovered by Ice’s fan base at a high school quarterback at Iona Prep in New York, according to Yahoo.

Further research showed that Joey runs a 4.5 on the field and a 40-yard dash, as shown on OvertimeHeroics.

NCSA Sports, a platform which allows high school athletes to share their stats and career goals, shows that Joey is 16 years old, and will graduate from Iona Prep in 2025.

“I’m confident that 4 years at this level of competition will prepare me for the collegiate stage,” he wrote in a letter on the platform. “I’m fearless, I’m competitive, I lead by example, and I will never let anyone outwork me. I was molded into this type of athlete because I have been overlooked and doubted all my life. I’m not as big as the other QBs, so I have had to prove people wrong at every level of my sports career. I have had to work twice as hard for the opportunity to show them that I give the team the best chance to win. Football keeps me motivated to be the best student I can be, the best teammate I can be, and the best person I can be. My goal is to graduate high school with honors and attend a college that will not only help me compete at the highest level but also help me become successful in life after football.”

After being hit with a damning partial judgment in his New York fraud case, Donald Trump did what Donald Trump does best: Shrieked to high heaven on social media.

The former president predictably trotted out accusations of a “witch hunt” and blamed the Democrats for causing his legal woes. However, in true Trump fashion, he couldn’t help but tip his hand to what’s really bothering him: The judge doesn’t think Mar-a-Lago is the most beautiful piece of Florida real estate that’s totally worth a bajillion dollars. The same Mar-a-Lago that Trump suspiciously sold to his own son just last month.

“We are rapidly becoming a Communist Country, and my Civil Rights have been taken away from me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after calling the judge “DERANGED” in all-caps of course:

The New York State Attorney General went before a Highly Politicized Democrat Judge, who refused allowing the case to go to the Commercial Division, where it belonged, to simply rule, despite all of the evidence to the contrary, that I committed fraud, which is both ridiculous and untrue. As an example, this Democrat Operative valued Mar-a-Lago, the most spectacular and valuable property in Palm Beach, Florida, to be worth as low as $18 Million, when in actuality, it could be worth almost 100 times that amount. He hated everything about me at a level that I have never seen before, even beyond the hatred of that displayed by Letitia James. There was no trial and no jury for the supposed “wrongdoing” OF FULLY PAYING BACK SOPHISTICATED WALL STREET BANKS IN FULL, WITH INTEREST, WITH NO DEFAULTS, AND WITH NO VICTIMS.

“My Civil Rights have been violated, and some Appellate Court, whether Federal or State, must reverse this horrible, un-American decision,” Trump wrote in conclusion. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to YOU!”

Usually, this is part where Don Jr. chimes in and parrots his dad, but this time, Eric Trump fired off an attack on the judge.

“Never before have I seen such hatred toward one person by a judge – a coordinated effort with the Attorney General to destroy a man’s life, company and accomplishments,” Eric tweeted. “We have run an exceptional company – never missing a loan payment, making banks hundreds of millions of dollars, developing some of the most iconic assets in the world. Yet today, the persecution of our family continues…”

(Via Truth Social)

The 1975 kicked off the first date of their Still At Their Very Best Tour in Sacramento last night (September 26). After a series of controversies tied to lead singer Matty Healy, including getting banned from Malaysia and starting a Twitter feud with Lucy Dacus, there had been fans noticing that the ticket prices had dropped.

While the band is still set to tour the UK and Europe next year, Healy addressed the crowd with an announcement near the end of the show, regarding the status of The 1975 going forward. “It’s wonderful you’re all here,” he said. “After this tour, we will be going on an indefinite hiatus with shows, so it’s wonderful to have you guys with us tonight. Thank you so much.”

However, the news comes after rumors of tension within the band. A few months ago, when The 1975 played Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival, Healy decided to protest the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies by speaking out and kissing another member, Ross Macdonald, on stage. The festival was then promptly canceled and the organizer was seeking about $2.69 million in damages.

Given the high sum, it’s likely that the rest of the members would be divided and upset about having to pay. Still, some fans think The 1975 is just taking time to rest and work on the next album.

Right now, their final show date is in Amsterdam on March 24. A complete list of dates and ticketing information can be found here.

L’Rain unveiled “New Year’s UnResolution” in June, then announced her new album I Killed Your Dog and shared the single “Pet Rock” in August. “I’m exploring heartbreak like many of us do,” she wrote on Instagram. Now she’s back with another preview called “r(EMOTE).”

“r(EMOTE)” is a beautiful, hallucinatory journey with enchanting synthesizers and a feeling of drifting forward, not unlike the textures Daniel Lopatin conjures with Oneohtrix Point Never, who’s credited on the album for track list sequencing.

“On this song ‘r(EMOTE)’ I’m wondering how long it takes to forget someone you’re close to,” Taja Cheek said in a statement. “This theme is present throughout the album as I reflect on living through moments of heartbreak, not just romantic, but the dissolution of friendships and other close relationships. As always in the world of L’Rain, the specifics are hidden from public view but I leave listeners with a lot of big feelings and an invitation to examine their own life experiences through my particular lens.”

The sonic landscape is vast and inspiring, her vocals send a rippling wave through the atmosphere as she repeats over and over, “Maybe one day / Maybe one day…” It’s a sprawling glimpse into the exciting album to come.

Listen to “r(EMOTE)” above.

I Killed Your Dog is out 10/13 via Mexican Summer. Find more information here.