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Harbaugh offered Kaepernick coaching job with Chargers

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Harbaugh offered Kaepernick coaching job with Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh offered former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick a coaching job within the team in January, he told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell last week. But Harbaugh told reporters Thursday that Kaepernick won’t be a part of the Chargers staff in 2024 as a coach or player.

“I love Colin, but he’s not going to be on the coaching staff I set for this year, and he’s not going to be playing on the roster either,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh said he spoke to Kaepernick after getting hired as the Chargers head coach about the possibility of Kaepernick joining the team in a coaching capacity, USA Today reported Wednesday. Harbaugh also said nothing has changed since that conversation and Kaepernick hasn’t reconnected with Harbaugh about the coaching opportunity, according to the report. He confirmed Thursday that the last time the two spoke was February.

Kaepernick, 36, told Sky Sports on Tuesday that he still has a desire to play in the NFL. He hasn’t played since the 2016 season when he began to protest racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.

“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports. “We just need one of these team owners to open up.”

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Kaepernick and former San Francisco 49ers teammate Eric Reid sued the NFL, accusing the league’s 32 teams of colluding to keep them out of the sport after kneeling during the anthems. They reached a legal settlement with the league in 2019.

Harbaugh coached Kaepernick from 2011 to 2014 when he played for the 49ers. Kaepernick led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2012 season. He threw a career-high 21 touchdown passes during the 2013 season.

Harbaugh and Kaepernick remained close since being on the same team. Harbaugh made Kaepernick an honorary captain during a Michigan spring game in March 2022. Harbaugh has been publicly supportive of Kaepernick’s fight for social justice.

Harbaugh hired several players from his time with the 49ers as coaches with the Chargers. This includes three-time Pro Bowler NaVorro Bowman as linebackers coach, former fullback/defensive lineman Will Tukuafu as assistant defensive line coach and Super Bowl XLIV champion Jonathan Goodwin as assistant offense/quarterbacks coach. Three-time Pro Bowler Delanie Walker and four-time Pro Bowler Mike Iupati are coaching interns for training camp.

Harbaugh is about to begin his first season as Chargers head coach seven months after leading Michigan to a national championship. He coached the Wolverines from 2015 to 2023 after parting ways with the 49ers following the 2014 season.

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Harbaugh told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami that he’s “right back at it” following the championship win and becoming an NFL coach again.

“Now you got to do it again,” Harbaugh said. “Any job you do, it’d be like digging a hole. That’s the only job I can think of where you start on top.”

Harbaugh said he’s “attacking” the opportunity with “enthusiasm” as he begins his coaching tenure with the Chargers. He said he “wants more” from his players as they try to improve on a 5-12 season in which they missed the playoffs.

“I am here. So this is where my feet are. And this is where all my focus is,” Harbaugh said.

In his first six NFL seasons, Kaepernick compiled a 28-30 record as a starter and passed for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns against 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 scores during that stretch.

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The Athletic’s Daniel Popper contributed to this story.

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(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)

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Saints sign former No 2 overall pick Zach Wilson as backup quarterback: reports

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Saints sign former No 2 overall pick Zach Wilson as backup quarterback: reports

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The New Orleans Saints have reportedly made an addition to their quarterback room.

The team signed Zach Wilson to a one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Wilson, 26, spent last season with the Miami Dolphins and will serve as the backup quarterback to Tyler Shough.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson looks to throw a pass against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images)

The Saints will be Wilson’s fourth team in four seasons. He spent the first three years of his career with the New York Jets after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

After three disappointing seasons with the Jets, they traded him to the Denver Broncos in April 2024. The Broncos declined Wilson’s fifth-year option, and after the season he signed with the Dolphins.

Wilson has seen little game action over the last two seasons, not playing at all with the Broncos in 2024. With the Dolphins last season, he appeared in four games, completing 6 of 11 passes for 32 yards.

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Miami Dolphins quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Tua Tagovailoa talk on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

With the Jets, Wilson started 33 games, going 12-21 while completing 57% of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.

Wilson will join Shough and 2024 fourth-round pick Spencer Rattler in the quarterback room.

Shough impressed in his nine starts last season. The Saints went 5-4 in his starts while Shough completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns with six interceptions, while rushing for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson looks to throw a pass against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images)

However, Shough battled numerous injuries throughout his college career. He sustained a broken left collarbone in 2021, re-injured that same collarbone in 2022, and broke his fibula in 2023.

The Saints hope he remains healthy as they look to win the NFC South next season and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

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Jeff Webb, entrepreneur and the ‘founder of modern cheerleading,’ dies at 76

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Jeff Webb, entrepreneur and the ‘founder of modern cheerleading,’ dies at 76

Jeff Webb, known as the “founder of modern cheerleading” for his role in turning the activity into a competitive sport, died Thursday following “a tragic accident,” a family spokesperson said Tuesday. He was 76.

A former yell leader for the University of Oklahoma cheerleading squad, Webb went on to form several organizations — including Varsity Spirit, the Universal Cheerleaders Assn. and the International Cheer Union — that helped him reshape what was once largely a sideline activity into an International Olympic Committee-recognized sport that features elements of gymnastics, stunts and dance.

Cheer Daily reports that an email sent by Varsity Spirit president Bill Seely to the company’s community said that Webb fell while playing pickleball earlier this month and suffered a severe head injury.

Webb was buried in a private ceremony for family on Sunday. A larger celebration of life will be held at a later date.

“Our father was, at his core, a man of inexhaustible energy, and he poured that energy into everything he did, from revolutionizing cheerleading to his never-ending — and constantly growing — list of activities,” Webb’s children said in a statement.

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An avid outdoorsman, Webb managed a farm and hunting lodge and enjoyed offshore fishing and boating. He was also a pilot, author, publisher and guitar player.

“He brought that same spirit of dedication and encouragement to being a father and grandfather,” his children added. “To most people he is a legendary entrepreneur — to us, he was our soccer coach and on-demand comedian, our mentor and father-daughter dance partner, our solace and our source of strength.

“He taught us by example that a life well lived contains balance, that seriousness and silliness are not in fact opposites, that focus and discipline do not and should not preclude care and kindness.”

Through his organizations, Webb established hundreds of cheerleading competitions — including national championships that have been broadcast on ESPN for decades — and training camps. He was a pioneer in the manufacturing and marketing of cheerleading apparel and equipment and also played a role in establishing safety guidelines for the sport.

“The founder of modern cheerleading, [Webb] spent his life building the sport he loved and advocating for young people everywhere,” the International Cheer Union wrote on Facebook. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire global cheer community.

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Varsity Spirit wrote on Instagram: “Join us in honoring the life and legacy of Jeff Webb, founder of Varsity Spirit and modern cheerleading. His impact has built a community that will continue to inspire generations to come.”

The Varsity Spirit post included a tribute video that featured an audio clip of Webb discussing the instant he realized just how much of an impact his efforts had on the sport.

“I was at UCA High School Nationals, and I looked out there — everybody had a smile on their face,” Webb said. “People think this is a little corny, but I had this almost epiphany experience. And it was just this emotion that came over me. It was, how lucky am I? How fortunate have I been to be able to have this idea and to build on it and have fabulous people kind of hook their star to my vision and for us together to build this great thing?”

Webb is survived by his wife, Gina, and his children, Jeffery and Caroline, and two grandchildren.

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Rams star Puka Nacua accused of biting woman, making antisemitic remarks: report

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Rams star Puka Nacua accused of biting woman, making antisemitic remarks: report

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Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua has reportedly been accused of biting a woman and making anti-Semitic comments, according to TMZ. 

The woman made the allegations in a rejected application for a temporary restraining order after an alleged incident on Dec. 31 in Los Angeles. 

Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said, according to TMZ, that “the whole claim is nothing more than a shakedown attempt” and that the bite “left nothing more than a temporary mark.”

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NFL Network reporter Jamie Erdahl interviews Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) after the game against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 28, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

A hearing is scheduled for April 14.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Nacua’s agent and the Rams for comment. 

Nacua previously apologized for performing an “antisemitic” act on a YouTube stream in December. 

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Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams reacts during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Nacua discussed touchdown celebrations on YouTuber Adin Ross’ stream, as Nacua’s Rams are set for a Thursday night affair in Seattle against the Seahawks.

Many, however, believed the celebration perpetuated a harmful anti-Jewish stereotype.

In the video, Ross instructed Nacua to spike the ball, flex and then rub his hands together. Ross, who is Jewish, has referred to the movement as his own “dance” or “emote.”

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua reacts following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. The Rams won 44-42.  (Eric Thayer/AP Photo)

Nacua received overwhelming pushback and issued an apology Thursday, hours before his Rams took on the Seattle Seahawks.

“When I appeared the other day on a social media livestream, it was suggested to me to perform a specific movement as part of my next touchdown celebration. At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people,” Nacua said in a “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” graphic. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

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