Free agent QB COLIN KAEPERNICK was named Week 1 MVP by the NFLPA for his "commitment to empowering underserved communities through donations and grassroots outreach." The union found "particularly impressive Kaepernick's continued donations to charity, including a Sept. 7 gift of $100,000 split between four organizations" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/15). The weekly honor "puts him in the running" for the Byron 'Whizzer' White NFL Man Of The Year Award. The weekly win for Kaepernick "underscores the awkward position the league is in," as he has now "donated $900,000 to underserved communities over the last year, continues to be prominent in news cycles and yet has not been offered a roster spot on a team" (SACBEE.com, 9/15). Meanwhile, JAY-Z on Friday in N.Y. during his "first headlining concert in three years" included a "dedication" to Kaepernick during a performance of the song "THE STORY OF O.J." (ESPN.com, 9/15).
NAMES: 49ers defensive coordinator ROBERT SALEH is "believed to be" the NFL's "first Arab American coordinator" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/16)....Florida football coach JIM MCELWAIN has launched a barbecue sauce line called "Mac & Blondie Mombo3," which is available at concessions stands at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and "will appear soon on the shelves in Gainesville stores" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 9/17)....Clippers F BLAKE GRIFFIN “hosted a shopping event” on Thursday at luxury Italian menswear company Ermenegildo Zegna’s Rodeo Drive boutique in Beverly Hills, and 15% of sales “went to Griffin’s Team Griffin Foundation” (WWD.com, 9/15).
IN MEMORY: PENNY CHENERY, the “beloved owner" of SECRETARIAT whose influence on horse racing "spanned decades and whose standing inspired generations of women in racing, died on Saturday at her home in Colorado from complications of a stroke at age 95.” Chenery won the Eclipse Award of Merit in ‘06, was the “first female president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association” and was “one of the first women elected to The Jockey Club” (DRF.com, 9/17).
