Kaepernick sits out preseason opener
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick did not participate in the 49ers’ preseason game against the visiting Houston Texans on Sunday night.
The 49ers announced in the hours leading up to the contest that Kaepernick would sit out with a sore right shoulder.
Blaine Gabbert, who is competing with Kaepernick for the starting position, will open up against the Texans.
San Francisco coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Friday that Kaepernick’s shoulder was ailing.
“His throwing shoulder, just from the accumulation of what we’ve been doing, is a little sore,” Kelly said. “So we’re going to monitor that.”
Kaepernick, a former baseball pitcher, spent the offseason recovering from shoulder, thumb and knee injuries.
Backup quarterbacks Thad Lewis and rookie Jeff Driskel are in line to pick up extra work against the Texans with Kaepernick sidelined.
Adele: I turned down Super Bowl halftime
Adele wasn’t interested in saying “Hello” to the National Football League.
The decorated singer and songwriter told a Los Angeles crowd on Saturday that she turned down an offer to participate in the Super Bowl LI halftime show. The halftime concert — as well as the game — will be broadcast from Houston on Feb. 5.
“First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl,” the 28-year-old Adele told the crowd at the Staples Center, per Variety.com. “I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don’t really — I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no.”
Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Coldplay put on a show earlier this year as a whopping 115.5 million viewers in the United States tuned in. Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Prince and the Rolling Stones have also participated at the NFL’s signature event.
West Virginia guard arrested for DUI
West Virginia starting guard Adam Pankey was arrested Sunday morning on drunk-driving charges after being involved in an accident.
Pankey’s car left the road and was discovered upside down with the 22-year-old still inside, according to Morgantown (W. Va.) police chief Ed Preston.
Pankey, who had cuts on his face, was arrested and later released on bond.
Pankey, a senior, has started 25 games for West Virginia.
GaTech-Notre Dame game pushed to 2020
Georgia Tech announced its next game against Notre Dame has been pushed back a year to 2020 and will be played Nov. 14 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
The moved was considered mutually beneficial for both schools.
After playing the Irish, Georgia Tech is scheduled to play rival Georgia in Athens two weeks later. And the following year the Yellow Jackets play host to Georgia but travel to play Notre Dame.
For the Irish, they were already scheduled to play at Georgia in 2019, and two trips to the same state in one month was not considered good national balance. Notre Dame also has road trips in 2019 to Louisville, Michigan and Stanford.
Georgia Tech and Notre Dame are now scheduled to play in 2020 in Atlanta, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana, and 2024 in Atlanta.
Thunder sign Price
Guard Ronnie Price signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but The Vertical reported it to be a guaranteed two-year, $5 million contract.
The 11-year veteran appeared in 62 games for the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging career highs in points (5.3), assists (2.4), rebounds (1.6), steals (1.19) and minutes played (19.5) per game.
Price has appeared in 530 career NBA games, including stints with Sacramento, Utah, Portland, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers since coming out of Utah Valley State College. He holds career averages of 3.8 points, 1.8 assists 1.2 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game.