Liebe, Lust und Leben » first time this week on Wednesday.Receiver Danny Am

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is refusing to stand for the national anthem before games because he believes the United States oppresses African Americans and other minorities.Kaepernick sat on the teams bench Friday night during the anthem before the Niners played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game. He later explained his reasoning in an interview with NFL Media .I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, Kaepernick said. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday that players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.The 49ers issued a statement after Pro Football Talk initially reported on Kaepernicks stand, saying that Americans have the right to protest or support the anthem.The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony, the team said. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.Coach Chip Kelly said Saturday that he had not talked with Kaepernick about his actions or comments but said that Kaepernick also did not stand for the national anthem before last weeks game in Denver when he was injured and did not play.We recognize his right to do that, Kelly said. Its not my right to tell him not to do something. Thats his right as a citizen.Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents. He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.Kaepernick is not the first U.S.-based athlete to use the anthem for protest. In 1996, NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the anthem, saying the United States had a history of tyranny and doing so would conflict with his Islamist beliefs. The NBA initially suspended Abdul-Rauf for his stance before it was lifted when he said he would stand and pray silently during the song.Kaepernick said he is not worried about any potential fallout from his protest.This is not something that I am going to run by anybody, he told NFL Media. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.Kaepernicks agent did not immediately return a request for comment.Kaepernick is in competition to win back the starting quarterback job in San Francisco that he lost to Blaine Gabbert last season. He made his first appearance of the preseason on Friday night after missing two games with a tired shoulder. He finished 2 for 6 for 14 yards and added 18 yards on four runs.Kelly said Kaepernick is still in the running to win the starting job and his protest wont impact the decision.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Air Force Ones . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Cheap Nike Air Huarache . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. http://www.airforce1cheapuk.com/air-force-1-mens-wholesale-uk.html . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Nike Air Force 1 Just Do It Uk . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Fake Huaraches For Sale . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett were both in uniform as the Patriots went back to the practice field on Tuesday.Which one of them will be at quarterback when New England hosts Buffalo on Sunday remains a mystery at this point.Garoppolo missed last weeks game against Houston with a throwing shoulder injury that occurred during the second quarter of the New Englands win over the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 18.In his absence last week, Brissett, a third-round pick in this years draft, successfully led New England (3-0) past the Houston Texans in his first career start, but sustained an apparent right thumb injury sometime during the second half.Its all added more intrigue as the Patriots prepare for their final game before the return of Tom Brady from his four-game Deflategate suspension.Neither Garoppolo nor Brissett were available for interviews Tuesday, but Brissett did briefly acknowledge the high interest surrounding his health as reporters gazed at him while he walked through the locker room prior to practice.Ive never seen so many people looking at my hand, Brissett said with a chuckle on his way to his locker.Brissett didnt have any coverings on his thumb at the time, and could be seen both texting with the thumb and using it to laace up his cleats.dddddddddddd But later at practice he did have tape on his thumb and wrist as he stretched.Garoppolo didnt have any visible braces or bandages on his shoulder in the locker room or once he was on the field.Coach Bill Belichick deflected questions on the status of his quarterbacks earlier this week, deferring to the NFL-mandated injury report which will be available for the first time this week on Wednesday.Receiver Danny Amendola, who had the first two-touchdown game of his career against the Dolphins courtesy of throws from Garoppolo, said he was just as clueless about the plan at quarterback as everyone else.I dont know -- ask coach, Amendola said. That will be up to him.Game notes The Patriots signed defensive lineman John Hughes and receiver DaRon Brown to the practice squad Tuesday. Hughes was a third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2012 draft and has played in 53 career games with 10 starts. Brown was a seventh-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower ' ' '