Recently NASCAR made the controversial decision to ban Old Dixie, the Confederate Flag, from all of their events.

This act has not come without consequence as now Bubba Wallace, the only Black racer in NASCAR’s top series, reportedly found a noose in his team garage in Talladega, Florida on Sunday afternoon.

via TMZ

“Today’s despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism,” Wallace says.

“Over the last several weeks, I have been overwhelmed by the support from people across the NASCAR industry including other drivers and team members in the garage.”

“Together, our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is excepting and welcoming of everyone.”

“Nothing is more important and we will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate. As my mother told me today, ‘They are just trying to scare you.’”

“This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in.”

NASCAR also issued a statement saying the org. is “angry and outraged” and have launched an immediate investigation.”

This heinous act comes after the race was delayed due to rain and a plane was flown over the track with the Confederate flag in protest of NASCAR’s decision. Also weeks before, part-time racer Ray Ciccarelli decided he would not return after the 2020 season in protest.

We are sure this noose is also in response to Bubba’s decision to wear Black Lives Matter paraphernalia, but we support his stance wholeheartedly. We hope NASCAR does a proper investigation and the person or people responsible are found.

We really wish we could say we are surprised to report this, but no NFL teams have reached out to Colin Kaepernick since his workout last week.

Kaepernick definitely showed he still has the skills, form, and shape to play in the NFL, but that has not seemed to lift their exclusion of him.

via Complex

As of Sunday, Kaepernick is still looking for a roster spot. According to the ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kaepernick’s team sent out footage of his work out to the 25 franchises that weren’t present for his session at Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Georgia. The teams haven’t extended any offers.

Following his workout, sources claimed that teams were interested in moving forward with Kaepernick. Initially, insiders speculated that it could take weeks for him to anchor a contract. Now, it’s rumored that nothing is expected to be presented to the quarterback.

Kaepernick decided to forgo the NFL orchestrated workout in exchange for the session that was held in Riverdale. When it was first presented to the public, Kaepernick was scheduled to work out in front of 25 NFL teams at the Falcons’ practice facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia. The NFL also promised to send footage of his workout to the other franchises that weren’t in attendance. But Kaepernick cited issues with a liability waiver and media availability as the motive for him to move the session to a venue that was nearly an hour away.

The NFL released a statement following Kaepernick’s decision that claimed it was informed of the move at the same time as the media and it was “disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout.”

The venue change had a polarizing response NFL fans and analysts. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and the Panthers’ Eric Reid went back-and-forth about the topic after Smith stated that Kaepernick’s motive was to merely “control the narrative.”

Whether Colin is picked up or not he is still a hero for Black and Brown people everywhere who have been victims of police brutality. This man simply took a knee in protest. All we can do is shake our heads and in the words of Phaedra Parks say, “Fix it Jesus.”

Optics is the “name of the game” as it is being reported that Jay-Z allegedly pushed the NFL Commissioner to hold a workout for Colin Kaepernick to repair his reputation.

As you may recall, Jay-Z’s reputation took a hit when his company Roc Nation partnered with the NFL. The rapper/mogul was labeled a sellout and even harsher, a “race traitor,” by some of his staunchest supporters.

via Complex:

According to my source, JAY-Z said that he took a reputational bullet for the commissioner when they had that press conference [with] his new role in the NFL,” Patrick said on The Dan Patrick Show, referencing the criticism JAY faced when the partnership was first announced. “Social agenda. Social injustice. He was gonna help with the entertainment for halftime. All of this. My source said that JAY-Z was pressuring the commissioner to do the right thing and have this workout for Colin Kaepernick.” 

He continued, “JAY-Z said, ‘Hey, look, I don’t want to be viewed as a sellout here. Now those are my words, not his, but he was saying ‘reputational bullet.’” In a follow-up tweet, Patrick added that other sources have called the “JAY-Z narrative” another “distraction to take away from the opportunity facilitated by the NFL for Colin Kaepernick.” 

We are just happy to see Colin is getting the workout he deserves. We are not going to trick ourselves into believing that he will get signed by a NFL team, especially since some of them are backing out. However, I guess in Jay-Z’s case it will be the “effort” that counts.