Recording of 911 Call from SF 49ers, Kaepernick, "Naked Bong" Incident

Recording From Kaepernick Naked Bong Incident

by Jake O'Donnell +SportsGrid

A recorded 911 call to Miami emergency services was released today that will go a long way in winning back public support for the 49er’s quarterback, who is at the center of an investigation involving a bong hit, a nude woman, and a bed.

Until now, the eschewed details of the case led many to believe Kaepernick’s indiscretion to be of a more serious nature. On the tape, an unnamed man speaks soberly and confidently about a woman who refused to leave their hotel room.

“She said her name was Jesus, and she don’t have no clothes on.”

You can make your mind up about what that means about Kaepernick’s credibility vis-a-vis the woman at the center of the investigation.

“There’s a young lady in my friend’s bed,” the caller says. “She says she’s not leaving until she sees him … No, no, he’s not her boyfriend. He’s someone she wants to sleep with.”

Kaepernick 911 tape reveals bizarre details of "suspicious" hotel incident. (VIDEO) http://t.co/v1RTpPLZFi
— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) May 7, 2014

Three days after the call was placed, a woman went to Miami police, claiming she was partying with NFC West wide receivers Ricardo Lockette and Quinton Patton, after which she only remembers waking up in the hospital. Police had referred to the case as “a suspicious incident,” after which the entire sports world went nuts trying to infer the exact details of the case.

[Via ESPN]

49ers Aldon Smith Arrested (Detained) at LAX

Reports: 49ers’ Aldon Smith arrested at Los Angeles International Airport
+NFL

BY BRETT LOGIURATO

Aldon Smith allegedly became belligerent before he was taken into custody. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was taken into custody by police at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night, according to multiple reports.

+ESPN's +Adam Schefter reported he was detained after indicating he possessed a bomb. Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Michael Fox told Schefter that Smith was booked Sunday afternoon.

According to The Washington Post’s Cindy Boren, +San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke issued a statement on the incident.

“We are disappointed to learn of the incident today involving Aldon Smith,” Baalke said in the statement. “As this is a pending legal matter and we are still gathering the pertinent facts, we will have no further comment.”

A Los Angeles police public information officer told Schefter that the 25-year-old Smith became uncooperative when he was randomly selected for a secondary screening process at the airport. He said something indicating he was in possession of a bomb before moving toward the gate area, where police met him, according to the report.

The incident is the latest in a line of troubles for both Smith and the 49ers. Smith missed five games after taking a leave of absence to seek treatment at an alcohol rehab center. He sought the treatment voluntarily after he was arrested for driving under the influence for the second time in less than two years. Smith also pleaded not guilty in November to felony illegal weapons charges.

Also this week, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was among three NFL players named in a report of a “suspicious incident” that took place a Miami hotel room. Kaepernick has denied any wrongdoing.

Preseason schedule: Broncos to help 49ers break in new stadium

H/T to +The Sacramento Bee - sharing author Matt Barrows

Which NFL opponent gets to break in Levi's Stadium?

The honor goes to Peyton Manning and the +Denver Broncos, who will visit the 49ers in the second week of the exhibition season (Aug. 14-18). The +San Francisco 49ers will open the summer schedule on the road against the Ravens (Aug. 7-10) before testing out their new home against the Broncos and then the +Chargers on Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. They will finish the preseason on the road on Aug. 28 against the +Houston Texans. The start times for three of the four games have yet to be determined.

The 49ers' game in +Baltimore means that Jim Harbaugh will have faced his brother, John, in the regular season, the postseason and now the exhibition season. Preseason games held three time zones away are rare but not unprecedented. The 49ers traveled to the +Indianapolis Colts in 2010. This year's game is the first time they've played the Ravens in the preseason. 

This will be the third straight year the 49ers and Raiders will not face each other in the preseason. Violence during and after the teams' game in 2011 at Candlestick Park suspended what had been an annual summer meeting. The 49ers will visit the Raiders during the regular season. They also will visit the Broncos and host the Chargers during the regular season.

The first game played at $1.2 billion Levi's Stadium will be a soccer match between the +San Jose Earthquakes and the +Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 2. That match will be used as a test run to make sure all of the stadium's operations - from parking to concessions to the video boards - work properly.

The regular-season schedule is expected to be released later this month. Team officials have said they will be on the road in Week 1 before hosting their first real game at Levi's Stadium in Week 2 on Sept. 14. The City of Santa Clara has asked that the 49ers not host any weekday games in the first year of the stadium. A percentage of the parking spaces that will be used on game days belong to nearby businesses, which ostensibly will be occupied on weekdays.

That means the team will not host any games on Monday or non-holiday games on Thursday in the inaugural season at the new stadium. However, it's possible they could host the last of the three games played on Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the NFL today announced that next year's Pro Bowl will be played in Glendale Ariz., the site of the Super Bowl, which will be played a week later. Santa Clara will host the following year's Super Bowl, but the Pro Bowl game is expected to return to its usual location, Honolulu, that year.

-- Matt Barrows

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2014/04/which-nfl-opponent-gets-to.html#storylink=cpy

5 Headliners from NFL Preseason Schedule Release - Super Bowl rematch of Broncos - Seahawks

Seahawks - Broncos to rematch in Broncos first NFL preseason game (despite slated in regular season as well)

Nate Irving (#56 of Denver) breaks up pass intended for J. Kearse (#15 of Seattle) in 1st quarter of Super Bowl.
They'll rematch in the 2014 regular season as well. Photo Courtesy +Denver Broncos (AP)

The Five Most Intriguing Games On The 2014 NFL Preseason Schedule

Are you ready for some (pre-season) football? With the release of the NFL Preseason schedule earlier today, football-starved fans across the Internet finally have something concrete to look forward to, and talk about. While the games will be meaningless come December, there will be position battles to be won and lost and, of course, the longer extra point experiment. For the first two weeks of the preseason, the ball will be spotted at the 20-yard line for extra point kicks, which will turn extra points from 20-yard chip shots into something slightly more interesting. Last year, close to 99% of extra points were converted, which created little incentive for fans to stay in front of their televisions after the first six points. With that in mind, we've broken down the five most interesting preseason games, starting with the Chargers opener against the Cowboys.

Broncos to break in Levi's Stadium (49ers Pristine New Home) in Preseason

Week 1: Cowboys at Chargers: Last season Chargers PK Nick Novak had the worst success rate for kicks between 30-39 yards, going 13-16, or 81%. At the equivalent of a 38-yard field goal, the extended extra point could be an adventure for Novak. The game may also be as expensive some of the games on the Chargers schedule for the regular season, as the Cowboys almost always drive up prices on the road, even for their preseason games.

Week 4: Jets at Eagles: Week 4 is typically the week when starters take a seat. If Geno Smith beats out Michael Vick for the Jets starting job, this game could be a match-up of Michael Vick vs.Mark Sanchez, two once-franchise QBs. While not exactly the return of Andy Reid last year, it will be the most interesting pre-season game on Eagles schedule for reasons that have nothing to do with football. Vick spent five years in Philadelphia and he has the franchise to thank for giving him a second chance and a deal worth $100 million. In return, he delivered two wild-card playoff losses, and it will be interesting to see how the ever-honest fans at Lincoln Financial Field greet Vick in his return. 

Week 2: Broncos at 49ers: If not for Richard Sherman, this could have been a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. It will be the second year in a row the Broncos Schedule sets up a pre-season visit to San Francisco. While last year was Peyton’s final visit to Candlestick Park, this year will be his first to Levis Field. It will also be the first football game played in the $1.2 billion stadium, aka, the Field of Jeans. Given that novelty element, it will likely be sold out or close to sold out. Levis has a capacity of 68,500, which makes it on the small side for a football stadium. As a point of reference, the first ever game at Metlife Stadium brought in 67,511 fans for a game against the Jets and the Giants. The game was technically a home game on the Jets schedule, which may have been part of the reason almost 20,000 seats went unfilled.

August 3rd, Hall Of Fame Game: Giants Vs. Bills: While this would have been a potential Super-Bowl Matchup in the early 90s, in 2014, it’s a match-up of two teams just looking to compete. It is, however, the first snap of the football, and therefore, exciting.

Week 1: Seahawks at Broncos: While the preseason is often meaningless, this rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII should have a lot of meaning for the +Denver Broncos. After getting demolished by the Seahawks in the SuperBowl, a win in the rematch could allow the Broncos to shake some of the nightmares that they’ve surely lived with since February. For Broncos fans, a close game will give them a chance to imagine what could have been. A win would likely give them confidence about success for the Broncos schedule that’s ahead. Another blowout loss could lead to some serious soul searching, even if Peyton manning only takes a quarter of the snaps. (This statement should put any sports, football casual journalist on suspension for its miraculous attempt at making keyboard millennial trolls jump all over this and ride it for what it is worth, nothing) Something we see on +Bleacher Report and others horrifying articulation of pointless things. Sports CR3W would like to hope that we admit when we are following the lead of such a fuss on anything and will delineate what is worth keeping up in the brain for future use, reference. 

We say, "In what way is this even feasible?? Soul searching from ONE quarter in the "bleep,,, bleeping,, bleeeping" PREASEASON!! You're 'bleeeeep!ng' joking, right?"

+SPORTS CR3W will have to disagree with this statement or any other 'pundit' and/or 'analysis / insight' about a PRESEASON match whether it is a rematch or not. The same will be said of the +Seattle Seahawks and Broncos regular season matchup in Seattle that has all sorts of variables in it that weigh no significance regarding the Super Bowl debacle. 

To say and buy into ANY hype of a preseason game and its results is just plain misleading, ignorant, and naive. Sorry to all those expert journalists that will make so much of this matchup and the writers that are actually qualified to vote on matter of Hall of Fame inductees to MVP awards, etc. If qualifications pass for them on the latter matter's mentioned, they should know better than to say the result of this preseason game merits a single ioda towards a possible meeting about 5 months from then. Sorry preseason, John Fox and the Broncos use base defense, do not gameplan on offense and the point of the preseason is to give fringe players (especially the 1st and 2nd preseason games) a look at how they mesh or play with starters and players that are deeper on the depth chart. Mainly to see if they can make the cut or not, of course.

Broncos and Seahawks square off in Week 1 of Preseason

Especially, in special teams analysis of who could/should make the team for defense/special teams and hone their other skills at the perspective position. Simply said, do not give a damn about the result here, it has no relevance as to how the regular season will unfold for either club. Broncos will be using a lot of new faces on defense as well as old that were not on the team's Super Bowl roster. A reminder to all those that forget. 8 turnovers, the Broncos would have lost to the Canadian Football League champs to put it lightly. Suffice it to say, the Seahawks did not beat the Broncos "A" team as we've written before.
h/t +Forbes

Report: NFL thinking of adding fourth game in London by 2015

+FOX Sports

MAR 24, 2014

Charlie Crowhurst / Getty Images Europe

The Jacksonville Jaguars and +San Francisco 49ers battle it out during the +NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium last year in London.

The NFL is apparently quite happy with the success it's having overseas.

Having sold out almost every American pro-football game at Wembley Stadium in London, the league is considering expanding the number of games there to four by 2015. (The NFL already has three regular-season games set for London on the 2014 schedule.)

According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, the idea of adding an additional game looks to be on the agenda at this week's league meeting.

In November, the NFL announced the dates of its three regular-season London games for 2014:

The first game will be played in Week 4 on Sept. 28, with the +Oakland Raiders facing the +Miami Dolphins.

A month later, in Week 8, the +Atlanta Falcons will play the +Detroit Lions on Oct. 26.

And the Dallas Cowboys will play the +Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 on Nov. 9.

All of the games will be played at Wembley Stadium, which is where the NFL has held all of the regular-season games in London since 2007.

If the popularity of American football keeps growing, +NFL could also be looking to move a franchise to London by 2017.

49ers Have a Contrast in Style in Bethea signing, replacing Whitner

H/T to +San Francisco 49ers - 

Part of their series getting to know new players, with safety Antoine Bethea, whom San Francisco signed as a free agent from the +Indianapolis Colts. 

Safety, Antoine Bethea, signing his contract offer sheet with the San Francisco 49ers.
Photo Courtesy: +San Francisco 49ers (AP)

1. He hasn't missed a start in six seasons.

That’s 96 consecutive starts in the regular season for those of you scoring at home. Bethea last missed a start in 2007. He suffered an injury and missed the final three games of the regular season, the year he made his second Pro Bowl team. Since then, the 5-foot-11, 206-pound defensive back has been a reliable force in the NFL. Bethea has started every game he’s appeared in since joining the Colts as a sixth-round draft pick eight seasons ago.

2. His style of play is different than the safety he's replacing.

Unlike Donte Whitner, San Francisco’s new strong safety doesn’t have any plans to alter his last name. Sure, he doesn’t have a surname that lends itself to a clever moniker, but Bethea’s on-field reputation is known more for sound fundamentals than jarring hits. Bethea was not penalized in 2013, while Whitner was flagged for five unnecessary roughness penalties. In total, Bethea produced 110 tackles. Whitner also made no bones about his feelings when meeting with the media. Bethea, on the other hand, said he’s not one for speaking his mind to reporters. “You’re not going to hear me say too much,” Bethea said.

Antoine Bethea: "Excited to be a Part of this."

3. He has experience playing both safety positions.

Secondary coach Ed Donatell confirmed what many of us already assumed: Bethea will begin his 49ers career at strong safety and has the ability to line up at free safety. Bethea said he envisions and interchangeable system is which San Francisco can be less predictable with its pre-snap looks. Bethea doesn’t want to be a single-high safety, nor does he want to only be a box safety tasked with run-gap responsibilities. The versatility of Bethea and Eric Reid will allow defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to mix up his looks and tailor his defense to the strengths of each safety.

4. He has used his small-school college experience as motivation.

NFL free agency was a big deal for Bethea. He was not recruited heavily out of college, but he was valued highly by the 49ers when the free agency period began. Bethea attended Howard University and was the 207th overall pick in his draft class. “Being able to have a team come talk to you and really want you within the first hour of free agency, it meant a lot,” Bethea said. The veteran safety didn’t shop around and make visits with any other team. He agreed to terms with the 49ers and signed his contract the following day. Bethea is also different than three of the team’s offseason additions in the sense that he’s a late-round draft pick joining his second team. Cornerback Chris Cook (34th overall in 2010), quarterback Blaine Gabbert (10th in ‘11), and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin (42nd in ‘12) and all were top-50 talents who are looking to better their careers with a second organization.

5. He came to the 49ers to win a second Super Bowl.

Bethea won a Super Bowl and lost another chance at a ring with the Colts. He certainly knows what a championship-caliber team looks like. When the eight-year vetertan signed with the 49ers, the possibility of winning another Super Bowl was very much in mind. "It's one reason I'm here in San Fran," Bethea said. "A great opportunity to get another ring. That's what I'm here to do." Bethea has a wealth of postseason experience, too. He's been to the postseason in seven of his eight seasons with the Colts, with a Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck-less 2011 season being the lone exception. Bethea is joining a 49ers team that has been to the conference championship game for three consecutive season. Should San Francisco return to the big stage, Bethea will be fit to handle the moment.

Dolphins Trade Martin to the 49ers, Reuniting Martin with College Coach from Stanford, Harbaugh

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARCH 11, 2014

Jonathan Martin is returning to familiar territory, months after he accused a teammate of bullying and left the Miami Dolphins.

The offensive tackle is headed back to the Bay Area to play for Jim Harbaugh.

Martin was traded from Miami to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday night, reuniting the lineman with his college coach at Stanford.

Jonathan Martin with Harbaugh, while at +Stanford University vs. +Notre Dame Athletics with now
+San Francisco 49ers Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh. Reuniting with their college days.

The +Miami Dolphins announced the move late on the first day of N.F.L. free agency. San Francisco then confirmed the trade, saying only that it would send an undisclosed draft choice to Miami and that Martin still must pass a physical to complete the deal.

“Can’t wait to get to work,” Martin posted on Twitter.

An investigation for the +NFL determined last month that Dolphins guard Richie Incognito and two other offensive linemen engaged in persistent harassment of Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer.

COWBOYS RELEASE WARE The +Dallas Cowboys released DeMarcus Ware, the franchise’s career sacks leader.

Ware had a career-low six sacks last season and was sidelined for three games with a thigh injury, the first time he had missed a game in his nine-year career.

+Denver Broncos appear to be in solid lead for Ware's services.

+Chicago Bears CUT PEPPERS Chicago released defensive end Julius Peppers, an eight-time Pro Bowler, in one of several moves to reshape the team’s defense. Given that Peppers finished last season with seven sacks and that his salary-cap hit for next season was more than $18 million, the Bears were expected to let him go or restructure his contract.

The Bears agreed to contracts with the former +Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston, the former Giants safety Ryan Mundy, and linebackers Jordan Senn and D. J. Williams.

+Pittsburgh Steelers DROP WOODLEY Pittsburgh released linebacker LaMarr Woodley, 29, with a post-June 1 designation. By postponing the move until after June 1, the Steelers will free up about $8 million in salary-cap space for 2014. Woodley will, however, count $8.5 million against the team’s cap number in 2015.

+New York Giants ADD DEPTH The Giants reached agreements with the former Kansas City guard Geoff Schwartz and the former Oakland running back Rashad Jennings, the players announced on Twitter. Seattle linebacker O’Brien Schofield also agreed to a deal with the team, and kicker Josh Brown indicated on Twitter that he had re-signed with the Giants.

LONGER DEAL FOR JETS’ FOLK The +New York Jets re-signed kicker Nick Folk to a multiyear contract, less than two weeks after placing the franchise tag on him

Whitner on way back home for Browns, not Staying with San Francisco 49ers

SANTA CLARA -- As Donte Whitner left for his native Cleveland to help repair the +Cleveland Browns, the +San Francisco 49ers quickly replaced him with another veteran safety, Antoine Bethea.

But that isn't the only change in the 49ers' shifting secondary.

Carlos Rogers officially got released, joining three other 49ers cornerbacks who hit the free agent market Tuesday: Tarell Brown, Eric Wright and Perrish Cox.

Meanwhile, kicker Phil Dawson re-signed on a two-year deal and quarterback Blaine Gabbert was acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round draft pick.

Instead of returning for a fourth season, Whitner became the first player from last season's NFC runner-up team to sign elsewhere (four years, $28 million; per +ESPN and +NFL Media).

49ers safety Donte Whitner is ready
 to test free agency.
 (LiPo Ching / Mercury News)

"My time in San Fran will always be cherished!" Whitner posted on Twitter. "I love everything about the place. I left my heart and soul out there each and every week."

Bethea, a two-time Pro Bowler in eight seasons with the +Indianapolis Colts, becomes the front-runner to pair with second-year safety Eric Reid. Bethea signed a four-year, $26 million deal, according to the Indianapolis Star.

"Glad to be a Niner!! Going to the Bay!!!" Bethea posted on Twitter.

Bethea, 29, totaled 14 interceptions in 123 career starts for the Colts. Like Whitner, he is a product of the 2006 draft, although he was a sixth-round pick out of Howard whereas Whitner went No. 6 overall out of Ohio State (to the Buffalo Bills).

Unlike Whitner, Bethea rarely has drawn penalties, and he wasn't called for any last season. Bethea has been penalized 13 times in eight seasons, and only three of those infractions were for unnecessary roughness. Whitner got flagged a team-high five unnecessary-roughness last season, including in the NFC Championship game loss to the Seahawks.

"The business side to the league is never fun," Reid posted on Twitter. "Hate to see him go but happy for my man @DonteWhitner. Appreciate everything you did for me."

While Whitner's physical reputation prompted him to considered changing his name to "Hitner" during the season, though he ultimately withdrew his application in his native Cleveland.

Whitner started all but one game since joining the 49ers in 2011 as a free agent. He played his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him in the first round out of Ohio State.

Starting alongside rookie safety Eric Reid last season, Whitner produced 103 tackles and two interceptions, as well as an interception in the NFC divisional-playoff win at +Carolina Panthers. Whitner allowed only two touchdown catches in coverage last season, down drastically from the 12 he yielded through the 2012 Super Bowl run, according to Pro Football Reference.

Whitner earned his first Pro Bowl invitation in 2012, and he won the Garry Niver Award in 2011 and 2013 for his professionalism and cooperation with the 49ers media. He is the fifth Niver winner since 2003 to not return to the team the following season.

The Browns haven't made the playoffs since the 2002 season, when Whitner was a senior at Cleveland's Glenville High, where he was coached by Ted Ginn Sr. The Browns have won only four or five games each season since 2008.