Kaepernick's reps deny investment in BIG3
Free-agent NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not investing in the BIG3, despite The Athletic previously reporting that the 34-year-old would assist in keeping the 3-on-3 league co-founded by Ice Cube from shutting down.
"It's just not true," a representative for Kaepernick told The Athletic's Shams Charania on Thursday.
The investment from Kaepernick would have allowed the league to continue to operate, according to Charania. Players in the BIG3 have been preparing for a league-wide shutdown, Charania reports.
Ice Cube and entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz founded the BIG3 in 2017. It has held a season every summer since besides 2020, which was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That year, the league applied for and received a $1.6-million loan from the federal government, according to The Associated Press. The BIG3 returned $700,000 and used $600,000 to pay its coaches and players to make a return to play possible in 2021.