Mitch McGary gets drug suspension increased from 5 games to 15

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Mitch McGary’s offseason just went from bad to worse.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder big man has been suspended for an additional ten games to go along with his original five-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy back in July. He will now serve a 15-game ban without pay to begin the 2016-17 season.

This latest violation isn’t reportedly believed to be another positive test, but instead a failure to live up to the guidelines set forth in the NBA’s anti-drug program. Wojnarowski also adds that, if Oklahoma City get their way, McGary has played his final game in a Thunder uniform.

The 24-year-old has struggled with drugs since his time in college at Michigan, when he was forced to declare for the NBA Draft early after getting a one-year suspension from the NCAA due to a positive test for marijuana.

McGary has only played in 52 games for the Thunder, mostly because of injuries, since they drafted him in the first round in 2014. He has become an unnecessary piece in the OKC frontcourt, especially considering how Steven Adams and Enes Kanter have blossomed and how the team traded for Ersan Ilyasova, Domantas Sabonis, and Joffrey Lauvergne this summer. Throw in McGary’s 15-game ban and the greater character concerns that come with it, and it’s probably safe to close the book on his tenure in Oklahoma City.

Image Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Drug, #From, #Games, #Gets, #Increased, #McGary, #Mitch, #Suspension - #Basketball

Steelers WR"s first NFL touchdown came after an accidental assist from his teammate

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Congrats to Eli Rogers on his first career NFL touchdown! It doesn"t matter if it bounced off your teammate and also your face and right into your hands. It just matters that you caught it.

Again: It. bounced. off. his. face.

We meant for that to happen...

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 13, 2016

In all seriousness, congrats to Eli, who was an undrafted free agent in 2015. He"s currently leading the Steelers in receiving yards.

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#Accidental, #After, #Assist, #Came, #First, #From, #Steelers, #Teammate, #Touchdown, #WRS - #Football

NCAA to Pull Championship Games From North Carolina Over Controversial ‘Bathroom Law’

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA has pulled seven championship events from North Carolina, including opening-weekend men’s basketball tournament games, for the coming year due to a state law that some say can lead to discrimination against LGBT people.

In a news release Monday, the NCAA says the decision by its board of governors came “because of the cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections.”

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

“This decision is consistent with the NCAA’s long-standing core values of inclusion, student-athlete well-being and creating a culture of fairness,” said Georgia Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson, the chair of the board of governors.

The law — known as HB2 — requires transgender people to use restrooms at schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from local and statewide antidiscrimination protections.

HB2 was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory earlier this year.

The NCAA’s release also noted that five states and several cities prohibit travel to the state for public employees and representatives of public institutions, which could include athletes and staffs. The only championship events that can be hosted in the state are ones determined when a team earns the right to play on their own campus.

The men’s basketball first- and second-round games were scheduled for March 17 and 19 in Greensboro. The NCAA will also relocate:

— the Division I women’s soccer championship scheduled for Dec. 2 and 4 in Cary, just outside the capital city of Raleigh;

— the Division III men’s and women’s soccer championships set for Dec. 2 and 3 in Greensboro;

— the Division I women’s golf regional championships set for May 8-10 in Greenville;

— the Division III men’s and women’s tennis championships set for May 22-27 in Cary;

— the Division I women’s lacrosse championship set for May 26 and 28 in Cary;

— and the Division II baseball championship from May 27 to June 3 in Cary.

The law has created a public and business backlash, which includes the NBA moving the 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans instead of hosting it in Charlotte as originally scheduled because of the law. Duke lost a men’s basketball game from its schedule when Albany backed out due to that state’s travel ban, while the Vermont women’s basketball team has canceled a December trip to play North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Entertainers like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr have canceled plans to play in North Carolina. And PayPal reversed plans to open a 400-employee operation center in Charlotte.

—

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Rich Hill pulled from perfect game after seven innings

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Rich Hill was pulled during the middle of a perfect game bid for the Dodgers on Saturday as the team opted to preserve his health.

The 36-year-old southpaw had thrown 89 pitches when the Dodgers decided to lift him for reliever Joe Blanton. The decision was difficult, but it was founded given the situation.

Hill recently returned from a blister injury that landed him on the disabled list. He pitched on Aug. 24 after being acquired by the Dodgers, but then was scratched from his next start. Then he pitched six innings in his second start with the Dodgers, also getting the win. This was just his third start for the Dodgers.

Hill has been spectacular for the Dodgers when able to pitch. He’s thrown 19 scoreless innings over three starts for the team, allowing just six hits and two walks. The team has much bigger things in mind than a perfect game; they’re going after a World Series and will need Hill for the playoffs.

This is the second time this season that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has made a similar tough call. He also pulled Ross Stripling during a no-hitter in April.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Perfect, #After, #From, #Game, #Hill, #Innings, #Pulled, #Rich, #Seven - #Baseball

Shaquille O’Neal claims he got fan mail from a young Yao Ming

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It probably never happened, but Shaq still credits the letters for changing their relationship for the better.

Shaquille O"Neal and Yao Ming are entering the Basketball Hall of Fame together, which feels right. Not only were they arguably the last two traditional centers the league has seen, but they are also unlikely friends who seem to truly enjoy being around one another.

But it wasn"t always like that. Their relationship got off to a rocky start when O"Neal, trying to be humorous, mocked the Chinese language during Yao’s rookie year. "Tell Yao Ming, "Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,"" he said in an interview. He later apologized and Yao accepted it, but there was a sense that a bitter rivalry between the two best centers in the league was brewing.

That all changed quickly when Shaq embraced Yao later on in his rookie year, following a talk with his stepfather:

“He showed me letters that Yao used to write me when he was a youngster in China,” O’Neal said, according to The Sporting News. “Christmas cards, birthday cards. My father said, ‘The guy looked up to you.’ Most of the guys I was killing, I looked up to them. But he said Yao looked up to me, so show him a little more respect. Our relationship changed after that.”

O"Neal entered the league in 1992, when Yao was just 12 years old. It is technically possible for him to have idolized Shaq and sent him fan mail, even though he lived in China at the time and didn"t really know how to speak English. It doesn"t seem likely, though, which is why Yao laughed and denied ever writing him letters, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Did Shaq"s parents lie to him to get him to respect Yao? Did Shaq mistake correspondence he got from a grown Yao — the Chronicle points out that he sent Christmas cards to everyone in the Houston Rockets organization starting his rookie year — as fan letters? Who knows. All that matters is that after that initially bad start, their relationship evolved into one of mutual respect and, ultimately, friendship.

“I have been going to China for the last seven or eight years," Shaq said. "And we always get together, hang out with the families. He is a great man.”

Shaq typically doles out minimal praise to former rivals, but he really seems to like Yao. Maybe it"s all because of some misidentified mail, but who cares. No matter how it started, their friendship seems real.

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#Claims, #From, #Mail, #Ming, #ONeal, #Shaquille, #Young - #Basketball

Lane Kiffin gets raise from Alabama

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Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin received a short-term extension and a raise on Friday morning.

Michael Casagrande of AL.com reports that the university approved a raise and extension that will take Kiffin’s contract through February 2017, which means he will be able to finish out the current season. The 41-year-old will end up getting paid a total of $ 1.4 million for the eight months between July 1, 2016 and Feb. 28, 2017.

Kiffin was paid $ 680,000 in each of his first two seasons with Alabama. The Tide were able to pay him less because Kiffin was still receiving buyout payments from USC, which ended on June 30. His salary now is more in line with the top coordinators in college football. As Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com notes, Kiffin’s new pro-rated salary would amount to $ 2.1 million over a full season. Former Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was the highest-paid assistant last season at $ 1.6 million.

Kiffin, who took a subtle swipe at USC on Twitter recently after the Tide throttled the Trojans, will likely pursue head coaching opportunities after the season.

College Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Alabama, #From, #Gets, #Kiffin, #Lane, #Raise - #CollegeFootball

JJ Watt feared his career was over while rehabbing from injury

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Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt admitted that he feared for his career as he rehabbed from his recent surgery.

Watt was essentially unable to do much of anything for a ten-day period after his surgery back in April, and he revealed that he had a tough time coping.

“A few of (the abdominal muscles) were fully off the bone,” Watt revealed Wednesday, via Chris Wesseling of NFL Media. “A few of them were partial torn. That was pretty serious stuff.

“When I was in Philadelphia after the first surgery, there were some days there where I really, really questioned whether or not I would ever be able to play again,” Watt added. “There was a very low point there. It was tough. I was in a hotel room in Philadelphia for I think 10 days straight not being able to really walk or do anything. There was definitely a tough point there.”

The rest is history, though, as Watt is slated to play in the season opener. Still, the revelation sheds some light on why Watt may have made these comments early in the offseason.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Career, #Feared, #From, #Injury, #Over, #Rehabbing, #Watt - #Football

Josh Beckett: Red Sox made up injury to keep Aaron Cook from going to Yankees

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Like many stars before him, Josh Beckett’s time with the Boston Red Sox came to an ugly end. The former starting pitcher was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2012 season amid questions about his work ethic and attitude, many of which stemmed from the time Beckett was spotted golfing a day after the Red Sox announced he would miss a start due to injury.

The big problem with that perception, Beckett says, is that he was never actually injured. In an interview with the “Toucher and Rich Show” on 98.5 The Sports Hub Thursday, Beckett claimed the Red Sox made up a fake injury so they could call up pitcher Aaron Cook and prevent him from opting out of his contract.

“Aaron Cook had an opt-out in his contract, I was pitching terrible – which is my fault – so we made up an injury so that [the Red Sox] could call him up, so he didn’t opt out and go to the Yankees,” Beckett said. “That was a thing, but I don’t think that that’s actually legal to do. I don’t think you can just phantom DL somebody.”

Aaron Cook, really? Beckett was pitching horrible at the time. He went 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA with the Red Sox in 2012 before being traded to the Dodgers. Perhaps Boston felt that Cook would be a valuable piece in the rotation, though he finished the season 4-11 with a 5.65 ERA. And we all know how petty the Red Sox and Yankees can get with gamesmanship.

“That’s the whole thing that I had a problem with is that nobody really stood up, and that’s when I knew it was kind of the end [of my time in Boston],” Beckett added. “You don’t have anybody in the organization backing you either .. so that’s when I knew, this is what the end looks like.”

If Beckett’s story is true, the Red Sox allowed the public to believe he went golfing despite missing a start with lat and shoulder injuries. Maybe that had something to do with Beckett being one of the alleged ringleaders of all those infamous clubhouse antics the season before.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Going, #Aaron, #Beckett, #Cook, #From, #Injury, #Josh, #Keep, #Made, #Yankees - #Baseball

Colin Kaepernick will donate money from jersey sales to charity

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Colin Kaepernick currently has the NFL’s best-selling jersey despite not even being a starting quarterback, so you know the spike in sales has everything to do with his national anthem protest. Kaepernick knows that, too, which is why he won’t keep the additional money he has been making.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Kaepernick thanked fans for their support and vowed to donate the proceeds from his jersey sales “back into the communities.”

I want to thank everyone who has shown me love and support, it truly means a lot! I wasn"t expecting my jersey sales to jump to number one because of this, but it shows the people"s belief that we can achieve justice and equality for ALL! The only way I can repay you for the support is to return the favor by donating all the proceeds I receive from my jersey sales back into the communities! I believe in the people, and WE can be the change!

A photo posted by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Sep 7, 2016 at 7:22am PDT

“I want to thank everyone who has shown me love and support, it truly means a lot!” Kaepernick wrote. “I wasn’t expecting my jersey sales to jump to number one because of this, but it shows the people’s belief that we can achieve justice and equality for ALL! The only way I can repay you for the support is to return the favor by donating all the proceeds I receive from my jersey sales back into the communities! I believe in the people, and WE can be the change!”

While Kaepernick has been bashed by plenty of people for his decision to protest the national anthem (including this boxing legend’s ex-wife), there are clearly plenty of people who appreciate what he is doing.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Charity, #Colin, #Donate, #From, #Jersey, #Kaepernick, #Money, #Sales - #Football

Yaya Toure omitted from Manchester City Champions League squad

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Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Out-of-favour Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure will play no part in Manchester City’s Champions League group stage matches after being left out of the squad named on Friday.

The 33-year-old’s sole appearance for City this season has been in the 1-0 victory over Romanian outfit Steaua Bucharest in the second leg of the Champions League play-offs.

Manager Pep Guardiola, who coached him at Barcelona, has deemed him surplus to requirements for the group stage.

City could not include more than 17 non-homegrown players in their Champions League squad and Guardiola still has 18 at his disposal, despite four foreign internationals, Frenchmen Samir Nasri and Eliaquim Mangala among them, leaving before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

Teams can name up to 25 players in their Champions League squad but City’s lack of homegrown players meant they were only permitted to name a squad of 21.

City have been drawn in Group C with Barcelona, German side Borussia Moenchengladbach and Scottish champions Celtic.

The post Yaya Toure omitted from Manchester City Champions League squad appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

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Tim Tebow receives contract offer from independent league team

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Tim Tebow has received another offer to play professional baseball, although this one is much less serious than his previous offer.

The Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League offered Tebow a baseball contract on Wednesday.

“The Bluefish welcome Tim with open arms,” said Bluefish General Manager Jamie Toole. “The Atlantic League is all about giving players opportunity, and we think Bridgeport would be a great place for him to begin his professional baseball career.”

What makes this a publicity stunt of sorts? The fact that the Atlantic League’s regular season ends in less than three weeks. That wouldn’t be enough time for Tebow to do much. Let’s also not forget that this team made headlines earlier this year by having Jennie Finch guest manage the team for a day.

Tebow already has a legitimate offer from a Venezuelan winter league team outstanding, and he received interest from a handful of MLB teams after his workout Tuesday.

Getting his feet wet in independent league ball wouldn’t be the worst thing for Tebow, but it makes sense for him to hold out for something better.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Contract, #From, #Independent, #League, #Offer, #Receives, #Team, #Tebow - #Baseball

Serge Ibaka: ‘I never asked to be traded’ from Oklahoma City

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The prevailing narrative surrounding Serge Ibaka this summer seems to be one of a disgruntled big man who was bothered by a marginalized role and wanted out of Oklahoma City, either via trade or via free agency next summer. But Ibaka insists that this wasn’t the case.

In a feature for Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, Ibaka opened up about his wild offseason and put to rest rumors that he was unhappy with the Thunder.

“I never asked to be traded, even though there was a lot of media conjecture that I was unhappy with my role,” Ibaka wrote. “I had an exit meeting with [head coach] Billy Donovan and [general manager] Sam Presti after the season, and both went well. But this is still a business, everybody has to do what’s best for them, and I let my agent deal with the business side of things.

“I just focus on basketball,” Ibaka continued. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to go in and ask for a trade, and I would have been happy staying with the Thunder. Playing in the NBA was my dream, and I’d be happy playing anywhere.”

Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic on Draft Night 2016, leading to rumors of his discontent in Oklahoma City, which were only stoked by comments made by his agent, Andy Miller.

While Ibaka may never have specifically asked for a trade, the Thunder still had to leverage against the possibility of the three-time All-Defensive First Teamer leaving for nothing in 2017, especially given the (as it turned out, justified) uncertainty at the time regarding Kevin Durant’s free agency.

The 26-year-old will now try to start anew on a Magic team where there could be a lot of competition in the frontcourt next season among him, Bismack Biyombo, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Vucevic.

H/T NBA Reddit

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#I, #Asked, #City, #From, #Ibaka, #Never, #Oklahoma, #Serge, #Traded - #Basketball

San Francisco police demand apology from Colin Kaepernick

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The San Francisco Police Officers Association is unhappy with the recent comments Colin Kaepernick made about law enforcement corruption, and the organization is demanding an apology.

In a letter addressed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and 49ers president and CEO Jed York, SFPOA president Martin Halloran ripped Kaepernick for his “foolish statement” about the law enforcement profession.

“While we certainly acknowledge Mr. Kaepernick’s first amendment right to remain seated during the National Anthem, as inappropriate as that may be, we will not stand by while he attacks police officers in this country with statements such as, ‘People are on paid leave while people of color are killed,” Halloran wrote in the letter, which was obtained by TMZ.

The SFPOA beleives Kaepernick “embarrassed himself, the 49ers organization, and the NFL based on a false narrative and misinformation that lacks any factual basis.” Halloran invited the 28-year-old quarterback and any other NFL employee to visit the San Francisco Police Department Academy and take part in any of the simulations recruits participate in during their training.

“Not only does he show an incredible lack of knowledge regarding our profession and ‘officer involved’ shootings, but also shows a naivety and total lack of sensitivity towards police officers,” the letter continued.

“Perhaps Mr. Kaepernick could comment on the murder of 40 police officers in the United States in the past few months, or the assaults perpetrated on over 100,000 law enforcement officers in the past year. Perhaps he could lend his commentary to the over 8,000 murders that African Americans inflicted on one another in 2015. The law enforcement community cannot be continuosly blamed for all of society’s problems, including racial divide, in our country. It isn’t fair and it isn’t true.”

If Kaepernick’s goal was to start a discussion, you could certainly say he accomplished it. Countless people and organizations have already weighed in, including Kaepernick’s former coach and several of his fellow players.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Apology, #Colin, #Demand, #Francisco, #From, #Kaepernick, #Police - #Football

Five things we learnt from La Liga

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Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona and Real Madrid made it two wins from two, but both were thoroughly tested and trail surprise early leaders Las Palmas, whilst Atletico Madrid’s title hopes continue to disintegrate already.

Here are five things we learned for week two in La Liga:

Atletico’s title challenge over before it began?

Writing off Diego Simeone’s men after just two games may seem harsh, but in a league where 90 points have been needed to win the title for the past six seasons, back-to-back draws to open the campaign leaves Atletico already facing a mountain to climb.

Moreover, those four dropped points have come against newly-promoted Alaves and Leganes leaving star forward Antoine Griezmann to conclude: “If we keep playing like this we will be fighting relegation.”

Having held onto Griezmann and enjoyed a summer without selling one of their best players for the first time in the Simeone era, the Champions League finalists were expected to pose a serious challenge to Barca and Real for the title.

However, a familiar problem of breaking down, in theory, weaker opposition has blighted Atletico’s prospects with Kevin Gameiro’s penalty at home to Alaves last weekend the only goal they have scored in 180 minutes.

After such a slow start, targeting a first ever Champions League win and consolidating their status as Spanish football’s third force seems more realistic.

Barca’s unpredictability makes them more dangerous

Stopping Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar has been an almost impossible task as Barca have won back-to-back Liga and Copa del Rey doubles.

However, with Neymar still absent after winning Olympic gold with Brazil and Messi and Suarez rarely off-form, Barca still picked up a vital 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao thanks to Ivan Rakitic’s winner.

Rakitic and Denis Suarez constantly looked to run beyond Luis Suarez behind the Athletic defence adding an extra dimension to Barca’s already lethal attack. Moreover, the Croatian’s goal was a bullet header at the end of a flowing counter-attack.

With such variety, Barca may be even harder to stop with the likes of Neymar and Andres Iniesta still to feature in La Liga this season.

Real still need Ronaldo after all

Gareth Bale’s sensational form in 2016, including a double as Madrid routed Real Sociedad 3-0 last weekend, suggested the European champions’ dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo was easing.

However, with the Portuguese still sidelined by the injury that forced him off in the Euro 2016 final, a disjointed Real struggled for long periods before Toni Kroos’s late winner sealed a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo.

Bale in particular looked jaded by his long summer with Wales at the Euros and the searing Madrid heat on Saturday night in the kind of game in which Ronaldo so often comes to Real’s rescue.

Boateng having a party in Las Palmas

Forget Madrid and Barca, Las Palmas are the early-season entertainers as they thrashed Granada 5-1 to go top of the table.

Kevin-Prince Boateng’s move to the Canary Islands was one of the more eye-catching La Liga transfers over the summer and the Ghanaian has so far lived up to the hype with a second stunning goal in as many games before limping off to a standing ovation.

Boateng also took time to pay homage to the nearly 300 victims of an earthquake in central Italy this week having spent three years at AC Milan.

Valencia crisis deepens

It seemed impossible for things to get any worse for Valencia after a three-coach season in which they flirted with relegation. Yet, they could end up in another battle to survive after taking zero points from their opening two games.

A 1-0 defeat at Eibar followed a 4-2 humbling by Las Palmas at home last Monday and more bad news is set to come with the imminent sale of captain Paco Alcacer to Barcelona.

A squad that finished 12th last season has already been decimated by the departures of Andre Gomes, Shkodran Mustafi, Alvaro Negredo and Sofiane Feghouli.

The post Five things we learnt from La Liga appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

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Ladarius Green refutes reports that he’s been suffering from headaches

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Ladarius Green’s health has been the great mystery of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason, but Green himself tried to set the record straight on Saturday.

The newly-signed tight end, who was reported to be suffering from headaches that were keeping him out of training camp, said that he has no idea where those rumors came from, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Ladarius Green said he has no idea where hsleadache rumor came from

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) August 20, 2016

Instead, the 26-year-old Green insisted that his absence was because of his ankle, which he underwent surgery on over the offseason (though Green does also say that he’s progressing on that front).

Green on headaches: "I dont know what reports those are. I am still on PUP because of my ankle."

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) August 20, 2016

Green on ankle: "Ankle is still no 100 percent. It is still not there. It"s getting better."

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) August 20, 2016

Green inked a four-year deal with Pittsburgh last March. For a player who suffered multiple concussions during his time as a San Diego Charger, this has to be a big sigh of relief for the Steelers and their fans.

Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

H/T Rotoworld

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Trevor Knight girlfriend is Sadie Robertson from ‘Duck Dynasty’

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Those who have followed Trevor Knight on Instagram will not be surprised to learn that the Texas A&M quarterback is officially dating Sadie Robertson.

Robertson, known for her time on “Duck Dynasty” and “Dancing with the Stars,” confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that she and Knight are boyfriend/girlfriend.

“We’ve been dating for three weeks, so it’s super chill,” Robertson told Entertainment Tonight.

Robertson said the two first began talking when Knight went to Haiti for a mission, knowing that she had done the same too. Then a few months ago she asked Knight if he wanted to go to a Justin Bieber concert with her and he said yes:

"Is it too late now to say sorry" ….to all the people who had to witness a 22 year old man dancing at a Justin Bieber concert? Had a blast with @legitsadierob anyways! #biebs

A photo posted by Trevor Knight (@trevor_knight9) on Apr 12, 2016 at 7:39pm PDT

Robertson says they didn’t start dating until a few months after that.

One issue for them to overcome is that the Robertson family supports LSU, while Knight plays for another SEC competitor — Texas A&M.

It looks like he’s got her into Texas A&M so far:

It took all weekend, but Aggie fans, we got two new die hards on board!

A photo posted by Trevor Knight (@trevor_knight9) on Jul 10, 2016 at 1:44pm PDT

The real loser in all of this has to be Katy Perry.

Here’s Robertson’s interview with ET:

H/T College Spun

College Football – Larry Brown Sports
http://po.st/HtH0U2
#Duck, #Dynasty, #From, #Girlfriend, #Knight, #Robertson, #Sadie, #Trevor - #CollegeFootball

Caleb Sturgis suffers concussion from getting hit in head by punt

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The Eagles have a position battle on their hands at kicker with Caleb Sturgis and Cody Parkey vying for the No. 1 spot. Prior to Thursday’s preseason game against the Steelers, one suffered an unfortunate injury that prevented him from helping his case.

During pregame warmups, Sturgis was hit in the head by a punt that resulted in the 27-year-old suffering a concussion. Philadelphia ruled Sturgis out for the game.

Caleb Sturgis is out of the game w/a concussion suffered when a punt hit him in warmups. Donnie Jones is tight w/Parkey, I"m just sayin"…

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) August 18, 2016

Last September, Parkey suffered a groin injury and was placed on injured reserve, bringing his season to an end. Sturgis took over for the final 13 games and converted 18-of-22 attempts, including a long of 53 yards against the Cowboys.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only weird injury Sturgis has suffered during his pro career. Here you can see what happened during a team organized dodgeball event last June when Sturgis was a member of the Dolphins.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
http://po.st/BflBDd
#Caleb, #Concussion, #From, #Getting, #Head, #Punt, #Sturgis, #Suffers - #Football

James Harden gets personal logo from Adidas

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Last year, James Harden signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas. On Tuesday, the sportswear manufacturer unveiled a personal logo for the Rockets star.

Adidas used one of its Twitter accounts to give the world a look at the logo in a video the packs a lot of visual effects into 17 seconds.

The @JHarden13 Mark. pic.twitter.com/QsoYXJ2yYq

— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) August 9, 2016

Accompanying the video in the tweet is a suggestion to head to the @projectharden page on Instagram for more. It’s there we find an explanation for the Harden Mark.

INKWELL

A photo posted by Project Harden (@projectharden) on Aug 9, 2016 at 10:06am PDT

Knowing what it stands for is good. However, some aren’t even sure what they’re looking at.

New harden logo… pic.twitter.com/D0PZfd07uH

— You Dont Know Diggs (@CallMeDiggs) August 9, 2016

new james harden logo is horrendous. I see the H. like what else is going on there?

— emdc360 (@earldelacruz) August 9, 2016

Earlier this summer, Reebok released J.J. Watt’s first signature shoe, which prominently features his logo. Now, we’ll have to wait and see what shoe Harden’s brand new logo appears on.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
http://po.st/4VGeeX
#Adidas, #From, #Gets, #Harden, #James, #Logo, #Personal - #Basketball

Alex Rodriguez reportedly will not get farewell ceremony from Red Sox

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Alex Rodriguez is ending his playing career in fitting fashion with a three-game road trip to Fenway Park before appearing in his final game at Yankee Stadium on Friday. We know the Yankees are going to plan a big sendoff for A-Rod, but what about his team’s biggest rival?

According to Scott Lauber of ESPN.com, the Boston Red Sox are planning nothing more than a “low-key acknowledgement” of A-Rod’s career when the Yankees come to town. While the Red Sox held flattering farewell ceremonies for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera when they retired, they reportedly will not be doing the same for Rodriguez.

A-Rod’s legacy, of course, is much different from Jeter’s or Rivera’s. The 41-year-old has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs on numerous occasions. He was also part of a midseason brawl in 2004 — the year Boston ended its 86-year World Series drought — with former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. In the playoffs that season, Rodriguez infamously slapped a ball out of pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s glove while trying to avoid a tag. Red Sox fans have mercilessly mocked him over that for years.

More recently, a Red Sox pitcher intentionally threw at A-Rod back in 2013 after Rodriguez announced he was appealing his 211-game suspension. You can see a video of that here.

Boston fans hate A-Rod. They “hated” Jeter too, but that had a lot more to do with respecting a rivalry than anything else. The hatred for Rodriguez is more authentic, which is why it is not a surprise that the Red Sox aren’t planning to roll out the red carpet for him this week.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
http://po.st/55RXwb
#Alex, #Ceremony, #Farewell, #From, #Reportedly, #Rodriguez - #Baseball

DeMarcus Cousins has perfect response to odd question from Olympic reporter

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Believe it or not, The Boogie Man has a highly refined sense of humor too.

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who is competing for USA Basketball at the Rio Games this summer, was asked a strange question by an Olympic reporter on Thursday and delivered the perfect retort in response, per Andrew Keh of the New York Times.

OLYMPIC REPORTER: "If you could ask yourself one question what would it be?"

BOOGIE: "I would ask myself, what would that one question be?"

— Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) August 4, 2016

Who would’ve thought that the All-Star big man could be so meta? Of course, Cousins has a rich history of priceless encounters with the international media, so this is really nothing all that new. Credit to him for putting forth a witty, philosophical answer to a bizarre question when in his mind he was probably thinking to himself, “Lord give me the strength.”

H/T NBA Reddit

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
http://po.st/RHBNwl
#Perfect, #Cousins, #DeMarcus, #From, #Olympic, #Question, #Reporter, #Response - #Basketball