OCR Text |
Show 1NEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER - DIXIESUNNEINS.COM 27, 2017 As Trump continues his attacks, football players begin NFL arms games during locking kneeling, protesting by r p,.,1" BY SAM FARMER AND LAURA KING ,. i ;,: i , r '1, I I '''..-.,A. . J- 1 r , (1" " i I t , il - , ) ') , he was "deeply disappointed by the tone" of Trump's comments. Kraft is a close friend of Trump's and contributed $1 million 4 4.... .5, ' Players from almost every team in the National Football League showed their solidarity in protest of recent comments by President Donald Trump, either taking a knee or locking arms during the national anthem on Sunday. Because of the time difference, players from the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars got the jump on everyone by kneeling or locking arms in protest during the national anthem before kickoff of their game in London on Sunday morning. Back in the U.S, players in the nine 1 p.m. EDT games followed suit before their games started. The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed'in the visitors' locker room at Soldier Field in Chicago during the national anthem. The only Steelers player who was visible was left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, ), I 1. ) i . ' i C It '. ,,, . , . -, t '6i , a statement Sunday saying , .. , 1 ,100., 't , 4 INS -- -r ..- - - - to his campaign. About two dozen Patriots locked arms before their home game against Houston, among them quarterback Tom Brady. The protests, which had largely died down in the NFL, came in the wake of Trump's comments at a political rally Friday, when he challenged NFL owners to fire any player who didn't stand for the anthem. On Sunday morning, Trump continued his attack on the most successful sports league in the . t . t 1 l' i ; , , .,.. , ; r ? ; f . -.4. - 1 I f - 4 - 1 ..... . I I - . 4 Zk Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil (58) kneels in silence as a Hail Mary pass fails against the New England Patriots on the final play of the game in AFC Divisional Playoff action at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. The Patriots won, 35-3- 1 who stood at the edge of the tunnel with his hand over his heart during the anthem. In an interview with CBS before the game, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin explained the decision to stay in the locker room: "We're not going to play politics. Were football players, we're football coaches. We're not participating in the anthem today. Not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove our selves from this circumstance. People shouldn't have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the an- them, he shouldn't have to be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn't be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So we're not participating today. That's our decision. We're going to be 100 percent. We came here to play a football game. That's our intent." Around the league, several team owners locked arms in solidarity with players and coaches, among them Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan who contributed $1 million to Trump's presidenMiami tial campaign Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Detroit Lions owner Martha Ford. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued Judge expected to be sidelined for 2017 following country. "If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you would see change take place fast," Trump tweeted. "Fire or suspend!" In a later tweet he said: "... NFL attendance and ratings are way down. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S." Trumps attack has become an issue for more than the NFL. Other sports must now figure out how to deal with athletes who may want to make a symbolic protest. This has also caused debate on the protections afforded by the First Amendment and the continual national discussion on race. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, appearing on Sunday news talk shows as a presidential surrogate, declared that NFL players were welcome to express off political opinions the field. "They can do free speech on their own time," he said on ABC's "This Week." Mnuchin's comments then drew a sharp response from Rep. Ted Lieu, 1)- Calif., who said on Twitter that the Treasury secretary did not seem to understand First Amendment protections. "I am beginning to think that in govt, you are stupid as a rock," Lieu tweeted. "US Constitution also applies to NFL players. Get it?" scorecard Golovkin-Alvare- z i BY LANCE PUGMIRE INS Adalaide Byrd, the Nevada fight judge who turned in a highly criticized scorecard favoring Cane lo Alvarez in his Saturday night draw against middleweight boxing champion Gennady Golovkin, is expected to be sidelined from the Oct. 7 UFC event and possibly through the remainder of the year, three officials familiar with the situation have told the Los Angeles Times. in what was seen as a Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett did not immediately return a highly competitive bout that was scored mostly as a draw or a Golovkin victory by those watching near call from the Times on Wednesday, but he did say following Byrd's performance Saturday night that Byrd needed "a break" and to "take a breather." Byrd, a veteran judge who has scored more than 100 championship and boxing matches, stunned fans by giving title-eliminati- on former two-divisi- champion Alvarez (49- 10 of 12 rounds 2) one-poi- nt ringside. Instead, unbeaten was Golovkin (37-0-blemdealt the first ish on his record. He retains his three belts by virtue of the draw, and promoters saidA this 1) week they will begin negotiating a rematch, likely to be held in May. "She's not being suspended, but she is being benched for a couple of months," one official familiar with Byrd's situation said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because permission had not been granted to speak publicly on the May-weath- matter. While Bennett has praised Byrd's work over time and her attention to judges' training, her stunning score in the major bout that sold out Arena and drew a strong audience on HBO is akin to the bad nights of judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross in the disputed 2012 Timothy pay-pervie- w Bradley Jr. victory over Manny Pacquiao. Ford left judging soon after, and Ross returned in 2013 to give Alvarez the nod of a tie score against Floyd Jr. in a bout many viewed as lopsided in Mayweather's er favor. After that, both Ross and former Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer left the sport. One commission official from another state said it'd be highly unlikely that any state commission would as sign Byrd to another major bout again. Byrd briefly met with Bennett after Saturday's bout and expressed some remorse about how her card so dramatically differed with those of fellow judges Dave Moretti (115-11- 3 for Golovkin) and Don Trella (114-114- ). Attempts to reach Byrd have been unsuccessful, and Bennett said it's his policy to prohibit media access to Nevada judges to discuss specific bouts. (c)2017 Los Angeles t 2 Times. d WEEKLY SPORTS RECAP: .,.... Women's Soccer Football Score: Football took its third loss of the season against Central Washington University Saturday with a final score of 40-5- 8. Score : Soccer had two games this week. First sweeping the field with a 1 score against Chaminade University Thursday. Then later against Biola University Saturday with a win, 2-- Malik Watson, a senior from Pittsburg, California, completed a pass to wide reciever Josiah Blandin, a senior from Long Beach, California, resulting in a touchdown Key player Quarterback 12-ya- rd during the second half of the game. Next game: Western State University at the Mountaineer Bowl in Colorado Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. I 5-- 0. Key players: Against Biola forward No. 13, Darian Murdock, a senior frorl putting three goals in the first half. During the Chaminade match, DSU defender Bailey Kroll, a sophomore from Meridian Idaho, made a total of three shots with one in goal. Herriman, completed a hat-tric- k, Next game: California Baptist University at Legend Solar Stadium, Sept. at 4:30 p.m. 3L o, r |