NFL investigator sides with Zeke; Sharapova gets unfair advantage
Zeke’s case improves with NFL investigator recommending no suspension
Ezekiel Elliott, suspended six games for domestic violence, with photographic and video evidence against him, saw his outlook improve with a report that the lead NFL investigator recommended no suspension. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported that Kia Roberts determined after interrogating the accuser, Tiffany Thompson, that the Dallas Cowboys running back and the league’s 2016 rushing leader as a rookie, had done nothing to deserve a suspension. Roberts felt Thompson lacked credibility, which was the same finding of prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio, who refused to file charges against Elliott.
Dear Ms. Roberts: Are you unaware of video on the internet of Elliott participating in a St. Patrick’s Day parade and lowering the shirt of a woman to reveal a breast, which he then gropes?
Ezekiel’s appeal rests on emphasizing HIS loss, says Florio
Mark Florio, former practicing attorney, brings legal insight to Pro Football Talk, on NBCSports. But his argument for Ezekiel Elliott’s appeal might be disturbing to women who have suffered from domestic violence. In deciding whether the Dallas Cowboys’ running back deserves a reduction in his 6-game suspension for physically abusing women, Florio said that “one of the key factors . . . is whether or not the harm is irreparable. And when you think about the relatively short duration of an NFL career and that you’re chasing legacies and championships and records . . . These are some of the arguments that have been made. . . . You can never get back the opportunity to play, and that’s meaningful to these players. That’s a strong argument.”
Dear Mike: Strong argument for what? The only way to punish effectively is to take away something that’s meaningful.
Wozniacki fumes: Sharapova gets preferential treatment on return from ‘a drug sentence’
Many tennis fans – and players — were surprised at how forgiving the U.S. Open hierarchy was of Maria Sharapova, who was granted a wild-card prime-time entry in her return from a 15-month suspension for drug use. Most offended was Caroline Wozniacki, who was scheduled for an opening round match later than Sharapova’s. “Putting out a schedule where the No. 5 in the world is playing Court 5, fifth match on, after 11 (p.m.),” she said, “I think that’s unacceptable. . . . Someone who comes back from a drug sentence and gets to play every match on center court . . . does not set a good example.”
CLICK HERE for news conference of Wozniacki slamming Sharapova.
Football announcer Robert Lee pulled from Virginia game because of his name
ESPN pulled an announcer from his scheduled duty this Saturday at the opening game of the football season “simply because of the coincidence of his name.” The announcer is an Asian-American named Robert Lee, and the network stated that he would be at risk being at the U of Virginia, in the same town, Charlottesville, where deadly violence occurred during a demonstration against removal of a statue honoring Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The announcer was shifted to the Youngstown-Pittsburgh game being played the same day.
Dear ESPN: This is an insult to white supremacists everywhere. How stupid do you think these idiots are?
Mike Martz questions Sean McVay’s head-coaching qualifications
Mike Martz, former NFL coach, made statements to a book author who released his comments prior to publication. So Martz found himself in an embarrassing situation by questioning if the Los Angeles Rams’ new head coach Sean McVay, 31, is experienced enough to develop second-year QB Jared Goff. “What is he, a couple of months older than Jared? They hired a buddy for Jared. . . . You’ve got to coach them and work them hard with respect. . . . . This guy is a quarterback expert? . . . I’m not going to drink that Kool-Aid.”
Dear Coach: Before tossing stones, consider how little you achieved in St. Louis with The Greatest Show on Turf. You had All-Pros named Warner, Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Pace. But Belichick beat you in the Super Bowl with a much inferior team.
Coaching candidates shunned Jaguars because of Bortles
The Jacksonville Jaguars lifted the “interim” tag from head coach Doug Marrone only after other candidates turned away because of the organization’s commitment to Blake Bortles, king of garbage time, as the starting quarterback. Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk said: “I know that people who interviewed for that head coaching job in Jacksonville . . . came away going, ‘They’re gonna make me stick with Blake Bortles as the starting quarterback.’ And that’s why you saw a lot of people not wanting to take that job. . . . Doug Marrone is the head coach because he said, ‘OK, I can work with it.’”
Between the Lines: The Jags failed to protect themselves at the key position. The only challenger to the blundering Bortles is Chad Henne, 7-17 as an NFL starter.
Teammates Verlander and Martinez almost tangled in Tigers’ dugout
A brawl between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers last week took a strange turn when Tigers teammates Justin Verlander and Victor Martinez almost tangled with each other. The trouble began when Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera shoved and then swung at Yankees catcher Austin Romine. Because Romine is the brother of Tigers outfielder Andrew Romine, there were some mixed feelings in Detroit’s dugout. Verlander, 34-year-old pitching ace, flipped off designated hitter Martinez, who tried to retaliate but was restrained by Tigers third baseman Nicholas Castellanos.
Between the Lines: Here was further inducement for Verlander to rescind his initial veto of a trade to Houston. Another inducement: He would be one of the most reviled men in America if he had turned down Houston in its time of devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
