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The Bears announced the move Wednesday, a day after Robinson told ESPN he was planning to sign a $42 million, three-year deal.
Chicago also announced agreements with Philadelphia Eagles tight end Trey Burton ($32 million, four years), Atlanta Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel, Miami Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey and New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
The Bears are coming off their fourth straight last-place finish in the NFC North and fourth straight season with 10 or more losses. They came into free agency looking to surround Trubisky 鈥?the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft 鈥?with more play-making targets and boost a passing game that ranked last in the NFL.
The moves they announced showed just how serious they were.
They are banking on Robinson to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee and regain the form that made him a Pro Bowl pick in 2015.
Robinson seemed poised to be a key part of the Jaguars' offense last year following a strong training camp. But he injured his knee on Jacksonville's third play of the season. The Jaguars went on to win the AFC South and advance to the conference title game. Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone said at the NFL scouting combine Robinson is "right on schedule" in his recovery from the torn ACL.
At 24, he is young and would fill a huge need if he reverts to his 2015 form. He had 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns that year, establishing himself as one of the best receivers in franchise history. His production dropped in 2016, with 73 receptions for 883 yards and six scores.
Burton gets a chance to be the No. 1 tight end on the Bears after catching 23 passes for 248 yards and five TDs in Philadelphia's championship season. He also threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles in the Eagles' Super Bowl victory over New England.
Gabriel had 33 catches for 378 yards and a touchdown last season. He has 132 receptions for 1,819 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons with Atlanta and Cleveland.
Parkey made 21 of 23 field goals in his lone season with Miami. He worked with new Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, after spending his first two years in Philadelphia.
Daniel has played for New Orleans http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kenny-young-jersey , Kansas City and Philadelphia since entering the league in 2009. New Bears coach Matt Nagy was his quarterbacks coach with the Chiefs from 2013-15.
The Bears also announced Wednesday they have agreed to contracts with linebacker Sam Acho and cornerback Prince Amukamara, keeping them in Chicago. Quarterback Mike Glennon, receiver Marcus Wheaton and defensive back Marcus Cooper were released on Wednesday.
A new offseason workout plan has rejuvenated Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.The 36-year-old indicated that he's in the best shape of his career Thursday following the team's first training camp practice at St. Vincent College.
A leaner, trimmer Roethlisberger hopes the additional offseason work can play a part in helping the Steelers to another championship.
"Anything you can do to lighten the load on your knees and ankles, I think is important," said Roethlisberger, who worked with a personal trainer and nutritionist to cut sugar and carbohydrates from his diet to get him ready for his 15th season.
"The knees, the ankles, being lighter ... those are all positives when it comes to this age, playing football and a sport where you're pounding on your knees and you've had a couple knee surgeries."
It could be his last chance to win a championship with two-time All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell.
Bell is away from the team after he and the Steelers failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension earlier this month, meaning he will play under the $14.5 million franchise tag for the second straight year.
Bell skipped training camp last year and signed his franchise tender less than a week before the start of the season. He is expected to follow the same plan and then play what could be his final season in Pittsburgh.
"I don't know what's going on with his agents and how this whole thing works, so I'm not sure what's going to happen Mike McGlinchey Jersey Elite ," Roethlisberger said.
Nobody's sure when Bell will show up either. Until then, former Pitt star running back James Conner, rookie fifth-round pick Jaylen Samuels and veterans Stevan Ridley and Fitzgerald Toussaint will carry the load.
"Le'Veon is one of the best, if not the best in the business," Roethlisberger said. "We miss him as a teammate, but I look at it as an awesome opportunity for the other guys."
Roethlisberger, whose contract expires in the spring of 2020, is excited about the offensive line in front of him and the Steelers' skill players at running back and wide receiver, led by Bell and four-time All-Pro Antonio Brown.
"I really like where this team is at," Roethlisberger said. "If I didn't have a good feeling about this team, it probably wouldn't be as exciting, but I am excited about this group."
He led the team to a 13-3 regular season last season Saquon Barkley Jersey Youth , which included a second straight AFC North title and third in four years. But the Steelers were upset by Jacksonville at home during the divisional round in the playoffs.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it's reasonable to expect another big season from Roethlisberger after his renewed offseason conditioning focus.
"Regardless of position, we always say physical conditioning precedes anything else," Tomlin said. "When a guy shows up in great shape, that's oftentimes a springboard for big-time play."
While Roethlisberger hopes the additional work can prolong his career, he also reiterated that he's only focused on this season.
"I think the biggest key is physical health," Roethlisberger said. "When you get done with the season, how do you feel physically? Do you feel physically able to go back another season or not? We'll address that when the season is over and that's a long ways away."
Roethlisberger established career highs in completions, attempts, completion percentage, yards and touchdowns under Todd Haley, but shared an at-times contentious relationship with the Steelers' former offensive coordinator.
This season, he will work with former quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner Durham Smythe Jersey Dolphins , who has taken over the play-calling duties after Haley's deal wasn't renewed in January. Roethlisberger said Fichtner hasn't changed much offensively.
"He's not going to change who he is," Roethlisberger said. "He's not going to change his approach to the game and be a different person."
As long as it leads to a Super Bowl title, that's all that matters to Roethlisberger.
"If you win more than you lose, that's important, but winning those games can lead to Super Bowl opportunities, so that's always our ultimate goal," Roethlisberger said. "There's 31 other teams doing the same thing. That needs to be our singular focus."
.With guards Jose Calderon and George Hill out with injuries Chiefs Robert Golden Jersey , Osman will make his first career start at guard on Thursday night when the Cavs host the Washington Wizards. Osman has made nine previous starts this season, but all were at small forward.
The 6-foot-8 native of Turkey follows Calderon, Hill, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Isaiah Thomas to the point this season. Cleveland has been besieged by injuries and coach Tyronn Lue, who is back after missing nine games due to health reasons, is using his 29th different starting lineup against Washington.
Calderon has given Cleveland a huge lift lately, but he’s dealing with a sore left hamstring. Hill will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Calderon took part in the team’s shootaround on Thursday, but was later ruled out by the Cavs.
Lue could have started Jordan Clarkson at point, but he prefers to have him come off the bench. Lue had another option in James, who typically brings the ball up anyway.
”We wanted to try and keep him (Clarkson) in the same role Connor Williams Cowboys Jersey , just coming off the bench and being aggressive offensively,” Lue said. ”We’ll see. I like Cedi out there for some of the matchups defensively. We’ll just kind of see what happens.”
And as he gets the Cavs ready for the playoffs and another run at the Finals, Lue said he has settled on starting Jeff Green at forward alongside James with Kevin Love at center.
”I just like his versatility,” Lue said of the 6-foot-9 Green, who is in his first season with Cleveland. ”I think defensive wise we can put him on (DeMar) DeRozan, you can put him on John Wall, Bradley Beal. You can put him on (Victor) Oladipo. I just like that we can switch a lot of 1 through 4 stuff and it gives us another ball handler on the floor too, so I just think it’s the right thing for us to start.”
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More NBA basketball: The journey from the tiny African nation of Togo to the Cologne Crocodiles of the German Football League to the Arizona Cardinals is a very long one.
Now, still learning English, Moubarak Djeri is trying to navigate the tough and often complicated world of the NFL and prove he belongs.
"This experience is really big," he said after the Cardinals went through a voluntary workout Thursday. "That was like a dream for me to be here. Now to see how it's working, how you've got to work hard to make the team and be in the season Cheap Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey , it's a really big experience."
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive end came to Arizona on a tryout basis but showed enough ability to sign a contract and earn a spot as one of the 90 players going through offseason drills.
Djeri speaks four languages 鈥?German, French, his mother's native tongue of Kotokoli and "just a little English." He has been in the United States for three months.
"My English was not that good before I came here," Djeri said. "I just started learning better the time I was here, like speaking with my other teammates, watching movies. On the field, the coach is speaking English and you just keep understanding what they say."
One of his best new friends is teammate Praise Martin-Oguike, also a defensive end, who was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at age 10.
"The language barrier, he might not get the communications sometime," Martin-Oguike said. "It's very difficult."
There are other challenges. Martin-Oguike helped Djeri set up a bank account with a debit card to facilitate the automatic deposit of his paycheck. He showed him how to use an Uber app on his phone.
And he provides lots of on-the-job encouragement.
"If I have bad practices Will Hernandez Game Jersey , I just think about it and get myself really mad," Djeri said. "Praise says don't think too much about it. Keep going, next play. Tomorrow you're going to get better. It's something to motivate me."
Djeri was born in Lome, the capital city of Togo, a small west African nation sandwiched between Ghana and Benin. One of six children, Djeri is part of a very large extended family. He has 27 aunts and uncles.
At age 11, he moved with his family to Germany and in his late teens, he became interested in American-style football, first joining the Cologne junior team and then advancing to the senior team.
Combined, he played just four years of football. But Cologne assistant coach David Odenthal saw something special in Djeri and put together a highlight tape that eventually caught the attention of the Cardinals. He was one of many tryout players, but one of the few that made the initial cut to become an undrafted rookie.
At 22, he has a long way to go to master the game he loves.
"He's still learning the game Kendall Wright Jersey Elite ," coach Steve Wilks said. "He's just got to continue to get better, keep putting the time in."
The time required is so much different than what he had to do in Germany, Djeri said. He said players in Germany thought they knew what it takes to play in the NFL, but it's much different once it's experienced up close.
"To have it and to feel it is way different than you think," he said. "You've got to be every time on point. We're done now with the practice. We do our lift in 30 minutes. After that, we've got meetings again. After that, you go to the hotel and you study and after that you've got to sleep to be ready for tomorrow."
Djeri sees how the odds must be against him.
"I just ask why are they going to get someone from Europe if they've got a lot of guys from college," he said. "They've got a lot of guys with four years' experience of college football. This is the difficulty to be here."
But he is giving it his all.
"This is what I want to do every day," he said. "After the practice you feel like your body is sore but this is what you want to do. That's why it don't matter how you feel, you've got to keep at it every day to get better."
.The city of Atlanta and the Super Bowl Host Committee have partnered with arts group WonderRoot to launch "Off the Wall." The project will create up to 30 murals focusing on Atlanta's past, present and future role in civil and human rights. The murals will transform the city in hopes of sparking a community-wide conversation, said Brett Daniels, chief operating officer of the host committee.
The initiative was announced Thursday at a press conference in front of a mural of civil rights giant U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms noted the importance of the location: The mural is close the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. The streets surrounding the mural were the birthplace of Atlanta's civil rights movement, Bottoms said.
"Quite often art is a conversation starter," Bottoms said.
Although the Super Bowl is a one-time event in Atlanta Authentic Customized Colts Jerseys , those involved with Off the Wall hope the event leaves an enduring legacy. In recent years, street art has popped up throughout the city. By focusing on human and civil rights as the content of the murals, Off the Wall hopes to create lasting conversations about issues affecting the city.
"There is no greater legacy than Atlanta's contributions to the civil rights movement," WonderRoot executive director Chris Appleton said.
The artwork will begin appearing in the city this fall. A subcommittee is scouting locations and talent to produce the work, but officials said some of the murals will be downtown. Freedom University, an initiative that provides college prep and other services for immigrant students in the country illegally, will help in both the creation and installation of the art.
"Young people in this city have been leading the way for human rights Bo Scarbrough Color Rush Jersey ," Freedom University executive director Laura Emiko Soltis said. She said they were "standing on the shoulders of giants," referencing leaders such as Lewis.
NFL players have sparked controversy and drawn criticism from President Donald Trump and some members of the public for kneeling during the national anthem. Although inspired by the way people are using their spotlight to promote human rights, Off the Wall was in the works before the anthem protests, Appleton said. The project has the support of the NFL, according to Daniels.
"This project was inspired by the way artists and other activists struggle for justice and equality for all," Appleton said, calling protests a powerful way to transform communities.
If the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers are even in points Jets Game Jerseys , regulation and overtime wins, and goal differential at the end of the season, they will play a one-game tiebreaker to determine who goes to the playoffs.
The NHL announced the unlikely but possible tiebreaker Friday as Philadelphia had one game and Florida two remaining. For the tiebreaker to happen on Tuesday, the Flyers would need to lose their regular-season finale Saturday against the New York Rangers by exactly two goals and the Panthers would need to beat the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins in a shootout Saturday and Sunday.
In that case, Philadelphia and Florida would each have 39 regulation/overtime wins and a plus-1 goal differential over the season, since a shootout victory counts as a goal. The teams split their season series (which by rule eliminates the odd game between them to even out home ice) and the league does not have any further tiebreakers.
Philadelphia has 96 points to Florida’s 92 and needs just a point against New York to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
This most recently happened in 2000 when the NHL announced Montreal and Buffalo would play a tiebreaking game if they finished the season tied for the final spot in the East. It did not come down to that, but it’s the precedent the league used to make this decision.
The league contacted the teams and the NHL Players’ Association before announcing the plan. After a coin flip was the mechanism in 2000 Vita Vea Color Rush Jersey , a lottery machine such as the one that determines the top three draft picks would be used this time to decide which team gets home-ice advantage.
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon declined comment and a Flyers spokesman said GM Ron Hextall was not speaking about the tiebreaker.
Given the tightness of the standings in the East and West, it’s likely this situation spawns a longer list of tiebreakers beginning next season. Records against common opponents and within the conference could be used, as they are in the NFL.
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.
The 7-foot-1 Authentic Lorenzo Carter Jersey , 250-pound center went through what he said would be his only pre-draft workout and expressed supreme confidence that the Suns will use the No. 1 overall pick to select him.
”I know I’m going No. 1,” he told reporters.
Not that the Suns have assured him of that, he’s just that confident that the team won’t pass on his combination of size, strength, athleticism and shooting touch.
”Nobody told me,” he said. ”That’s just me. I think I deserve that. I’ve worked hard.”
It would be a comfortable fit for Ayton, who was born in the Bahamas and moved to the Phoenix area during high school. He said most of his family now lives here. Ayton played his one year of college basketball a couple of hours down Interstate 10 at the University of Arizona.
”Everybody knows us now,” he said. ”This is our second home so we just feel welcome, and it would be a blessing if I become the No. 1 pick and stay here and make this home.”
Ayton said teaming with young Suns star Devin Booker would be ”Shaq and Kobe 2-point-0.”
”We could really make something happen in Phoenix,” he said. ”We could really have a spark and start a winning legacy.”
There hasn’t been much winning in Phoenix lately. The Suns have missed the playoffs eight years in a row and had the NBA’s worst record last season at 21-61, second-worst in franchise history.
But there is a young core of talent and most of those players, including Booker and Josh Jackson, watched what Ayton described as ”a pretty intense” individual workout.
For nearly an hour Andy Dalton Youth Jersey , Suns coach Igor Kokoskov and his staff put Ayton through a series of game situations, as much as possible given the fact no other players were on the floor.
”It was everything that we expected form Deandre,” general manager Ryan McDonough said. ”Obviously we’ve watched him closely at Arizona and we’ve scouted him heavily in person in games, at practice and on film. He showed us what we expected to see.”
McDonough said ”it’s pretty rare” to find such a player.
”I think this is my 16th draft in the NBA,” McDonough said, ”and you can probably count on one hand the number of guys with his size, athleticism, footwork, balance, touch. It’s a unique package.”
He was particularly impressed with Ayton’s outside shooting touch.
”We knew he was big and strong and athletic and moved well at that size, had good length, had great hands,” McDonough said Dallas Goedert Jersey Eagles , ”but to see him make shot after shot in a workout in different scenarios.”
And he’s just 19 years old.
The Suns plan other workouts with candidates for the No. 1 pick later this week. The group won’t include Luka Doncic, who is still playing in Europe.
Phoenix is not tipping its hand, but Ayton will be hard to pass up.
”The strength of our team right now are young perimeter players, led by Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren,” McDonough said. ”We’ve been looking for a center to kind of anchor our team offensively and defensively. We think Deandre has that kind of potential. … He’s certainly a unique player and a unique talent that I think would fit in great with the rest of our roster.”
Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds in his one season at Arizona. He brushed aside questions about his defense.
”I don’t think that’s a weakness,” he said. ”I haven’t had the opportunity to really guard any bigs in college. I was always on the perimeter with the guards.”
Still, he pointed out, he averaged 2.3 blocked shots per game.
On offense, Ayton said, ”I can score inside and out.”
”There will be a lot of mismatches because if I guard them they have to guard me at the end of the day,” he said. ”I can score, I can pick and pop Saints Elite Jerseys , I can pick and roll, I can put the ball on the ground, rebound, push the ball. It’s an open floor now. Nobody is really double-teaming or triple-teaming.”
He said there is no current player on which he patterns his game. But he mentioned two pretty good ones from the past.
”Kevin Garnett, his intensity on both ends of the floor, how he changes the game, rebounding. From offense to defense, him starting the pick and roll, stuff like that,” Ayton said, ”how he’s so vocal with his teammates. And Hakeem Olajuwon, with his footwork down low, I try to really pick up a lot of stuff with those guys.”
Ayton called himself the most competitive player in the draft. He said there’s none of the laid-back attitude that’s a trademark of his homeland.
”I left at age 12 Authentic Nick Nelson Jersey , so I got a little Americanized with the competitive level,” he said.
Ayton planned to get together with Booker and other Suns players to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
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Police say a former Detroit Lions player has been arrested in Pittsburgh for punching an officer after refusing to pay a limo driver.
NFL free agent Brandon Pettigrew is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, theft of services and public drunkenness.
Police say the 33-year-old tight end refused to pay $97 for a limo ride to a downtown hotel early Monday.
According to a complaint, when officers arrived Pettigrew became aggressive and punched one officer in the chest three times. Police allege he was visibly intoxicated.
The complaint says officers drew their stun guns but Pettigrew, who lives in Flint, Texas, complied and was handcuffed.
A message seeking comment from Pettigrew wasn't immediately returned Monday.
Sean Howard, who has represented Pettigrew, says he has no comment.
No attorney information is available.
.As NFL training camps opened this week Davante Adams Jersey Elite , complete with interminable speculation about position battles, rookies who might make an impact and what players can or can't do while "The Star-Spangled Banner" is playing, let's remember two players who aren't suiting up.
Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid are good enough to be playing for someone.
That much is beyond debate.
But the league has decided to make an example of them, a clear warning to its employees that only so much social activism will be tolerated even while it feigns a sense of respecting their desire to protest during the national anthem.
If the NFL were really concerned about its players, it wouldn't be denying these two their well-earned right to make a living.
Rest assured, history won't be kind when it looks back on the way Kaepernick and Reid were treated by the NFL.
"Both of those guys are NFL talents. Both of them are quality players that can contribute to a roster and contribute to a team winning. They've proven it," New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson said. "I do think that 100 percent of the reason why they're not on a roster is the other stuff that they're standing for is outweighing the risk a team wants to take to put them on a roster."
Kaepernick and Reid are following the same path as social warriors who came before them.
Muhammad Ali, who was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title and barred from the ring for more than three years after he refused induction into the military during the Vietnam War.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who defiantly stood with their fists in the air on the medal podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to protest the way black people were 鈥?and still are 鈥?being treated in America.
Ali, Smith and Carlos were vilified at the time.
Now, they're viewed at heroes 鈥?but only after making huge personal, professional and financial sacrifices to stand up for what they believed.
Kaepernick and Reid are making those same sacrifices.
"I do think it's sad and I want those guys to be on teams because I know they're good enough to play," Watson said. "I hate to see them not be employed in the National Football League, where they should be, simply because they decided to protest and bring attention to systemic oppression, police brutality, injustice 鈥?all the things they stated over and over again, which I think are things that we all should be concerned about."
As of Friday, Kaepernick has gone 572 days since his last snap in the NFL. Tellingly enough, he turned in one of his better performances in what might go down as his final game.
On New Year's Day 2017, playing behind a leaky offensive line that left him running for his life (he was sacked five times), Kaepernick completed 17 of 22 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's 25-23 loss to Seattle. His 122.3 rating was the seventh highest of his 69 career games.
But the NFL would have you believe he's not good enough to play in a league that will employ just under 100 quarterbacks this season, many of them older than Kaepernick (who is still more than three months shy of his 31st birthday, presumably just entering what should be his prime years) and lacking a resume that includes leading his team to the Super Bowl.
Of course Vita Vea Buccaneers Jersey , we all know the real reason Kaepernick has effectively been blacklisted from the league 鈥?his decision to first sit, then kneel during the national anthem throughout the 2016 season, sparking a debate that carried all the way to the White House.
Reid bravely joined Kaepernick in his stoic, symbolic gesture, and carried on the kneeling when his former teammate was sidelined for the entire 2016 season.
For that, he's now paying the price.
Despite being beyond qualified for a spot in the NFL 鈥?26 years old, a former first-round pick, a starter in 69 of 70 games over five years with the 49ers, 10 career interceptions, an average of 65 tackles per season, a Pro Bowler in 2013 鈥?Reid has been deemed unworthy of employment by each and every one of the league's 32 teams.
What makes the treatment of Kaepernick and Reid even more perplexing: The owners and their non-blacklisted players continue to be locked in a back-and-forth squabble over whether protesting during the anthem is a legitimate way to address social injustice in this country.
(Spoiler alert: It is.)
The issue remains a thorn in the league's side, even after Kaepernick and Reid were cast aside.
"Nothing lasts forever, and this is coming close to lasting way too long," Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown groaned.
Before there's any more discussion about sitting or kneeling or staying in the locker room, the players 鈥?all of them, black and white 鈥?should demand justice for Kaepernick and Reid.
While both have filed collusion grievances, the NFL has lots of highly paid lawyers who will surely try to drag this thing out as long as possible, soaking up prime seasons they'll never get back.
But all those players who are lucky enough to have a job, some of whom were just as visible and vocal in their calls for social justice, should be pondering what they can do to help get Kaepernick and Reid back on the field.
Maybe a one-day sickout during training camp. Or kneeling en masse before the first game. Perhaps, as a last resort, they should consider an actual strike.
Like Kaepernick and Reid, they need to be willing to make some huge sacrifices.
After all, they could be next.
Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry@ap.org or at pnewberry1963 His work can be found at s://apnews/search/paul%20newberry AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in New Orleans and Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report. Morris Claiborne was in the middle of a walkthrough practice last summer when he got the call 鈥?finally 鈥?that he was eagerly anticipating.It was time for his twin daughters to enter the world.
A New York Jets trainer had the cornerback's cellphone and was tasked with letting him know if and when Claiborne's now-wife Jennifer was heading to the hospital.
"I remember I saw the trainer walking on the field and he gave me Authentic Sam Darnold Jersey , like, a look," Claiborne recalled in an interview with The Associated Press at the family's home. "I just ran. I took off running. I grabbed my phone from him and I went to Coach (Todd) Bowles and I was like, 'Coach, it's time,' and he was like, 'All right, congratulations.'
"And I remember just running out of the building and running to the hospital, and when I got up there I just looked at her."
It was July 30, 2017, and Jennifer was 35 weeks along 鈥?two weeks before her scheduled cesarean section. But her water broke while she was watching the couple's two English Bulldogs outside their home. She had to immediately head to Morristown Medical Center, about 2 1/2 miles away.
Meanwhile, Morris zipped from the Jets' training facility in Florham Park to the hospital just over 3 miles away in time to be there to welcome his daughters.
"He came and it all happened within the hour," Jennifer recalled. "It happened so fast, it was scary."
Doctors performed the C-section and first delivered Ma'Kaila, who was quite underweight at 3 pounds, 8 ounces.
Ma'Liah came a few moments later, weighing in at a more robust 4 pounds, 13 ounces.
Ma'Kaila was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit, separated from her sister 鈥?and mother 鈥?for the first time.
"I was asking, 'Is everything OK?'" Morris said. "They were like, 'She's good. Everything's good. It's just that she's underweight 鈥?too underweight.' They wanted to take her back and start feeding her and try to get her to gain some weight."
Ma'Kaila stayed in the NICU for the next two weeks, working up the strength to be sent home to her parents and sister.
Jets' Morris Claiborne is a happy father after his newborn twins gave him a scare last summer.
Full story from @dwaz73: s://t.co/yul7hm1HrG pic.GGqXaXTqvG
鈥?AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 17, 2018
For Morris Natrell Jamerson Color Rush Jersey , who was entering his first season with the Jets on a one-year, prove-it deal after four years with the Cowboys, it was a whirlwind of anxiety and excitement.
Somehow, he needed to keep his mind focused on football, while also wanting to make sure his wife and daughters had everything they needed while he was working.
"Oh, man," he said, shaking his head. "We'd have meetings early in the morning and we had to stay over at the (players') hotel, but Coach was giving me a little time to come here and stay with (Jennifer and Ma'Liah) instead of going to the hotel. I'd come (home) after meetings. We'd get done around 11 or so and I'd come here, check on her and make sure everything's OK with her and then I'd head up to the hotel for curfew and we'd FaceTime all night."
Claiborne's coaches and teammates never knew of the hectic routine he was keeping throughout the summer.
Playbooks and Pampers.
Meetings and feedings.
Football and baby blankets.
"I don't care if it was 10 minutes, I live so close to the facility that I was running home every single break to check on them and see if everything's OK and then I'd get back to my job," he said. "It was like that for a while, for the whole training camp. ... It was chaos, but it was fun."
Claiborne was in for the biggest surprise of all on Aug. 15 when he arrived home during a short break.
"I was like, 'Babe, come here, look,'" Jennifer called out to him. "I was like, 'Can you watch her real fast?' And I was speaking of Ma'Liah."
But she had brought Ma'Kaila home from the hospital earlier in the day and had both girls in the bed, laying them beside her with a video camera set on record to capture the moment.
"I wasn't expecting to see both of them at all," a wide-eyed Claiborne recalled. "I wasn't ready for it at all. When I walked in, I was so used to seeing her (Ma'Liah) in the bed when I'd come in, and when I saw both of them laying there, my heart just dropped.
"I was like Richard Rodgers Color Rush Jersey , 'Oh, my God.' It really hit me: We've got twins at the house. This is real now."
Ma'Liah and Ma'Kaila are now 10 1/2 months old, healthy and full of personality.
Ma'Liah, according to Jennifer, is the more demanding of the two, and "she's a Daddy's girl." Ma'Kaila is still slightly smaller than her sister, but is more independent 鈥?moving around on her own, playing and feeding herself.
"It gave me a sense of what I'm really playing football for, what I'm really doing it for," said the 28-year-old Claiborne, who re-signed with the Jets on another one-year deal in the offseason. "It's for my family and bringing these two precious little babies into the world, it opened my eyes to a much bigger picture.
"I've really learned that it's not about yourself. Once you have kids, it's about the kids, but I think I got a re-understanding of that once these two babies were born. I enjoy every moment of it."
The family was planning to fly to its home in Dallas over the weekend to join Claiborne's son Morris, who turns 9 in November, and daughter Madicyn, who's 3, for a special Father's Day.
"Having these girls made me understand that I really missed some valuable time with my son, but I was off in college (at LSU) and there was nothing I could really do about that," Claiborne said. "My mindset was on making a way to feed him at that time. Just having them made me realize how much time at this age that I really missed that I would've loved to be there.
"I missed t.
The team held its third practice of training camp without the prized rookie quarterback on Sunday Brian Allen Color Rush Jersey , the first session open to the general public. While there were plenty of green and white No. 14 jerseys roaming the Jets' practice facility, none were being worn by the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Darnold is unsigned and staying away from the team while his representatives and the Jets continue to hash out details in his contract. Meanwhile, many fans remain somewhat surprisingly patient and optimistic that the young quarterback will get to camp.
"Of course I'm disappointed," said 24-year-old Kelly Stickle, a New Jersey resident wearing a No. 28 Curtis Martin jersey. "I mean, (he's) the prospective starting quarterback, but hopefully they'll reach an agreement soon and he'll be out here."
Both sides are hoping that's the case. But it's unclear when that will happen.
"I'll get an update when he runs out on the field," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "I'm a coach. I don't handle the money or anything like that, or the business side of it. I understand it all and I am aware of it all, but I coach the guys that are out here and that's all I am worried about."
Under the slotting system in the NFL, Darnold will receive a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $30.247 million Cheap Chase Edmonds Jersey , including a $20 million signing bonus 鈥?when he signs. But the dispute seems to hang on contract language.
One issue could be offsets, which if included could provide a team with a measure of financial protection if it cuts a player during his rookie contract. Not having offset language, a condition that Darnold's representatives are apparently seeking, allows a player to receive his remaining salary from the team that cut him, as well as get paid by another team that signs him.
According to published reports by ESPN and the New York Post, another hang-up could be default language that is related to the guaranteed money. Some teams include stipulations that could void guarantees if a player is fined and/or suspended by the NFL for disciplinary reasons.
"I'm a businessman and I understand," said 40-year-old Washington resident Kevin Deans, who was sporting a Darnold jersey. "It seems that they've just got to work some stuff out. I don't hold it against anyone."
That seemed to be the general feeling among many fans who attended Jets practice. They're not happy Darnold isn't in camp, but are hopeful this storyline will soon go away.
Many #Jets fans are disappointed by Sam Darnold鈥檚 contract impasse and camp absence, but remain surprisingly patient - for now. s://t.co/sJeAMQQANQ pic.9o3MFGFlpP
鈥?Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) July 29, 2018
"It's really unfortunate that Sam's not here," said 23-year-old Jimmy Egan of Yonkers Authentic Terrelle Pryor Sr. Jersey , New York. "Obviously, we want him here to get the chemistry with the players and all that. But, I think from his perspective, he's letting his agent handle the business side. It's unfortunate, but hopefully it gets done soon.
"Hopefully, we'll get Sam out here practicing with the guys and hopefully he starts against the Lions in September."
That could become a much tougher task for Darnold the longer he holds out of camp. The 21-year-old quarterback is expected to compete with Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for the starting job, but is losing valuable on-field and in-classroom time with each passing day.
The 39-year-old McCown is the incumbent and currently the favorite to be under center for New York at Detroit on Sept. 10 in the regular-season opener. He and Bridgewater have been taking increased snaps in practices in Darnold's absence.
Most teams have at least three quarterbacks early in camp to ease the workload on the players. Coach Todd Bowles has said the Jets could consider that, but had no intention to add another camp arm at this time.
"You're just kind of literally more aware of every throw," McCown said. "Even if I catch the ball, I'm throwing it to somebody else so it's not a real rep. I'll toss it with my other hand. You have to be smart with how many throws and be cognizant of how many throws you make."
During the practice session Sunday, the offense was having a particularly solid stretch when Long Island resident John Pagano, a long-time fan known as "Cuz Uchenna Nwosu Chargers Jersey ," shouted: "We don't need Darnold! If he were committed, he'd be here now. We've got two good quarterbacks here now!"
That sentiment was soon negated when Bridgewater threw an incomplete pass, setting off several fans in the metal bleachers who shouted: "Sign Darnold!"
If Darnold's holdout lasts much longer, the as-of-now patient Jets fans might start voicing their frustrations soon, too.
"I believe he'll be here before the start of the season, but you've got to take care of the business part," said Andre Jones, 51, of Newark. "If he holds out too long, we'll probably be a little disappointed. We'll just have to wait and see."
NOTES: Bowles confirmed that RB Eli McGuire will need surgery on his broken foot, and said a timetable for his return would be determined after the procedure. ... The Jets signed RB George Atkinson III, son of former Raiders safety George Atkinson Cowboys Jihad Ward Jersey , and waived TE Bucky Hodges. ... The team announced in a post on social media that it will introduce new uniforms next April to mark the franchise's 60th season. The Jets did not disclose any details on the upcoming changes.
Pete Carroll dipped back into the Southern California pipeline to fill a need on the Seattle Seahawks defensive line.Unable to make a move back into the second round for an additional pick, the Seahawks selected USC defensive end Rasheem Green with the 79th overall selection in the third-round on Friday night.
Seattle's initial selection on the second day addressed a significant need along the defensive line. Seattle was slated to have the No. 76-overall pick but traded with Pittsburgh and moved back three spots to No. 79 while also picking up an additional seventh-round selection.
And much to the delight of the Seahawks, Green was still on the board.
"It's tough watching guys getting drafted that play the same position when I personally feel like I'm a bit better than them. But it is what it is." Green said.
It was a relatively quiet night for a team known for being busy with draft moves. Seattle will now have eight picks on the final day of the draft.
General manager John Schneider said there never were any reasonable options that would have allowed Seattle to get back into the second round. That included any possible deals involving safety Earl Thomas, who was the source of trade speculation as his current contract expires after the 2018 season and he was one of the few Seattle options that could have landed a high draft pick.
"You may have looked like he wasn't going to be here but we didn't look at it like that. That's been a lot of speculation on your guys' end of this thing," Carroll said. "We've been counting on Earl being here the whole time."
Schneider believed Green was still available in the third round due to a knee injury suffered several years ago that likely downgraded his stock among teams. Schneider said Green was examined twice by Seattle's doctors and was given high marks.
"I'm sure he thought he was going to go higher. We like to have guys like that," Schneider said.
Green played primarily as a defensive tackle at USC and was able to live in the backfield of opponents. Green had 12 陆 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last season at USC while being named a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. Green projects more as a defensive end in the NFL because of his size 鈥?6-foot-4 and 275 pounds 鈥?and that's where he would like to play.
"I personally prefer the outside," Green said. "I feel like I'm just as good as I am inside as I am outside."
Replenishing the pass rush is a priority for the Seahawks. Seattle traded Michael Bennett to Philadelphia earlier in the offseason and there are questions about the future of Cliff Avril after he suffered a neck injury that cost him most of last season.
While some of his skills may be raw, Green should have the opportunity to contend for significant playing time right away. Only Frank Clark and Dion Jordan would appear to have set spots in Seattle's regular rotation of defensive ends.
"It's really important for us that we definitely will have some options here. He's really young, he's a 20-year-old kid ... he's got a lot of potential to grow. We will move him all around and figure it out," Carroll said.
Some draft analysts believed Green would have been better off returning for his senior season and working his way into potentially being a first-round pick.
Green was willing to take the chance on leaving early.
"I did have some thoughts of staying. But I just felt like my heart wasn't there anymore," Green said. "I just wanted to do what I thought was the best choice for me. I don't regret it."
.A day after using their two first-rounders to pick a pair of Georgia Bulldogs for the offense Josh Gordon Browns Jersey , the Patriots went back to the Southeastern Conference to select Florida cornerback Duke Dawson. The 5-foot-10, 197-pound Florida native led the Gators with four interceptions last season.
Butler had a pretty big interception of his own to clinch the 2014 NFL title. But in this year's game he was inexplicably benched even as Nick Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns against the New England defense.
Butler's absence was never explained; he signed with Tennessee as a free agent.
"Malcolm Butler was a great player," Dawson said in a conference call with reporters. "He's one of the top corners in the league, in my opinion."
Director of player personnel Nick Caserio praised Dawson's versatility and competitiveness. He said they had looked at him a year ago, when Dawson was considering declaring for the draft early.
Dawson played in 48 games at Florida but only as a senior did he start every game.
"He may not have started but he's played a lot of football," Caserio said. "This guy has played a lot of football against a lot of good people and in a good program."
The Patriots picked offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn at No. 23 and Sony Michel at No. 31 on Thursday in the first round. They entered the second day of the draft with two second-round picks and one in the third, but then coach Bill Belichick began dealing.
In the afternoon, he sent the 95th overall pick to San Francisco for offensive lineman Trent Brown and a fifth-rounder next year. Belichick took the No. 43 selection, which New England obtained from the 49ers for Jimmy Garoppolo last year, to Detroit for Nos. 51 and 117.
Then he sent the No. 51 pick to Chicago for No. 105 and a second-rounder next year. And he sent the Patriots' own pick in the second round this year, No. 63 Cheap Jaire Alexander Jersey , along with the No. 117 to Tampa Bay for the 56th overall pick, which they used to select Dawson.
If nothing else, the trades made it nearly impossible for Belichick's critics to judge whether he got good value for Garoppolo, who had been the heir apparent to five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady at quarterback.
With Brady playing at MVP level again last season at the age of 40 鈥?and looking over his shoulder at his replacement 鈥?Belichick shipped Garoppolo off to San Francisco midseason for a second-rounder. Garoppolo led the 49ers to five straight wins at the end of the season.
Asked if the dealing had the added advantage of making it difficult to pin any one player as the guy they got for Garoppolo, Caserio said, "You guys will parse that tomorrow. That's not our job."
Dak Prescott threw two interceptions just a few plays apart in a training camp practice, including an ill-advised pass across the field to a receiver just a few yards from the line of scrimmage.Those picks, and the decisions that go with them, are under more scrutiny after the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback followed his remarkable rookie season with a somewhat pedestrian encore. And Prescott is among those doing the scrutinizing 鈥?each night at camp in the film room.
"When I go back, I'm being super-critical of myself, of the throws Cheap DJ Chark Jersey , of the placement, of where I should have went with the ball," Prescott said Sunday. "I'm tough on myself. So when I go back tonight, all of that was OK, it's got to better and this is why it's got to better. And I take my notes and I move forward."
With the release of three-time Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant and the retirement of 15-year tight end Jason Witten , Prescott is working with a revamped group of receivers and unproven batch of tight ends.
The resulting rough patches for the passing game after a week and a half in California aren't surprising, but notable nonetheless considering how the offense usually appears to be ahead of the defense with the Cowboys this time of year.
"The best teams I've been on are where it's back and forth all day and everybody is just competing and battling and no one really dominates the whole day," coach Jason Garrett said. "The other side competes back and challenges back and fights back. That's what we've had really throughout training camp."
There's a reality facing Prescott, though.
Two years ago, he set an NFL rookie record for passer rating and was voted the league's offensive rookie of the year for a team that finished with an NFC-best 13 wins. In 2017, the interceptions more than tripled (from four to 13) http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/eli-manning-jersey , the passer rating dropped by almost 20 points and the Cowboys missed the playoffs at 9-7.
Some will point to running back Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations, which started halfway through the season just as Prescott and the Cowboys were looking good enough for another playoff trip.
Others will remind of injuries that sidelined left tackle Tyron Smith for three games, a big reason the offensive line didn't live up to its reputation as one of the best in the league.
Regardless, the onus will be on Prescott to keep defenses honest with the Cowboys making no secret of building their offense around Elliott, Prescott's fellow rookie star who led the NFL in rushing that season.
"We have a lot of knew kinks here and there that is going to help everything else," Prescott said. "It's going to help our running game. It's going to help our play-action game out. As long as we've all bought into the offensive system, it is going to pay off."
Of the two key free agents Dallas signed at receiver, Allen Hurns has missed some time with leg discomfort and Deonte Thompson hasn't practiced at all because of Achilles heel soreness.
Terrance Williams, the second-longest tenured Dallas receiver behind Cole Beasley, is working back slowly from offseason surgery for a broken foot.
Rookie Michael Gallup, a third-rounder who was the team's first draft choice at receiver after dumping Bryant Logan Woodside Color Rush Jersey , has shown promise in camp. That's a sampling of the collection the Cowboys hope to use to replace Bryant 鈥?and develop a rapport with Prescott.
"It's challenging, but it's not tough," Prescott said. "That is what you want. Those guys are going to be rotating in the game. So we have to go ahead and get in out here ... so I can gain chemistry with all of them and figure out who is a guy I can call on in that time."
The Cowboys have to decide how much time to give Prescott and his new receivers in the preseason, starting Thursday night at San Francisco.
Last year, with Prescott coming off his sparkling debut, he played just two exhibition games. If the Cowboys follow the same plan, Prescott will skip the 49ers game. But it would be easy to argue that the Dallas passing game needs the work.
"It is important for those guys to play together," Garrett said. "You want to be a careful of putting them in the situation where it's ultimately not going to be productive for your team. So you want to find your spots in practice and preseason games to get them quality work."
The quality has been lacking at times in camp.
.Four times under coach Mike Sullivan Joe Thomas Jersey , the Pittsburgh Penguins have gone into an elimination game in the playoffs. They have won each en route to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
On Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, the Washington Capitals will try to end the Penguins’ run with a win in Game 6 of a second-round series. Washington, after winning 6-3 in Game 5, leads the series 3-2 and can advance to the Eastern Conference final with a win.
The Capitals are 1-9 all time in postseason series against Pittsburgh, with two of the losses coming the past two years, so they have a sense of needing to get past the Penguins’ roadblock.
“It’s not over yet,” Capitals winger Brett Connolly said. “They’re a good team. We know that. (Game 5 Saturday was) obviously a big win. We just need to find a way this year. We need to find a way to get that last win no matter what it takes.”
The Penguins will need to win not only Monday but also Wednesday in a potential Game 7 at Washington if they are to have a chance to win a third Cup in a row.
Even with that cushion, the Capitals are taking a conservative approach.
“I can tell you how I feel if there’s four wins,” goaltender Braden Holtby said. “Where it’s at right now doesn’t matter at all. All that matters is the next game. That’s got to be our mindset if we want to have success and take a mature approach to it.”
Pittsburgh can draw on those four elimination games it won in its recent Cup runs for experience. One of those games was a 2-0 victory in Game 7 against Washington last year, also in the second round.
“We’ve done it before Uchenna Nwosu Chargers Jersey ,” Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “We know we’ve got it in this group. We’re going back home. We’ve been good at home all year. We win one game there, come back (to Washington) and play a Game 7. That’s nothing new to us, nothing we’re afraid of. We’ve just got to bring our best effort again in Game 6.”
Sullivan said the Penguins have another intangible.
“It comes down to character and the people we have in our dressing room,” he said.
Washington’s win in Game 5 might have had a couple of caveats, possible injuries to defenseman John Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom, although coach Barry Trotz said both were expected to travel to Pittsburgh and should be available.
The Capitals already are without wingers Andre Burakovsky (injury) and Tom Wilson (suspension). Wilson would be eligible to return for a Game 7.
Pittsburgh came away from its loss Saturday — in which Washington scored two empty-net goals — feeling pretty good about everything but the final score.
“I liked our effort,” winger Patric Hornqvist said. “I liked our attitude and all that. We just have to clean up our mistakes, and we’ll be fine.”
That is a popular belief among the Penguins.
“Everybody understands the situation,” Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. “It brings out everyone’s best. You don’t have anything to save it for, so you go out there with one focus Cheap Harold Landry Jersey , and that’s win a hockey game and get to a Game 7. That’s our mindset here.
“We have a lot of good things to build off. We just need to make sure we keep going, keep playing the same way.”
DENVER — The Colorado Rockies begin a weekend series Friday with the Miami Marlins, hoping to finish a homestand by taking advantage of another National League East laggard.
A 6-4 win over the New York Mets on Thursday enabled the Rockies to take three of four games in that series. The Marlins (29-46), who were off Thursday, have the worst road record (15-25) in the NL but have won nine of their past 16 games overall. They are 3-3 on a road trip that included stops in Baltimore and San Francisco and will end in Denver.
“This has been a good little three-game swing for us,” Rockies manager Bud Black said after his team beat the Mets for the third straight time. “We were scuffling a little bit on the mound. We were starting to hit. So collectively, these three hopefully produce a little momentum going forward.”
The Rockies (37-38) broke their major-league record-tying string of allowing at least eight runs in nine consecutive home games but have won a season-high tying three straight games at Coors Field where they are 14-20.
Jon Gray (6-7 5.89) will start for the Rockies against Marlins left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (2-3, 5.91). Gray is 0-2, 7.36 in his past two starts, the most recent Sunday at Texas where he gave up one run in five innings and left after giving up five runs and facing four batters in the sixth. The last was Jurickson Profar Jaire Alexander Jersey Elite , who hit a two-run homer that gave the Rangers a 6-5 lead. Gray ended up with a no-decision in what became a 13-12 loss to the Rangers.
Gray is 1-2, 6.75 in four starts against the Marlins and 3-3, 6.45 in seven starts at home this season.
Chen gave up three runs in six innings Saturday at Baltimore and won 5-4. It was his first victory in nine starts since he made his 2018 debut against the Rockies in Miami and held them to one run in 5 1/3 innings.
Chen is 1-3, 8.88 in six starts on the road this season. He’s 1-1, 7.07 in three starts against the Rockies and will be pitching at Coors Field for the first time.
The Marlins scored three runs in the ninth Monday to beat the Giants 5-4. They are coming off a 6-5 loss Wednesday to the Giants. In that game, Miami came back from a 5-1 deficit and scored two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth before J.B. Shuck struck out to end the game with runners on first and second. For a young team in a total rebuild like the Marlins, a stirring comeback win followed two games later by a close-but-not-quite effort can help.
“If we’re going to grow,” veteran Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin said after Wednesday’s game, “these are the kinds of series that you need to be in. The type of series where the fans come at you. I think series like this can help a young team like us grow, more than anything.”
Unlike the Marlins Aaron Rodgers Jersey Elite , the Rockies, an NL wild-card team last year, have realistic aspirations of returning to the postseason, something they have never done in consecutive seasons.
A series win against Miami would complete a 5-2 homestand for the Rockies, a series sweep would make it 6-1 Regardless, a stumble against the Marlins would be ill-advised.
“We know that we’re a good team that’s got to take care of business, especially when we play at home and play teams that everybody will say on paper we’re going to win those games,” Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “I think we’re making progress. We’re hitting the ball well. Pitching is making progress, too. We believe in each other. I think this is the perfect time for us to continue to play good baseball and finish strong the first half.”
.Thomas and his family now want to use the anguish from Ella Thomas’ death on Jan. 23 for a good cause by raising awareness about the dangers of depression and trying to prevent other suicides.
”It’s big to let people know it’s OK to be sad Joe Thomas Jersey Elite , it’s OK not to be perfect because you never are,” Thomas said. ”There are so many things that happen in life, good, bad, stuff that you don’t know about, and it’s going to affect how you feel. That’s huge. It’s about changing the culture of how you’re supposed to feel or act.”
Thomas, a second-year defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, will return to his family’s home in the Dallas area this weekend to take part Saturday in The Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk, which benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Thomas has already raised more than $27,000 for the cause.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 44,000 suicides a year in the United States and it is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 34.
”That’s insane Connor Williams Youth Jersey ,” Solomon Thomas said. ”That’s a huge deal. That’s a lot of people who couldn’t get help – a lot of people who need help and a lot of people being affected. It’s more than that who are going through depression and going through all the sadness. That needs to be talked about. There needs to be help for everyone out there. I want people to know they can reach out and be loved.”
The 22-year-old Thomas got the news about Ella in a phone call from his father while working out back in Texas. He got plenty of support from the Niners right away with owner Jed York, general manager John Lynch, kicker Robbie Gould and former teammate Elvis Dumervil among the people who came to Texas for the funeral.
Others in the organization have been there with timely texts, cards and other good wishes that have helped Thomas get through this difficult time.
Ella Thomas had been dealing with depression for years and her family had tried to get her help. While Ella was open with her struggles, Thomas knows many others keep those thoughts hidden, sometimes out of fear of a stigma some put on mental illness.
That’s why he thinks it was so important that NBA stars like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan have been open about their struggles with panic attacks and depression.
It’s also why he is taking part in the walk to let others know they aren’t alone in dealing with these issues.
”Mental health and suicide aren’t things people want to talk about,” Thomas said. ”Mental health, depression, it’s a disease just like anything else. And when you talk about other diseases, people talk about them like, `We’ll get you through this,’ whatever. But Courtland Sutton Jersey , then, when you talk about depression or mental health or suicide, people kind of scare away because it’s such a serious topic. You don’t know how to handle it. You don’t want to say the wrong thing to push someone over the edge. But it’s such an important topic, such a serious topic, that people need to start talking about it.”
Like many siblings just two years apart in age, Ella and Solomon clashed at times as youngsters but started to grow extremely close when Solomon was in middle school and Ella started high school.
That friendship endured for the rest of Ella’s life. Thomas, who played football at Stanford, was drafted by the 49ers with the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. She came out to watch about six of Solomon’s games as a rookie last year.
”We finished each other’s sentences, all that kind of stuff. She was my best friend,” he said. ”We were always open with each other, never had anything bad, very transparent. If you couldn’t go to Mom or Dad Myles Garrett Jersey Youth , we were always there (for each other). She always lit up the room. You always knew Ella was there, whether she was just being loud or whether she was just in there trying to talk to people. She was so good with people. She worked in the restaurant industry and obviously she had to be good with people and she always was. She could make a crying baby smile. You always knew Ella was there. She just had this heart, and she loved everyone as hard as she could, whether they deserved her love or whether they didn’t deserve her trust or whether she just met them, she always loved them. That’ll always stick with me, Ella’s heart.”
Thomas keeps Ella’s memory close him with a purple wristband that reads Ella Elizabeth Thomas with a heart symbol and the date of her death. He also never forgets a lesson his sister taught him after she went through a difficult time in high school when her best friend’s brother died.
”She came up to me and she was like, `Solly, we never know when our last day is, I want us to make sure we take advantage of every day and be best friends and love each other as hard as we can for the rest of our lives,”’ he recalled. ”That always stuck home with me, and that’s a lesson I’ll pass along to other people.”
—
A jury in St. Louis on Tuesday ordered the NFL’s Rams to pay former running back Reggie Bush $12.5 million for a severe knee injury he suffered in 2015, the team’s final season in St. Louis before moving to Los Angeles.
The jury found the Rams 100 percent liable for Bush’s injury and ordered the team to pay $4.95 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages Dak Prescott Jersey , the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Attorneys for the Rams said they plan to file a motion for a new trial.
Bush was playing for the San Francisco 49ers when he was pushed out of bounds during a game on Nov. 1, 2015, at what was then the Edward Jones Dome, now known as the Dome at America’s Center. He slipped on a surface that the lawsuit dubbed the ”concrete ring of death,” about 35 feet (11 meters) behind the 49ers’ bench.
Bush suffered a season-ending left knee injury. The lawsuit contended the injury undermined his earnings as a player for the rest of his career. He signed with Buffalo in 2016 and retired in 2017. Now 33, he works as an analyst for the NFL Network.
”Reggie lost his ability to do what he loved, and to bargain for a contract that he worked his entire life for,” Bush’s lawyer Tim Cronin said during closing statements. ”These players get chewed up. They only have so many chances.”
Bush also sued public agencies that own and operate the dome, but a judge dismissed them from the suit last week after ruling that the team had control of game-day operations.
Just a week before Bush’s injury, Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown slid across the same concrete stretch and injured his shoulder.
The concrete surface in the dome was covered with rubber padding two weeks after Bush was injured.
Rams attorney Dan Allmayer said the team should not be held responsible for Bush’s injury because it could not have foreseen a dangerous condition. He noted that no one besides McCown and Bush had been injured there over 20 seasons played at the dome.
Allmayer said Bush’s injury was caused by ”pre-existing issues,” not the fall on the concrete.
NFL owners approved the request from Rams owner Stan Kroenke to move the team to Los Angeles in 2016.
.Dyson made sure nobody will ever know with a leaping, lunging catch that might have saved a win for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run homer and Zack Greinke pitched into the seventh inning of the Diamondbacks’ 12th victory in 16 games in June, 7-4 over the struggling Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Dyson had an early RBI single, and he prevented at least a couple of runs in the seventh with his catch on a possible grand slam by Upton. The nimble outfielder made it look relatively easy http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/tremaine-edmunds-jersey , turning Upton’s shot into a 390-foot sacrifice fly.
”It was real sweet to take four off the board like that,” Dyson said. ”I don’t know if it was going to go over, but if I didn’t catch it, there was going to be more than one baserunner scoring.”
Greinke (6-5) gave up back-to-back homers by Upton and Albert Pujols in the fourth, but the Diamondbacks backed him with six early runs, responding well after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a home loss to the Mets on Sunday.
Greinke left after giving up Kole Calhoun’s one-out single in the seventh with a 6-2 lead. Two more Angels reached base against Yoshihisa Hirano before Dyson dramatically tracked down Upton’s full-count drive to the wall.
”I knew I hit it hard, and it was going to be at least off the wall,” Upton said with a grimace. ”He was in good position, and he’s fast Cheap Joe Namath Jersey , and he just got it. … I did my job. I hit the ball on the barrel, and I thought I had a home run. That’s baseball.”
Mike Trout nearly pulled his own leaping feat moments later, but Nick Ahmed’s homer glanced off his glove on the way over the center-field fence in the eighth for Arizona’s final run in its ninth win in 11 games.
”He’s one of a kind,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Dyson, who thinks he has taken away at least three potential homers by opponents this season. ”You just appreciate every play he makes, every little thing he does.”
Ketel Marte also homered and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double for the Diamondbacks.
Trout had two singles and two walks for the Angels, who have lost seven of eight to fall well out of playoff position in the AL.
Upton – the Diamondbacks’ No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft – and Pujols connected to start the fourth for the Angels’ first back-to-back homers since last August.
”I think we have the makings to go on a run,” manager Mike Scioscia said. ”We’re still a good club, and we’ll just focus on (Tuesday’s) game.”
Arizona led 2-0 after two batters in its first game at Angel Stadium since June 2015. Goldschmidt followed Jon Jay’s leadoff single with his 15th homer Jaire Alexander Jersey , giving him 26 hits in his last 51 at-bats during another torrid stretch for the Diamondbacks’ cornerstone.
TROUT’S TIME
Trout leads the majors with 62 walks and is batting .439 in June, but he didn’t score a run. He also was caught stealing for the first time in 14 attempts this season by Mathis.
BARRIA BLUES
Jaime Barria (5-3) yielded six hits and six runs in four innings for the Angels. The 21-year-old Panamanian rookie lost his second straight start after winning five of his first seven in the majors. ”Obviously, I wasn’t locating my fastball,” he said.
BIG SAVE
Archie Bradley got four outs for his third save. He threw 19 consecutive fastballs before his first off-speed pitch, and Upton grounded it into a double play for the first two outs of the ninth.
ALBERT’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Pujols’ homer was the 626th of his career, pulling him closer to Ken Griffey Jr. (630) for sixth place on baseball’s career list. Pujols scored the 1,751st run of his career, tying Jimmie Foxx for 21st place.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: OFs Steven Souza Jr. (strained pectoral) and A.J. Pollock (broken thumb) are making progress in their recoveries, but aren’t cleared for full baseball activity.
Angels: After batting .145 before his injury John Ross Jersey , Calhoun went 2 for 3 in his return from a nine-game absence with a strained right oblique muscle. Even with Calhoun back, the Angels have 13 players on their disabled list, including nine pitchers. … Right-handed reliever Jim Johnson played catch. He is out with back stiffness. … RHP Garrett Richards is playing catch, but still resting his left hamstring strain.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: Matt Koch (5-3, 4.09 ERA) is 3-0 in four starts since May 22. He has never faced the Angels.
Angels: Relief pitcher Felix Pena (0-0, 10.13 ERA) is expected to make his first start of the season while Los Angeles patches a hole in its injury-plagued rotation. The offseason acquisition has been up and down from Triple-A Salt Lake, never earning a regular spot in the bullpen.
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