Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 4-24-18

Sports
ESPN Predicts Bucs' 2018 Record
Since the NFL has offi- cially released the 2018 schedule for every team in the league, analysts across the league have been predict- ing this year’s outcome.
ESPN NFL Nation re- porter recently released her predictions for the upcoming season and believes the Bucs will finish 8-8 this year.
Here’s a closer look at the Bucs’ 2018 schedule and Laine’s predictions on each game:
WEEK 1 (Sept. 9) at New
Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. ET – Win
WEEK 2 (Sept. 16) vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET – Loss
WEEK 3 (Sept. 24) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. ET – Loss
WEEK 4 (Sept. 30) at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET – Win
WEEK 5 (BYE)
Pete Carroll: Seahawks Are ‘Still Open’ To Signing Colin Kaepernick
The Seattle Seahawks are one of the teams that has been linked to Colin Kaepernick over the past year or so, and Pete Carroll insists there have been no de- cisions made about whether or not the free agent quarter- back will wind up on Seattle’s roster.
Kaepernick was report- edly set to meet with the Sea- hawks last week, but the workout was postponed after he supposedly would not commit to ending his national anthem protests. Seattle then signed quarterbacks Stephen Morris and Austin Davis, but Carroll says that does not mean Kaepernick has been ruled out.
“We’re still looking at all of our options,” Carroll said in an interview on Sports Radio KJR Thursday. “We’re trying to figure it out. We just want to work to be as competitive as we can. Whether that fac-
COLIN KAEPERNICK
tors in or not, we’ll find out. The discussion and the op- portunity is still open as (GM John Schneider) stated earlier.”
Carroll was asked specifi- cally if Kaepernick’s history with anthem protests will fac- tor into whether or not the 30-year-old will be offered a contract, and the coach said he is “not even going there.”
Greg Hardy To Make Pro MMA Debut, Could Sign Contract With UFC
Mike Evans and Jameis Winston Attend Miami Heat Game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans and his wife attend the Miami Heat playoff game last Thursday with star quarterback Jameis Winston and his girlfriend.
GREG HARDY
Greg Hardy has been committed to carving out a ca- reer in mixed martial arts since his NFL career infa- mously fell apart, and it sounds like he is a step closer to accomplishing his goal.
Hardy, who is 3-0 in ama- teur MMA fights, has booked a heavyweight fight for June 12 on the “Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series.” The event features several live fights in Las Vegas, and at least one fighter is offered a multi-fight deal with the UFC when it’s over.
Hardy will reportedly face Brandon Sayles, who is 5-1 and has not lost a fight since 2012.
Hardy, 29, has not totally given up on his pro football ca- reer, as he is currently signed with the Richmond Roughrid- ers of the American Arena League. He was once one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL until disturbing details of his domestic violence case were released, which basically made him untouchable to NFL teams. Hardy was also ar- rested for possession of co- caine more recently, but he says he is not giving up on playing football or becoming a UFC champion.
Report: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski Still Irritated Over Malcolm Butler Benching
Reports of tension within the Patriots organization ex- isted well before Malcolm Butler was shockingly benched for the entire Super Bowl, but Bill Belichick’s controversial decision may be the cause of much of the lin- gering drama in New Eng- land.
Tthe Patriots expect both Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady to be back with the team in 2018, although spec- ulation has been that the star players have stayed away from voluntary workouts be- cause they are unhappy with their contract situations as well as Belichick not allow- ing them the freedom to train the way they want.
Apart from Gronkow- ski’s satisfaction or lack thereof with his pay, there’s also a belief that Gronkowski, Brady, and other Patriots continue to be salty about the inexplicable — and still unexplained — benching of cornerback, Mal- colm Butler in the Super Bowl.
A full eleven weeks later, coach Bill Belichick still hasn’t shed any light on the
TOM BRADY
decision to use Butler for only one special-teams play and to keep him on the bench even after the Philly offense shredded the New England defense enough to force a change to the dime package during a 30-minute halftime.
Brady is said to be focus- ing less on football this off- season than in years past as he spends more time with his family.
Gronkowski hinted over the weekend that he will be back in 2018, but he is report- edly enjoying his time away from team-sponsored work- outs.
Jameis Winston Says NFL Hasn't Talked To Him About Uber Incident
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Win- ston says the NFL has not in- terviewed him after he was accused in November of grop- ing an Uber driver.
"I know the NFL has a process that they have to go through and I respect that process. It's not my job to speculate on that process," Winston said. "My focus has been with this organization, getting the guys back in here and focusing what we can do to become a better team this offseason."
Co-chairman Joel Glazer, general manager Jason Licht and coach Dirk Koet- ter all said at NFL owners meetings last month that it was "frustrating" how slowly the league was moving. When asked if he was frustrated by how long this has dragged on, Winston again said his focus was on the offseason pro-
JAMEIS WINSTON
gram.
"It is not my job to specu-
late on that process," Win- ston said. "And I do respect it, but again, I've been fo- cused on getting better this offseason and being the best teammate that I can possibly be."
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2018