Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 7-12-16 Online Edition

Sports
Russell Wilson And Ciara
Von Miller, Agent Have Phone Meeting With Broncos
VON MILLER
The Denver Broncos had a phone discussion Friday with pass-rusher Von Miller and agent Joby Branion about his contract.
The Broncos recently mod- ified their offer to Miller and would fully guarantee the third year of their proposed six-year, $114.5 million con- tract, which would begin in March 2017. The matter of how much, and how quickly, Miller would be paid in guar- anteed money in a new deal has been a sticking point be- tween the sides.
The deadline for franchise- tagged players to sign multi- year contracts is July 15. The total value of the Broncos' proposed contract would be the richest deal ever given to a defensive player.
Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem, Add Wayne Ellington, James Johnson
WAYNE ELLINGTON AND JAMES JOHNSON
The Heat are finalizing a flurry of weekend moves to re- stock the roster in the stinging aftermath of franchise icon Dwyane Wade's free- agency departure to the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat on Sunday reached a deal to re-sign vet- eran forward Udonis Haslem, according to a league source, and announced the signings of shooting guard Wayne Ellington and for- ward James Johnson.
The Heat, a league source said, were also expected to match Brooklyn's four-year, $50 million offer sheet to re- tain restricted free-agent guard Tyler Johnson. Miami faced a Sunday night deadline to decide on John- son.
On Friday, the Heat signed former New York Knicks for- ward Derrick Williams.
LeBron James Hasn't Given Cavs A Timetable On When He'll Re-Sign
Reveal New Details And Photos From Their Wedding
LeBron James has yet to notify the Cleveland Cavaliers when he intends to re-sign, league sources informed cleveland.com during NBA Summer League.
July 7 was the day free agents were officially able to sign contracts.
Team officials have reached out to the camp of James for an answer to no avail, sources say. However, there are some officials within the organization who don't view the situation as a con- cern.
James will eventually put the pen to the paper, but his hesitancy is unclear at the moment.
The day of the champi- onship parade, James told cleveland.com he was return- ing to defend the city's first professional title in 52 years.
It's been two days since Russell Wilson and Ciara tied the knot in England, and details are slowly starting to trickle out about the wed- ding.
For one, we now know who was in the wedding party, and only one Sea- hawks player made the cut: Jimmy Graham.
That's right, the only Sea- hawks player to be named a groomsman was a guy who's only been in Seattle for one season.
Graham has only been teammates with Wilson since March 2015, when the Saints shipped the tight end to Seattle in exchange for an offensive lineman and a first- round draft pick. Graham and Wilson became close in May 2015 after Wilson skipped a Seahawks OTA to attend the funeral of Gra- ham's friend and mentor, Tammy Meyerson.
Although Graham was the only Seahawks player to be named a groomsman, he wasn't the only NFL player. Colts running back Robert Turbin was also in the wed- ding party.
Wilson and Turbin ar- rived in Seattle together in 2012 after both were selected by the Seahawks in the NFL Draft. The two then became close friends before Turbin was let go last September.
RUSSELL WILSON AND CIARA
also included his agent (Mark Rodgers), his agent's son (Matthew Rodgers), his brother (Harry Wilson), his friend (Cole Hawthorne) and Wheels Up founder Kenny Dichter.
The best man was Scott Pickett, a friend that Wil- son's known since kinder- garten.
For Ciara, the brides- maids were Lala Anthony, Erica Ashe, Jamaica Craft, Hanna Isaksson, Sabena Toor and Rus- sell's sister, Anna Wilson. Former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland was also in the wedding party.
Ciara's matron of honor was Yolonda Frederick- Thompson.
The flower girl was Wil- son's niece, Gracie. The ring bearer was Ciara's son, Future Zahir.
LEBRON JAMES
Rich Paul, James' agent, has received phone calls in- quiring about his client's availability and they have been told he's going back to Cleveland. Miami wasn't one of the teams who called.
James is currently in Los Angeles at his new home.
J.R. Smith, another client of Paul, is also still out on the market, but he is also ex- pected to re-sign with the club.
Wilson's wedding party
Warrick Dunn And Derrick Brooks Tell
ALLEN CRABBE
Allen Crabbe is staying with the Portland Trail Blaz- ers.
Crabbe confirmed in a Twitter video that the Blazers
have matched Brooklyn's four-year, $75 million offer sheet, keeping the restricted free-agent guard in Portland.
Crabbe decided to choose the Nets because he would've been given the chance to be a starter.
Crabbe averaged 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 81 games last season, his third with the team. The 6-foot-6 Los Angeles native was ac- quired in a 2013 draft-day trade with Cleveland, which took him with the 31st overall pick out of California.
Allen Crabbe Will Re-Sign With The Trail Blazers For 4 Years, $75 Million
Bucs Rookies About The Cold NFL
The NFL eliminated the rookie symposium this year, which means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to find their own way to introduce their rookies to the NFL life. They chose to invite War- rick Dunn and Derrick Brooks to talk about the challenges NFL players face, and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times was there to write down his observa- tions.
The consistent message, at least as penned down by the Tampa Bay Times? Don’t get hung up on the Bucs. They don’t particularly care about you, they just want you for your on-field play.
"How many of you guys thought I retired? Raise your hand," Brooks said. "No. I was fired in this same build- ing that I'm standing in now.
"It took me about 15 years, 14 years of playing and one year after I got released, to understand it. I understood because of the way I carried myself. But I never really got it until one year after I was fired."
UFC Being Sold To WME/IMG Talent Agency For $4 Billion
WARRICK DUNN
Brooks talked about how he would get free meals, until he wasn’t recognized or no longer a part of the team. How he saw someone get cut in the first year he was there. How he treated his body like a business asset. How he documented everything team trainers and doctors did to him.
Dunn apparently took a similar tack. "It's a cold, cold business," Dunn told rook- ies about his leaving the Bucs after five years. "Just what it is. To make matters worse, I missed out on winning a Super Bowl."
But Dunn was also candid about other challenges. About depression, about the way the team keeps tabs on every player, about his family and his charity.
WME | IMG announced the $4 billion acquisition of UFC, the world’s premier professional mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.
A global leader in enter- tainment and sports with a portfolio of more than 800 owned, operated and/or commercially represented events, WME | IMG will also serve as UFC’s operating partner.
WME | IMG, which has a proven track record of build- ing leading sports brands, will focus on accelerating the sport’s popularity and pres- ence around the world.
Founded in 1993, UFC is one of the largest and fastest growing sports brands in the world, particularly among millennials. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world, broad-
UFC Fighters Anderson Silva And Georges St-Pierre.
cast in over 156 countries and territories, to nearly 1.1 bil- lion television households worldwide, in 29 different languages. UFC continues to capitalize on digital distribu- tion platforms via its wholly- owned subscription over-the-top service, FIGHT PASS, delivering exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and origi- nal content to fans around the globe.
Dana White, the face of the UFC brand, says he will stay on with the company.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016