Page 48 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Sports
Gatorade Signs Jackson State University Star Shedeur Sanders
In Landmark Deal
SHEDEUR SANDERS
MLB Donates $40,000 Toward Restoring Vandalized Jackie Robinson Memorial
Major League Baseball has stepped in to replace a plaque honoring one of the sport’s greatest trailblazers, the late Jackie Robinson after his memorial marker in southern Georgia was shot repeatedly by vandals in early 2021.
The MLB reportedly con- tributed $40,000 toward restoring the marker which stands near Robinson’s birthplace in the rural city of Cairo, Georgia. The league ad- ditionally funded a new, higher visibility marker outside the Roddenbery Memorial Library.
“We want to make sure it’s something that stands forever,” said April Brown, vice presi- dent of social responsibility for the MLB.
Bruce Arians Says Bucs Staff Rumor Is Not True
Jackson State University quarterback Shedeur Sanders has become the first athlete from a Histori- cally Black College or Univer- sity (HBCU) to sign a Name Image Likeness (NIL) deal with Gatorade.
Coached by his father, NFL legend Deion Sanders, the QB helped the JSU Tigers secure an 11-2 record in 2021.
“It’s an honor to join the Gatorade Family and repre- sent this historic moment for HBCU athletes,” Sanders stated in a press release. “I can’t wait to work with Gatorade on and off the field to help create even more op- portunities for HBCU stu-
dents and athletes.”
In his collegiate career,
the 19-year-old is the first HBCU athlete to win the Jerry Rice Award and was re- cently named the Southwest- ern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Freshman of the Year Award after leading JSU to the conference champi- onship and its first division title in eight seasons. As part of the deal, he will work with Gatorade to empower and highlight HBCUs.
Sanders joins Serena Williams, J.J. Watt, Zion Williamson, Trevor Lawrence, DK Metcalf, Candace Parker, and Jayson Tatum in the Gatorade family.
Last Saturday, Pro Foot- ball Network reported that Bucs head coach Bruce Ari- ans gave his staff permission to pursue other opportuni- ties.
However, on Sunday Ari- ans disputed those reports.
Per Buccaneers reporter Greg Auman, “Arians says this report is false, that he hasn’t done this and is han- dling this off-season and his staff seeking jobs elsewhere the same as any other year.” Noting, “Most are under con- tract with the Bucs anyway.”
Bucs offensive coordina- tor Byron Leftwich has been a popular name in NFL head coaching circles. And there’s a good chance he re-
BRUCE ARIANS
turns to the franchise he once quarterbacked, the Jack- sonville Jaguars.
On top of that, Tampa Bay has a number of players hit- ting free agency. Including key pieces such as Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen, JPP, Ndamukong Suh and Leonard Fournette (just to name a few).
Leftwich And
J.R. Smith Makes History
Jaguars Not Close
At North Carolina A&T,
To Reaching
Becomes First Former
An Agreement
Pro To Sign With Agent
The Jack- sonville
Jaguars have
been looking
for a head
coach for the
last month,
and it doesn't
yet appear
that they are LEFTWICH any closer to
making a decision on Urban Meyer's replacement.
According to a report from
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars are not close to a deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordina- tor Byron Leftwich, whom many presume to be the lead- ing favorite to replace Meyer.
The Leftwich saga has been a whirlwind to this point. The team's brass had a positive second interview with him on Tuesday in Tampa Bay, but Leftwich has yet to be named head coach as other coaches such as Nathaniel Hackett and Matt Eberflus have been hired by Denver and Chicago.
Mike Jurecki of AZCardi- nals.com reported that the Jaguars were close to hiring Leftwich as head coach and Arizona Cardinals exec Adrian Wilson as general manager, but nothing has since transpired on that front the last week.
NBA veteran J.R. Smith, who is now playing golf as a student-athlete at North Car- olina A&T State University, has become the first former professional athlete to sign with an agent for possible NIL deals. Smith achieved the historic feat when he signed with Excel Sports for NIL representation, ESPN re- ports.
The 36-year-old is able to benefit from the NCAA's new policy, which allows college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. Smith, who earned about $90 million in salary during his NBA career, now has a chance to earn six figures in endorsement deals. Accord- ing to NBC Sports, Smith's agent, Lance Young, said the golfer is already attract- ing NIL interest from cloth- ing manufacturers, golf equipment and video game companies.
The NCAA's NIL rules prohibit Smith from pro- moting his sponsors at
BYRON
NCAA-sanctioned
events.
J.R. SMITH
However, he is allowed to ap- pear in commercials and pro- mote products on social media, CBS Sports reports.
The HBCU freshman, now in his second semester, played for the Cleveland Cav- aliers, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers during his NBA ca- reer. Smith, who earned the Sixth Man of the Year Award during the 2012-13 season with the Knicks, also won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers and the Lakers. The HBCU student-athlete achieved a 4.0 GPA in his first semester, as Blavity pre- viously reported.
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