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Sports
Doug Williams Joins Mike Alstott
Tampa Among Finalists For Super Bowl
In Buccaneer Ring Of Honor
Tampa has thrown its hat into the ring with other cities bidding for the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls, and the NFL has decided that Tampa, Miami, New Orleans and At- lanta are the finalists.
The bids will be reviewed by the 32 NFL team owners for a vote in May 2016.
The Super Bowl was held in Atlanta in 2000, and it’s been announced the Falcons will have a new $1.5 billion stadium opening in 2017. The NFL has a history of awarding Super Bowls to cities with new facilities.
South Florida has hosted 10 Super Bowls, with the last one being in 2010. Tampa was not among the finalists for the 2018 game, losing to Glendale, Arizona for the 2015 game and East Ruther- ford, New Jersey for the 2014
BY LEON CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Other than bringing the Tampa Bay area a Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXVII 12 years ago, fans of the Bucs were never as excited as when the team announcing they would draft quarterback Doug Williams out of Grambling State in 1978 with their first pick.
In the five seasons Williams spent in Tampa, he took them to the playoffs three times, and on one occa- sion was, a field goal away from competing in their first Super Bowl.
Williams left the Bucca- neers and after a brief career in the USFL, returned to the NFL to play for the Washing- ton Redskins. With the Red- skins, Williams made history by becoming the first African American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl and be named MVP.
Last year, Derrick Brooks became the sixth former Buccaneer player to be enshrined into the team’s Ring of Honor. He joined Lee Roy Selmon, John McKay, Jimmie Giles, Paul Gruber and Warren Sapp.
This year, the Bucs an- nounced that for the first time, they would be enshrin- ing two former players into the Ring of Honor, Doug Williams and fullback Mike Alstott.
On his enshrinement, Williams said at the end of the day, it was great to see his former teammates come out and support him.
“Being enshrined was a great honor. It means I’ll be
DOUG WILLIAMS
in the stadium as long as it’s there.
“I grew up around a lot of religious folks, and I can re- member them saying some- times “God may not be there when you want Him to, but He will be there. You can only control what you can. The im- portant thing is I’m in it.”
Williams, who now works for the Washington Redskins as a personnel exec- utive, said he loves Tampa, and he has three daughters who were born here.
“They have a greater con- nection with Tampa than Zachary (his hometown in Louisiana) or any place else I’ve been.
“I’m looking forward to coming back to Tampa on December 6th when they play the Atlanta Falcons. That’s when the official ceremony will take place.”
Williams said contrary to some reports, he does not have a disconnect with any- one in Tampa.
“People must understand that I never had a problem with the Glazer family. My problems came as a result of the man they put in charge to run the team, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.
On October 25th, the Bucs will travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Redskins.
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Punishment
game.
Tampa hosted Super Bowl
XLIII in 2009 (the Steelers beat the Cardinals 27-24) and XXXV in 2001 (the Colts beat the Giants 34-7), Super Bowl XXV in 1991 (Giants beat Buf- falo 20-19), and Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 (Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9).
This year’s Super Bowl will be played at Levis’ Stadium in
Santa Clara, California (home of the San Francisco 49ers). Super Bowl LII in 2018 will be at Minneapolis” new stadium.
Of the four teams bidding, the New Orleans Super Dome hosted the game after the 2012 season. New Orleans has hosted 10 Super Bowls. Tampa will be seeking to host its fifth.
Patriots Owner Will Accept The ‘Deflategate’
Notre Dame QB Golson Transfers To FSU
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots Owner, Robert Kraft.
Robert Kraft put the NFL's interests as a whole over what he thought might have been best for the New England Patriots.
The Patriots owner will ac- cept the punishment of com- missioner Roger Goodell in deflate-gate, sanctions that in- clude the loss of two draft picks and a $1 million fine.
On Tuesday, Kraft took the unusual step of holding a news conference at the start of the league's annual spring meetings. But it's an unusual circumstance. He spoke for a few minutes, taking no ques- tions, and explained that the discussion of deflated footballs in January's AFC champi- onship game had continued too long and he wanted it to end. So to end the continuing argument, he took the NFL's punishment, which included a $1 million fine, and the loss of a first-round draft pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017.
Quarterback Tom Brady appealed his four-game sus- pension through the NFLPA. It would be a surprise if he drops that. And judging by the re- sponse from George Atallah, NFLPA assistant director of external affairs, it doesn't ap- pear as if Brady will accept the league's punishment the way Kraft did on Tuesday.
Notre Dame’s QB Everett Golson and then FSU QB Jameis Win- ston greet after a game in 2014. Florida State won 31-27 in an NCAA college football game in Tallahassee, Fla.
Former Notre Dame quar- terback, Everett Golson be- came a Notre Dame graduate on Sunday, and a Florida State Seminole on Tuesday. This immediate transfer eligi- bility is the way it can work if you perform what the NCAA says is the most important task assigned to its student- athletes – earn a degree.
Power to the player. At least the player with a bache- lor’s degree. He can actually enjoy the same ability to change schools as a coach has.
Golson announced his intention to leave Notre Dame in early May after he lost his starting job to Malik Zaire. Golson graduated and im- mediately started taking visits to other campuses. While ini-
tial reports linked the South Carolina native to several SEC schools, stringent SEC gradu- ate transfer rules limited his options.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said that Gol- son would not be guaranteed the starting role. However, the Seminoles did just lose Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston to the NFL. While Sean Maguire was next in line, his limited experience leaves him open to a fall competition.
Golson missed the 2013 season at Notre Dame after a case of academic fraud. How- ever, he returned to school last year, started at quarter- back and now has completed his degree work.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015