Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-23-17

Sports
Buccaneers Agree To Deal With Free-Agent QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Tony Dungy: NFL Teams Don’t See Colin Kaepernick As Good Enough QB
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached an agreement with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the team announced Friday.
A source stated that the one-year deal is for $3 million. The 34-year-old Fitz- patrick, who has started 116 games over his 12 seasons in the NFL, will serve as the backup to starter Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick is coming off a two-year run with the New York Jets that was marked by one terrific season, a long contract dis- pute and one disappointing
season.
The Bucs will be the sev-
enth NFL stop for Fitz-
BRIAN FITZPATRICK
patrick, who has also played for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans and Texans. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only five quarterbacks -- Jeff Blake, Steve Bono, Chris Chandler, Gus Frerotte and Vinny Testaverde -- have thrown a pass for seven teams.
Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy believes Colin Kaepernick’s decision to protest the national anthem last season is a factor in why the quarterback remains a free agent, but he does not be- lieve it tells the entire story.
When asked about the situ- ation on “The Dan Patrick Show” Thursday, Dungy said he believes team’s would over- look Kaepernick’s political stances if they thought he was a good enough quarterback.
“Yes, it all stems back to not [standing] for the national an- them and the reaction that that’s going to get from fans. But if people perceived Colin Kaepernick as a difference maker, as a guy who could be
Adrian Peterson's Home In Minnesota Going For $695K
ADRIAN PETERSON Star running back Adrian
Peterson's time in Min- nesota is over. The running back has a new deal with the New Orleans Saints. And his house near the Vikings' prac- tice facility is officially on the market.
Peterson's five-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Eden Prairie, Minnesota -- the 4,167-square foot home he bought as a rookie in 2007 -- is for sale, at a listing price of $695,000. The running back purchased it for $665,000 in Aug. 2007, four months after the Vikings drafted him, and he stands to make a modest profit a decade later.
The home is relatively modest for a three-time rush- ing champion and fits in squarely with the other homes in the suburban en- clave where the Vikings have practiced since 1981. It's nothing like the $8.5 million estate Peterson put on the market outside of Houston last year as he sought to move closer to the new gym, but it's a perfect fit for a Vikings fan, with purple walls and the team's stylized "V" hanging over a pool table in the lower level.
COLIN KAEPERNICK
their starting quarterback and help them win games, he would be signed now and peo- ple would deal with the reper- cussions,” Dungy said, as transcribed by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I think everybody sees
him maybe as a backup. Is he a guy who can really help us? Am I just going to get three or four games a year? If that’s the case, it’s not worth the headache, it’s not worth the distraction, it’s not worth the number of fans we would turn off.”
Dungy was then asked if he would sign Kaepernick if he was still coaching, and he said that would depend on the type of offensive system his team had. Teams whose start- ing quarterbacks are pocket passers might be hesitant to sign a dual-threat like Kaepernick, which is some- thing one current NFL coach touched on earlier this offsea- son.
Ladarius Green Released By Steelers After Failed Physical
Calvin Johnson Still Miffed Over How Lions Relationship Ended
The Pittsburgh Steelers an- nounced on Thursday that they have released tight end Ladarius Green.
Green, who failed his physical, was a major signing for Pittsburgh last offseason. He ended up appearing in just six games due to injuries, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he earned just $6 million of the four-year, $20 million deal he signed.
Green showed some flashes of tremendous athleti- cism in four seasons with the San Diego Chargers before he signed with the Steelers.
LADARIUS GREEN
Many felt he was being held back by being the second tight end option behind Antonio Gates, but he caught just 18 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown in his lone season in Pittsburgh.
Calvin Johnson remains retired from professional foot- ball and has no desire to re- turn, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely satisfied with how his relationship with the Detroit Lions ended.
Upon announcing his re- tirement from the NFL, the Lions requested Johnson pay back $320,000 of the $3.2 million signing bonus on his final contract — a request rarely made by a team, espe- cially when it comes to super- stars like Megatron.
Having set various all-time marks, including franchise records for receptions (731), yards (11,619) and touchdowns (83), Johnson thought he could sail off into the sunset without so much as a blip on
CALVIN JOHNSON
the radar. Now, more than a year removed from his retire- ment, Johnson still feels a lit- tle sour over how things shook out.
“I don’t even like to talk Lions too much just because the way our relationship ended,” Johnson told the De- troit Free Press. “If they see me around here, we’ll see. But hey, I don’t know.
Tom Brady’s Agent Says
QB was Not Diagnosed With
Concussion Last Season
Cavaliers Blow 21-Point Lead In Game 3 As LeBron James Disappears
Tom Brady may have ex- perienced concussion-like symptoms at some point dur- ing the 2016 NFL season, but the agent for the New Eng- land Patriots star says the quarterback was not diag- nosed with a concussion.
Brady’s agent, Don Yee, delivered a statement to ESPN on Friday.
“Tom was not diagnosed with a concussion last year,” Yee said. “Many of the proto- cols and safeguards still are evolving, and it’s obviously a good thing the organization and everyone close to him is vigilant and always looking out for his health.”
Brady has never been listed on the injury report with a concussion. Despite that, his wife Gisele created
TOM BRADY
some drama earlier this week when she said Brady suf- fered a concussion last sea- son and has sustained more than one during his career.
It wouldn’t make much sense for Gisele to fabricate a story like that, so there is probably some truth behind it. The doctor who discovered CTE praised Gisele for being a hero after she spoke out.
Of LeBron James' many attributes, one that was easily taken for granted over the past seven or so years is the per- ception that he is immune to having bad playoff games.
James had just 11 points, of which only three came in the second half as he went 1- of-9 shooting and had an un- usual vanishing act when his team needed him. He had one Sunday night, a dud that opened the door for the Boston Celtics to score the most improbable victory of the playoffs to this point. Boston completed a 21-point come- back against the Cleveland Cavaliers by winning 111-108 on a 3-pointer by Avery Bradley with 0.1 seconds left to pull the suddenly interest-
LEBRON JAMES
ing Eastern Conference finals to 2-1.
James has had a few bad playoff performances in his ca- reer. There was the 2-of-18 shooting game in Boston in 2008. The mysterious, low-en- ergy Game 5 against the Celtics in 2010, in which he was a stunning nonfactor. Of course, the failure in Game 4 of the 2011 Finals in Dallas, when he managed just eight points.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017