Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 7-31-20

Sports
OJ Howard Sets Extremely
Former Steelers Pro Bowler, Wrestling Champ Carlton Haselrig Dies At 54
CARLTON HASELRIG
Former Pittsburgh Steel- ers Pro Bowler and record six- time NCAA champion wrestler Carlton Haselrig died last week.
Haselrig reportedly col- lapsed in his Johnstown, Pennsylvania home Wednes- day morning and was pro- nounced dead around an hour later. Cambria County Coro- ner Jeffrey Lees told the paper that he will perform an autopsy but believes the death to be of natural causes. Haselrig was 54 years old.
Haselrig played in the NFL as a guard for the Steel- ers from 1990-1995, making the Pro Bowl in 1992. He is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Michael Bennett Announces Retirement From NFL
MICHAEL BENNETT
Michael Bennett proved he is still capable of being a productive player during his time with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys last season, but the star defen- sive end is calling it a career.
Bennett announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL. He said the decision “feels a little like death of self” but that he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife and children.
Bennett was part of the original “Legion of Boom” de- fense with the Seattle Sea- hawks, and he has been one of the steadiest pass-rushers in the NFL for years. He still managed to rack up 6.5 sacks last season and finishes his ca- reer with 69.5.
Kevin Garnett Part Of
High Expectations
Group Interested In
For Bucs’ Offense
Buying Timberwolves
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers have more hype sur- rounding them this season than probably any other year in franchise history, and tight end O. J. Howard is clearly not afraid to add to it.
During an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morn- ing Football,” Howard said he believes the Bucs’ offense has the potential to be the best in the league.
“You look at us and line us up versus any offense in the league, we’re right up there with the top of them,” Howard said. “So only time will tell how good we are. But I think when you put us on paper, we’re one of the best in the league, if not the best.”
O. J. HOWARD Evans and Chris Godwin,
and many believe Tom Brady will elevate their re- spective games even further. Howard should also have some outstanding opportuni- ties to get open with Rob Gronkowski likely drawing double coverage, so he could be in for a breakout year.
Of course, the entire of- fense hinges on whether or not Brady will continue to perform at a high level at age
Kevin Garnett may be about to return to the Min- nesota Timberwolves organ- ization in a big way.
Garnett is part of a group of investors seriously considering a bid for the Timberwolves. The news comes in the wake of reports that current Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is ex- ploring a sale.
KEVIN GARNETT
Taylor has already re-
Mookie Betts Agrees To
ceived bids for the franchise.
On paper, there’s no denying it. The Buccaneers
had arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL
last season with Mike 43.
Massive 12-Year, $365M Extension With Dodgers
Tom Brady Preaches
Mookie Betts hasn’t played an official game for the Los Angeles Dodgers yet, but he’s committing to the team for the long haul. Betts agreed to a massive 12-year, $365 million extension with the Dodgers.
The move comes as a sur- prise as Betts, 27, was set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Had he played out the 2020 season with the Dodgers, Betts would have hit the market, where 30
Unity Among Players In
MOOKIE BETTS
teams — as opposed to one — could have offered him deals. The team announced the length of the deal last week.
Economic Dispute With NFL
Tom Brady is preaching a message of unity among NFL players in their eco- nomic dispute with the league.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers sent a note on Twitter Wednesday to promote his stance.
“There are more ques- tions than answers, but we must have faith in our @NFLPA leaders, both play- ers and staff, to get the game and the business of football in the right place. Let’s stay unified & demand necessary answers from the @NFL as partners. We’re all in this to- gether,” Brady wrote.
“There are more ques- tions than answers, but we must have faith in our@NFLPA leaders, both players and staff, to get the game and the business of football in the right place. Let's stay unified & demand necessary answers from the @NFL as partners. We’re all in this together. #LFG.”
The NFL and NFLPA are discussing issues, such as how much money players will
TOM BRADY
make if they opt out of the season. The sides have re- portedly agreed on dropping the preseason, having coron- avirus testing, and having 80-player rosters.
But the big issue is what will happen financially. The league is facing a major drop in revenue due to a lack of fans at games. They want to cut the amount of money players get this year to ac- count for that drop, while the players want that money spread out over time so they don’t incur such a big finan- cial hit this year. This is a similar situation to what MLB faced in its discussions with the MLBPA.
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