Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-17

Sports
Former Bucs LB Derrick Brooks Is Tampa's Citizen Of The Year
Quentin Moses One Of Three People To Die In House Fire
QUENTIN MOSES
Former Miami Dolphins and University of Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses died Sunday morning in a house fire that also killed a woman and her child.
Officials said the fire began at approximately 6 a.m. ET. Both Andria Godard and her daughter, Jasmine, were found dead in the home in Monroe, Georgia. Godard was 31; Jasmine was 10.
Moses was unconscious when he was found by firefight- ers and died at a local hospital. He was 33.
He had been an assistant coach for Reinhardt University for the past five seasons.
Moses was picked in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft (65th overall) by the Oak- land Raiders, but he never played for the team. The Dol- phins claimed him off waivers after he was released before the start of the 2007 season. In four seasons for the team, he had 31⁄2 sacks and 35 tackles while playing on the defensive line and at linebacker.
Former Syracuse Orange Big Man, Celtic Fab Melo Dies
FAB MELO
Fab Melo, the former 7- foot defensive stalwart for the Syracuse Orange men's basket- ball team, has passed away, ac- cording to NBA basketball writer Adam Zagoria and re- ports out of Brazil.
Reports say Melo was found dead inside his home. No other details have been re- leased.
Melo played two seasons for the Orange from 2010- 2012, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Big East during his second and final season.
He declared for the draft fol- lowing his sophomore year, and was selected by the Boston Celtics. He later played in the NBA D-League, before playing professionally in Brazil, Melo's native country.
Fab Melo was 26 years old.
Citing Human Rights
Concerns, Michael Bennett
To Skip Israel Visit
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has withdrawn from a group of NFL players planning to visit Israel next week.
Writing about his decision in posts on Twitter and Insta- gram on Friday night, Ben- nett said he was concerned that the goodwill tour, which is sponsored by the Israeli government, would be viewed as showing preference to Is- rael over Palestine.
"I was not aware ... that my itinerary was being con- structed by the Israeli govern- ment for the purposes of making me, in the words of a government official, an 'influ- encer and opinion-former' who would then be 'an ambas- sador of good will,'" Bennett wrote. "I will not be used in
MICHAEL BENNETT
such a manner. When I do go toIsrael--andIdoplantogo -- it will be to see not only Is- rael but also the West Bank and Gaza so I can see how the Palestinians, who have called this land home for thousands of years, live their lives."
Denver Broncos running back Justin Forsett had been on the list of players scheduled for the Israel visit, but he tweeted Saturday that he would not be going.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Derrick Brooks looks up as he thanks the fans during his speech.
Derrick Brooks, a for- mer Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro linebacker and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame has been named Tampa’s Citizen of the Year.
Brooks, a nine-time All- Pro will be bestowed the honor at the Governor’s Day Luncheon at the Florida State Fair at the Tampa Metro Civitan Club. Accord- ing to the Tampa Bay Times,
“The recognition dates back to 1927 and includes an illus- trious list of residents, many who have had streets named after them — Macfarlane, Frankland, Brorein, McKay. Last year, the club honored T. Terrell Ses- sums, the former speaker of the Florida House of Repre- sentatives. Philanthropists Frank and Carol Morsani received the award the year before.”
Bucs QB Jameis Winston Wishes Mariota Fast Recovery
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Tennessee Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota were mem- bers of the same draft class.
While the two haven’t re- ally been in contact since the Buccaneers faced the Titans in 2015, Winston had a kind message for the rising quar- terback who fractured his fibula late last season.
“I haven’t had a chance to reach out to Marcus, but you can tell him for me: I hope he has a speedy recovery and he comes back and balls like he did last year,’’ Winston said. “I know he’s been doing his thing in Tennessee, and from what I have seen they are headed in the right direction,” Winston said.
Winston has a lot of re- spect for Mariota, and it seems that he has kept the Ti- tans and his “draft classmate” on his mental.
“He has been amazing, man,’’ Winston said of the Titans quarterback. “He has definitely held his own. I am enjoying what he is doing in Tennessee. They are defi- nitely a team on the up and up. They had a great season this year, and I know Mar- cus has been ballin’. I just want him to have a speedy re- covery and bounce back strong like he always does.
Spike Lee Calls James Dolan- Charles Oakley Incident 'Insanity'
Knicks fan Spike Lee was in tears when he saw Charles Oakley handcuffed in a hall- way behind the court at Madi- son Square Garden on Wednesday night.
The film director on Sunday called the Oakley incident "insanity" and questioned owner James Dolan's deci- sion to suggest Oakley had a drinking problem.
"I mean, how can you say somebody is an alcoholic? You just can't, in my opinion," Lee, speaking to a small group of reporters, said Sunday at Madison Square Garden while wearing an Oakley jersey. "And even if the person was, why would you say that? I don't know why you would say that. All I can do is wear my
CHARLES OAKLEY AND SPIKE LEE
jersey."
Oakley was ejected from
the arena and arrested Wednesday night after a scuf- fle with security.
Lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee called team owner James Dolan's public spat with fan favorite Charles Oakley "insanity" and said Phil Jackson's criticism of Carmelo Anthony will sour free agents.
Kevin Durant Hears It From Thunder Fans, Then Leads Warriors To Win
The expectation was boos, and Oklahoma City Thunder fans delivered, as Kevin Du- rant was showered with them as he was introduced in his re- turn to the city where he played for eight years.
But by game's end, many of those fans had departed Chesapeake Energy Arena, and it was Durant and his Golden State Warriors team- mates who had made the most noise.
The final result: a resound- ing 130-114 victory for Golden State in which Durant scored a team-high 34 points in his first game back in Oklahoma City.
Immediately afterward, Durant was asked about what had transpired.
"It was a fun game," he told
KEVIN DURANT
ESPN. "I actually thought [the boos] would be a little bit louder. To become one of these guys who they boo is kind of fun, so I have to em- brace it."
The Thunder didn't play a tribute video for Durant. In- stead, they went with the in- troduction, "Please welcome back to Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant" as he was an- nounced. The boos drowned out the PA announcer.
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