Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 5-5-17

Sports
Bucs GM Praises Doug Martin
James Harrison Does The Insane, Pushes 1,400-Pound Sled
JAMES HARRISON
James Harrison is nearly 39 years old and can still bring the heat on the field and in the weight room.
The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker posted a video on Instagram Monday that shows him pushing a sled full of 45-pound plates. He says it’s loaded up with 31 plates, which comes out to 1,395 pounds.
Vikings Won’t Pick Up QB Teddy Bridgewater’s Option
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER Teddy Bridgewater
could remain with the Min- nesota Vikings beyond the 2017 season, but the quarter- back will have to work out an extension with the team in order for that to happen.
The Vikings have in- formed Bridgewater that they will not pick up the fifth- year option on his rookie con- tract.
If the Vikings did exercise the option, they would need to pay Bridgewater around $18 million for the 2018 sea- son. While that number wouldn’t be all that high for a viable starting QB, Bridge- water’s status remains un- certain after he suffered a devastating knee injury prior to last season.
The option year would be guaranteed for injury, and Minnesota doesn’t want to take that risk.
Colin Kaepernick Donates Custom Suits To Men Seeking Jobs
Reports of Doug Mar- tin’s demise in Tampa have been greatly exaggerated.
In an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday, Bucca- neers general manager Jason Licht had high praise for the former Pro Bowl run- ning back’s progress this off- season.
“Doug has looked as good as I’ve seen him,” said Licht. “Here in the last few weeks, through OTAs, both mentally and physically, he’s been out- standing.”
Martin, 28, appeared to be on thin ice after a 2016 season where injuries limited him to just 421 rushing yards and three touchdowns over eight games. He was also sus- pended for four games after testing positive for Adderall towards the end of the year and had to enter a treatment program.
DOUG MARTIN Martin will still have three
of those games to serve in 2017.
Through it all however, the Bucs never seemed to lose faith in Martin, and his stel- lar work this offseason fac- tored into their strategy during last week’s draft.
The Bucs will have a crowded backfield next sea- son with Charles Sims, Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber, and newcomer Je- remy McNichols vying for touches with Martin.
Despite the start of the NFL season being about three months away with free agent Colin Kaepernick having yet to be picked up, he doesn't seem to be worried about it.
What seems to be his focus is putting his commitment to empower into action.
Last weekend, Kaeper- nick and Hot 97 host Nessa stopped by a parole office in Queens, New York where they donated two large boxes of custom made suits. The dona- tion benefited 100 Suits, a community-centered organi- zation that aims to provide free business attire for men and women in the job search- ing process. In turn, they help those individuals get to a place of economic freedom as well as helping to reduce recidi- vism rates.
Kaepernick made a com- mitment to donate $1 million to causes that promote social justice, and he continues to keep his commitment.The Undefeated gave a short out- line of where the money has gone so far:
"So far, $200,000 of the $1
Free agent QB Colin Kaepernick donates suits.
million has been allocated. In October, Kaepernick dished out gifts of $25,000 each to the Silicon Valley De-Bug, Causa Justa/Just Cause, Urban Underground and Mothers Against Police Bru- tality. In November, in addi- tion to his gift of $25,000 to the BYP100, he donated equal amounts to Gathering For Justice/ Justice League, Com- munities United for Police Re- form and the I Will Not Die Young Campaign."
He also made a donation of $50K to Meals on Wheels and also helped fund an airplane that sent supplies to drought- ravaged Somalia.
Judge Calls Out Coach Charlie Strong For USF Players' Arrests
Aaron Hernandez Alleged ‘Murder Car’ For Sale On eBay
Hillsborough County
Judge Margaret Taylor
called out South Florida coach Charlie Strong and one of his players Wednes- day.
At a hearing in the case of South Florida defensive end LaDarrius Jackson, who is charged with sexual bat- tery and false imprisonment stemming from an incident earlier this week, Judge Taylor said she was ashamed to be an alumnus of the school and questioned whether Strong had control of his players.
Jackson is the second South Florida player to be charged with violent crimes in the past two months. In late March, defensive back Hassan Childs was charged with aggravated as- sault and marijuana posses- sion in an incident in which
CHARLIE STRONG
he was shot three times. Strong later dismissed Childs from the team.
Jackson was suspended by Strong after his arrest. Strong was hired by South Florida in December after he was fired by Texas. Both Jackson and Childs were players he inherited when he took over the program.
Taylor, however, took Strong to task for the play- ers' arrests.
"I would implore you to think long and hard about whether being head coach at USF is a good fit for you be- fore any other members of this community have to suf- fer at the hands of one of your players."
Strong said in a state- ment released later Wednes- day that he was "disappointed" that the two players' arrests had "harmed the reputation of our pro- gram ... and of my charac- ter.”
A car dealer has listed an old SUV for sale on eBay and is advertising the vehicle’s ties to a murder that allegedly in- volved Aaron Hernandez in order to sell it.
The vehicle for sale is a 2006 Toyota 4Runner with just over 53,000 miles.
AARON HERNANDEZ
Cincinnati TV Station Calls For Bengals Boycott Over Joe Mixon Pick
The Cincinnati Bengals had to expect that their deci- sion to draft running back Joe Mixon would lead to some backlash, but they might not have expected such a loud outcry from one of the city’s TV stations.
Cincinnati’s WCPO, the city’s local ABC affiliate, posted a scathing online edi- torial on Saturday after the Bengals made Mixon the No. 48 pick in the draft. The Mixon pick was a source of huge controversy, as he punched a female student in the face while at Oklahoma, leading to his suspension for the 2014 season.
The editorial urges fans to boycott the Bengals over their selection of Mixon, as well as their decision to stand
JOE MIXON
by defensive back Pacman Jones after his offseason ar- rest. It uses Mixon’s 2016 incident with a parking at- tendant as evidence that he learned nothing, and points to previous treatment of Jones as evidence that the Bengals simply do not care about off-field behavior.
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