Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 8-1-17

Sports
Buccaneers' Jameis Winston:
Knee Brace Simply Precautionary
Seahawks Rookie Malik McDowell Involved In Accident
Julio Jones Says He Didn't Hire Dive Team To Find Lost Earring
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Jameis Winston's use of a knee brace during Saturday's prac- tice was merely precaution- ary, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Winston was utilizing the brace on his plant leg as a guard against injury, but until head coach Dirk Koet- ter explained as much after practice, there were some concerned whispers. As was eventually revealed, Win- ston had actually wanted to wear the brace for Friday's opening practice and had to refrain from doing so when the fit wasn't right. The emerging quarterback did find his secondary to be a bit
JAMEIS WINSTON
on the stingy side Saturday, but he still managed to con- nect on several impressive throws to first-round pick O.J. Howard and prize off- season acquisition DeSean Jackson.
RENTON,
Wash. -- Seat-
tle Seahawks second-round
pick Malik McDowell
was involved
in a vehicular
accident a couple of weeks ago and is at home in Michigan re- covering as the team begins training camp.
According to an NFL Net- work report, McDowell was involved in an ATV accident and suffered a concussion, along with facial injuries.
McDowell said in a state- ment posted on Twitter that his injuries aren't life-threat- ening and won't put his career in jeopardy.
MALIK MCDOWELL
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons wide re- ceiver Julio Jones cleared up the story behind the $150,000 earring he lost in Georgia's Lake Lanier after tumbling off a Jet Ski.
Jones addressed the media Saturday, following the third day of training camp. An initial television re- port said Jones hired a dive team to find the earring.
"I didn't hire anyone like a dive team," Jones said. "I did not do that. It was in- sured. I was fine. I didn't get thrown off anything. I jumped off the Jet Ski. So, let's clear it up."
Jones gave no indication of his earring being recov- ered. One of the divers at the scene, Richard Pickering, told WXIA-TV in Atlanta that the earring is "down in the crevasses and nooks and crannies. It's impossible -- absolutely impossible."
Jones initially told the
JULIO JONES
television station that "as long as I'm good, it's materi- alistic stuff. You can always get that kind of stuff back."
Jones was asked Satur- day if his teammates have teased him about the mishap.
"They didn't give me a hard time," Jones said. "We were in camp. We were really just happy to see each other (from) the long break. Just getting back and greeting each other. ... We didn't really make a big deal out of it be- cause it's not a big deal."
Doug Martin Not Guaranteed To Keep Starting Job When He Returns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has three games left on a drug suspension and will serve them at the beginning of this coming season. But if the Buccaneers running back thinks he's automatically get- ting his starting job back once the suspension is over, he may be mistaken.
Buccaneers general man- ager Jason Licht told re- porters on Saturday that Martin was looking good so far in camp and that the team is happy with the way he's handling things, but his job might not be there for him come Week 4.
"It might not," Licht said. "Look, he has done every- thing we've asked him to do, and he looks reminiscent of 2015 when he was playing for his contract. He looks the same out there, mentally and physically. So he might be one of those guys that needs a carrot. And he's got a pretty big carrot in front of him right now, because there's no guarantees that he's going to be here. And he knows that.
DOUG MARTIN
We've talked to him, and he's good with it. He goes, 'I un- derstand.'"
The Buccaneers believe Jacquizz Rodgers can fill in well at running back while Martin is out, and they like Charles Sims as a third- down back who can help in the passing game. They also like what Peyton Barber offers as a bruising power back. And they're just now getting their first on-field look at rookie Jeremy Mc- Nichols, the fifth-round draft pick who missed the offseason program while re- covering from post-combine shoulder surgery.
Vikings' Extension For Xavier Rhodes
Among Largest For A Cornerback
XAVIER RHODES
MANKATO, Minn. -- Cor- nerback Xavier Rhodes has signed a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Sunday.
The Vikings did not dis- close the terms of the deal, but a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the six-year, $78.126 million extension is one of the largest ever given to a cornerback.
The new contract includes $41 million guaranteed and pays more than $42 million over the first three years, the source said. Rhodes becomes the third-highest-paid corner- back in the NFL in terms of per-year salary, behind Tru- maine Johnson and Josh Norman.
Owner Says Ravens Still Deciding Whether To Sign Colin Kaepernick
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bis- ciotti said Sunday that the team is still deciding whether to sign controversial quarter- back Colin Kaepernick.
"We're very sensitive to it, and we're monitoring it and we're still, as [general man- ager Ozzie Newsome] says, we're scrimmaging it," Bis- ciotti said at a fan forum with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at M&T Bank Stadium. "We're trying to figure what's the right tact. Pray for us."
Kaepernick has been a free agent since March 1 when he opted out of his con- tract with the San Francisco 49ers. He drew national at- tention last season when he knelt during the national an- them before games to protest social injustice, which he said he will no longer do in 2017.
Ravens officials said they've spoken with Kaeper- nick and he is committed to playing football. The Ravens
have talked about the possi- bility of adding Kaepernick with current players, former players including Ray Lewis, fans and sponsors.
Ravens coach John Har- baugh first brought up Kaepernick last week after he said Joe Flacco would miss a week with a back in- jury. Backup Ryan Mallett has since struggled while fill- ing in with the first-team of- fense, throwing at least five interceptions one practice.
COLIN KAEPERNICK
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017