Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 8-20-21

Sports
Bucs Lose To Bengals, But Brady Survives; Plays Titans Saturday
Russell Wilson Reportedly Willing To Restructure Contract
On the sixth play of Sat- urday’s preseason opener against the Bengals, seven Super Bowl champion quar- terback Tom Brady took a shotgun snap and was sacked immediately, disappearing under Bengals defensive linemen Trey Hendrick- son and Joseph Ossai.
For a few scary seconds, as Brady was sprawled on the turf, it was fair to ques- tion the sanity of playing the 44-year-old Bucs quarter- back in a meaningless game.
There simply wasn’t any reason to risk it.
Fortunately, Brady got off the ground in one piece and the Bucs defense of their Super Bowl 55 title is still whole.
“He saw it coming and just folded up like a cheap tent,” coach Bruce Arians said of Brady, who left the game after that play. “Smart as hell.”
Among those let go was cornerback Cameron Kin- ley, who made national news after initially being denied a waiver to defer his military
To Help Teammates
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady (12) is hurried by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) and eventually sacked on the play during the first quarter.
The Seattle Seahawks have two core players seek- ing new contracts before the start of the 2021 season, and Russell Wilson is willing to help the team settle the disputes.
Safety Jamal Adams and left tackle Duane Brown, who are both starters and Pro Bowlers, have been present at Sea- hawks training camp but not participated in practice. Wilson said Sunday that the Seahawks have “got to figure out” a way to get Brown back on the field. According to Adam Jude and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Wilson is willing to restructure his contract to create cap space for the Seahawks to extend Adams and Brown.
The Seahawks technically do not need Wilson’s per- mission to restructure his
service in the U.S. Navy to pursue a career in the NFL. Kinley will now be free to sign with another club.
Tight end De’Quan Hampton and wide receiver Josh Pearson were the other two players waived by the Bucs Sunday.
Tampa Bay’s next presea- son game will take place Sat- urday night against the Tennessee Titans at 8:30 p.m., with more roster cuts ahead.
Saints WR Deonte Harris Allegedly Asked Police ‘Just Let Me Go' After Blowing .246 In DUI Arrest
DEONTE HARRIS
Deonte Harris' DUI ar- rest allegedly saw the New Or- leans Saints wide receiver follow up a .246 BAC breatha- lyzer reading with a request that police simply let him go.
The arrest on suspicion of DUI occurred last month in Maryland.
Harris, a first-team All- Pro as a punt returner in the 2019 season, is entering his third season with the Saints and has so far been little used on offense, totaling 210 re- ceiving yards and one touch- down in two seasons.
He seemed primed for a bigger role this year due to the exit of Emmanuel Sanders (82 targets last season) and the ill-timed surgery of Michael Thomas (55 tar- gets in 2020, 185 in 2019), but could now be facing sanctions from the NFL, which has sus- pended players for DUIs in the past.
RUSSELL WILSON
contract. They have the abil- ity to convert $17.9 million of his $19 million salary for this season into a bonus, which would give them much more flexibility than the roughly $8 million in salary cap space they currently have.
However, lowering Wil- son’s cap hit for 2021 would mean raising it by more than $5 million for both 2022 and 2023.
Alex Smith To Join ESPN As NFL Analyst
After retiring from the NFL at the end of the 2020 season, Alex Smith has a new TV gig.
Smith will join ESPN as an NFL studio analyst. Smith will not initially take on a full-time role, opting in- stead to make some appear- ances on shows like “Monday Night Countdown.”
However, if both sides like the arrangement, a larger
ALEX SMITH
role is possible going for- ward.
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