Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 11-18-16 Online Edition

Sports
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans Apologizes, Will Stand For Anthem Sunday Vs Chiefs
Doug Baldwin: Fans Hurling Racial Epithets On Social Media 'Pretty Typical S---'
DOUG BALDWIN
Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin says he and other NFL players are regular recipients of racist insults from fans on social media.
In an interview with SI's Greg Bishop and Michael McKnight for their special report "Football in America," Baldwin showed some of the racist messages he has re- ceived, as well as hateful mes- sages sent to teammate Steven Hauschka and Pan- thers quarterback Cam New- ton. Baldwin called the messages "pretty typical s---."
Below are some of the so- cial media posts directed at Baldwin:
- F--- you n----- boy
- Move back to Africa if u don’t like it here
- Shut your piehole and go tear an ACL
- Black fatigue and NFL fa- tigue are setting in all across the nation
- Hope you break your neck and become paralyzed a------ Here are a few tweets men-
tioning Newton:
- Cam wanna talk to Good-
ell?? . . . I hope Roger call him a n-----.
- Cam Newton is just a pussy . . . take your pimp suit and be a n----- elsewhere.
- I hope that stupid n----- cam newton has brain dam- age and dies in his sleep tonight.
Baldwin has become out- spoken about racial issues, calling for change in the wake of police shootings as well as meeting with government and business leaders about creat- ing a safer, more inclusive so- ciety.
Baldwin has previously said he has received death threats for speaking out against cops' role in police shootings and his support of Colin Kaepernick's na- tional anthem protests over racial injustice.
The full story, which seeks to capture the state of football in America, is the longest and most comprehensive football piece ever published by Sports Illustrated.
NBA Teams Ditching Trump Hotels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Evans protested the national anthem on Sunday by sitting during its playing, cit- ing the presidential election as the reason behind it. His stance was short-lived, how- ever, as he’s ending his protest next week. Evans stated he will stand for national anthem Sunday against the Chiefs at 1 p.m. on FOX.
Evans issued this state- ment regarding the situation on Tuesday, apologizing to military members, their fami- lies and fans whom he may have offended.
“I want to start by apologiz- ing to all the U.S. military members, their families, and the fans who I offended by my actions on Sunday. It was never my intention as I have tremendous respect for the men and women who serve our country. I have very strong emotions regarding some of the many issues that exist in our society today. I chose to sit as an expression of my frustra- tion towards this year’s elec- tion. It was very personal for me, as it was for so many Americans. With that being said, I will not sit again during
MIKE EVANS
the National Anthem because I want to focus my efforts on finding more effective ways to communicate my message and bring about change by sup- porting organizations and movements that fight for equal rights for minorities. This Sun- day, I will be back to standing with my teammates.”
Head coach Dirk Koetter spoke out on Evans’ decision to sit during the anthem, say- ing he was “disappointed.” Koetter obviously can’t tell his player what to do or how to feel, but he did respect Evans’ right to express his opinion publicly and freely. It’s unclear whether Evans’ statement was the result of his coach’s feelings, but the timing sug- gests it may have something to do with it.
Nearly a week ago, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jef- ferson made the weighted pre- diction that his 2016 championship squad would be the last NBA team to visit the White House (or at least until President-elect Trump’s tenure subsides).
Although no one truly knows what the future holds in the po- litical landscape beginning Janu- ary 2017, the present is revealing itself to be a bit anti-Trump within a chunk of the National Basketball Association. ESPN re- ports that the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and the Mark Cuban-led Dallas Mavericks have all organizationally opted not to stay at Trump properties when their teams hit New York City and Chicago to play the Knicks, Nets and Bulls, respec- tively.
Another unnamed fourth team within the Eastern Conference is
NBA Teams are abandoning hotels owned by President-elect Donald Trump.
legally contracted to stay at the Trump SoHo in New York for the 2016-2017 NBA season but has already made the decision to switch to a different hotel prop- erty in Manhattan when said con- tract expires.
Cuban, never known to bite his tongue (even if it costs his team a technical foul or fine) de- nied his team’s Trump hotel abandonment had anything to do with the election, as the Shark Tank entrepreneur relayed to the Associated Press the move “was made months ago. Not recently.”
LeBron James: I Had Nothing But Respect For Phil Jackson Until Now
LeBron James used to have respect for New York Knicks president and legendary former coach Phil Jackson, but that's in the past.
Asked about Jackson's re- cent comments that he and his "posse" require special treat- ment, James lashed out at Jackson on Tuesday.
Via ESPN.com:
LeBron James explained his problem with Phil Jackson's "posse" label referring to him and his business associates: "To use that label, and if you go and read the definition of what the word 'posse' is, it's not what I've built over my career. It's not what I stand for. It's not what my family stands for. And I believe the only reason he used that word is be-
LEBRON JAMES
cause it's young African-Ameri- cans trying to make a differ- ence."
The Cavaliers superstar con- tinued:
LeBron James on whether he has
any relationship with Phil Jack- son: "Zero. No relationship at all. I had nothing but respect for him as a coach for what he was able to do. Obviously he was at the helm of (the team featuring) my favorite player of all time, MJ, and also being there growing up and watching him with the Lakers, but I got nothing for him."
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