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sports Thursday 28 april 2022
Draft cements the marriage of Las Vegas and NFL

By TIM DAHLBERG any future site to match.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NFL A city long used to hosting
brings the traveling circus big events won't have any
that is its draft to a city trouble making this a glitter-
where nothing — including ing spectacle.
300-pound football players The future stars of the NFL
posing with showgirls and will be introduced on a
circus clowns above the stage adjacent to the Cae-
Bellagio hotel fountains — sars High Roller observation
is too outlandish. wheel, where each night
As the draft begins Thurs- free concerts will feature
day, the marriage between acts like Weezer, Ice Cube
the league and the gam- and Marshmello. The red
bling town it demonized for carpet walk will take place
so long is nearly complete, on a stage built over the
with only a Super Bowl in spectacular fountains of
2024 remaining to formally the Bellagio resort, where
complete the partnership. performers from Cirque du
The masses who will gather Soleil and Blue Man Group
to see where their team will also do their thing.
might be heading in the There will even be a pop-
next year will find the usual up sportsbook on site,
draft-day theatrics amid A worker helps erect a red carpet and stage in front of the Bellagio hotel-casino during setup for though fans will have to
the bright lights of the ca- the NFL football draft, Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in Las Vegas. be content with betting on
sinos. Commissioner Roger Associated Press baseball and the NBA play-
Goodell will be on hand to offs because they won't be
announce and greet the the idea of allowing bet- "It might be my least favor- thousands of fans who will able to bet on the number
first-rounders — dressed ting on anything other than ite event to book," said Jay gather over three days of quarterbacks taken in
in their best suits and new actual sporting contests at Kornegay, a longtime odd- for the annual spectacle. the first round.
team hats — and everyone the sportsbooks that line smaker who runs the West- They're there mostly to see Indeed, the draft highlights
watching will party like their the Strip. While other states gate SuperBook. "We've who their team lands that how the NFL and Las Vegas
team has just made the new to sports betting offer only done it a few years, might change its fortunes, are intertwined so tightly
playoffs. more to bet on, Nevada but we haven't fared well and to be part of a scene that it's easy to forget the
Interestingly enough, in a has allowed bets on the on it at all." that is becoming increas- Supreme Court ruling that
city built on betting, there draft only since 2017 — and That's largely, Kornegay ingly familiar since the NFL opened the path to legal-
will be little of it on the draft all bets that include the said, because the so- decided to take the draft ized sports betting across
itself — and little at all on name of a player must be called sharps in the past on the road in 2015. the nation came just four
draft day. And, no, it's not made at least 24 hours be- have gotten tips on picks More than 600,000 showed years ago.
because the NFL objected fore the draft. before bookies themselves up in Nashville in 2019 for At that point, the NFL
to the idea of fans scream- Also, good luck finding a found out — the one thing the biggest draft party wouldn't even allow play-
ing in glee because they bookie willing to take more every sportsbook operator ever. Last year, Cleveland ers inside casinos for events.
got good odds on the No. than a couple of hundred fears most. hosted a smaller but still re- Now fans not only can bet
5 pick. bucks on an event where The guess is that, even in spectable crowd of 140,000 on their team but go inside
Blame it on the caution of inside information could Las Vegas, betting on the over three days. a casino and play a slot
Nevada gambling authori- potentially give a bettor a draft isn't the top prior- What happens in Vegas, machine emblazoned with
ties, who have never liked big edge. ity for most of the tens of though, will be tough for their team's helmet.q

Manning funds Ga. Tech scholarship honoring Demaryius Thomas

ATLANTA (AP) — Peyton born and raised, or sur- reer with 724 receptions for
Manning has set up a schol- rounding areas. 9,763 yards and 63 touch-
arship at Georgia Tech "Demaryius Thomas was downs. He also spent time
honoring former teammate an incredibly talented and with the Houston Texans,
Demaryius Thomas. unselfish teammate, but New England Patriots and
Thomas died in December more importantly, he was a New York Jets before retir-
from an apparent seizure special person and friend," ing after the 2019 season.
at his suburban Atlanta Manning said in a state- "An important part of De-
home. He was 33. ment. "My family and I miss maryius' legacy was the
The PeyBack Foundation, him dearly, and we wanted way he inspired the next
a charitable organization to honor D.T.'s memory." generation to pursue their
set up by Manning and his Thomas starred at Geor- dreams with the same per-
wife Ashley, announced gia Tech from 2006-09 and severance and determi-
Wednesday that it will fund was a first-round pick of the nation that defined him,"
academic scholarships in Broncos. After the team Manning said. "Through
the receiver's name at his signed Manning at quar- this scholarship to Georgia
alma mater. terback, Denver reached Tech, Demaryius will have a Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, left, chats with Joe
The financial aid will be two Super Bowls and won lasting impact on deserving Lacob, majority owner of the Golden State Warriors, during a
available to incoming fresh- the championship after the youth from his hometown timeout in the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-
round Western Conference playoff series between the Warriors
men from Laurens County, 2015 season. area who can follow in his and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Denver.
the central Georgia com- Thomas was a four-time Pro footsteps and accomplish Associated Press
munity where Thomas was Bowler who finished his ca- great things in life."q