Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 10-13-17

Sports
Bucs Gerald McCoy Promises 'Uproar' If Players Are Forced To Stand For National Anthem
Bucs Reach Deal With Patrick Murray To Replace Nick Folk
One NFL player is prom- ising “uproar” if athletes are forced to stand for the na- tional anthem.
“If you take that away from them, there's gonna be an uproar,” Tampa Bay Buc- caneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy told ESPN's Adam Schefter. “It's just gonna happen, because now it's just like you have a voice at one point, but then you don't at this point.”
McCoy made the state- ment just hours after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the or- ganization believes “every- one should stand for the national anthem.”
In addition, Dallas Cow- boys proprietor Jerry Jones said over the week- end he will bench any play- ers who take a knee during “The Star-Spangled Banner” — a decision that led one ESPN host to liken him to a slave owner.
Despite the fact that the NFL is a private business, and players are essentially employees, McCoy believes the league would be stepping on athletes' constitutional rights by requiring them to stand during the anthem ceremony.
“If you take that away,” he said, “I don't think people are gonna take too kindly to it.”
An NFL-wide decision on
GERALD MCCOY
the matter has not yet been reached, according to re- porters. Team owners will discuss the matter at a meet- ing next week. The NFL said, in part, in a statement that it is “doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together.”
As for the Buccaneers, the team's coaches or owner have not announced an offi- cial policy on protesting dur- ing the national anthem.
Winston: Coach Arians 'Inspired Me To Go After A Super Bowl'; Set To Play Cardinals Sunday
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Glen- dale, Arizona, this Sunday to take on the Cardinals at 1 p.m., it won't be the first time Jameis Winston and
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians meet. Winston at- tended Arians' summer camps in Alabama as a youngster, and left quite the impression.
"'Jaboo' is legend in Birmingham," said Arians, whose son lived about 20 minutes outside of Win- ston's hometown of Besse- mer. "We had a little football camp back then in Birming- ham, and he threw one day. We had a bunch of local kids there and one of his high school coaches was a good friend of mine, so we’ve known him and watched him grow and we’re very, very proud of him."
Winston brushed off the 'legend' talk on Wednes- day, but managed to flash a modest smile. "He’s proba- bly just saying that," Win- ston said. He was just named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for four touchdowns against Atlanta. "I don’t believe that."
They met a few times, and Winston admitted that Arians left quite the im- pression on him, too. "One thing I just remember is him showing me those Super Bowl rings," said Winston. "I still haven’t gotten one yet, so I’m shooting for that."
Brandon Marshall To Have Season-Ending Ankle Surgery; 3rd Giants WR Out For Year
BRANDON MARSHALL
New York Giants wide re- ceiver Brandon Marshall will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday on his in- jured ankle, he announced on his Instagram account Monday night.
He is the third Giants re- ceiver lost for the season be- cause of injuries sustained during Sunday's 27-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, joining Odell Beckham, Jr. (ankle) and Dwayne Harris (foot).
Beckham underwent surgery Monday night on his fractured ankle.
The Buccaneers' kicking saga has a new chapter, but with a familiar face -- Patrick Murray, who was with the Bucs in 2014 and was most re- cently with Cleveland Browns in 2016.
The Buccaneers an- nounced Murray's signing Monday and placed Nick Folk on injured reserve with a minor injury designation. The designation means the team must release Folk, who missed three field goals in the team's 19-14 loss to the New England Patriots last Thurs- day, once he is healthy.
In four games this year, the 32-year-old Folk has gone 6- for-11 on field goals, including five misses in the past two
PATRICK MURRAY
weeks. The tipping point was Folk's performance against the Patriots; his kicks would have been the difference- maker.
Folk's recent struggles, coupled with second-round draft pick Roberto Aguayo's misses last year, prompted the Bucs to take swift action.
Local Labor Union Files Complaint Over Jerry Jones' Anthem Mandate
Local 100 of the United Labor Unions filed a com- plaint against the Dallas Cow- boys on Tuesday, alleging owner and general manager Jerry Jones has violated the National Labor Relations Act by threatening players if they choose not to stand for the na- tional anthem.
Jones said earlier this week if a player "disrespects the flag" and national anthem by not standing, then the player will not play.
According to the filing to the National Labor Relations board, "the employer, evi- denced by repeated public statements, is attempting to
threaten, coerce and intimi- date all Dallas Cowboys play- ers on the roster in order to prevent them from exercising concerted activity protected under the act by saying that he will fire any players involved in such concerted activity."
Jones has said players will not play, not that they would be fired, if they do not stand for the anthem, but Wade Rathke, Local 100s chief or- ganizer, said that is a "distinc- tion without difference when it comes to the law."
The Cowboys will not com- ment on the filing, according to a spokesman. The NFL has declined to comment.
Adrian Peterson ‘So Ecstatic’
About Trade To Cardinals
The New Orleans Saints traded Adrian Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday, and the veteran run- ning back sounds like he couldn’t wait to leave his for- mer team.
Shortly after news of the trade surfaced, Peterson told NFL Network’s Stacey Dales that he is “so ecstatic” about the move.
The Cardinals are report- edly sending a conditional late-round pick to New Or- leans, which gives you an indi- cation of just how far Peterson’s value has tum- bled. The 32-year-old was vir- tually non-existent in the Saints’ backfield, rushing for just 81 yards on 27 carries. Mark Ingram and rookie pass-catching back Alvin Ka- mara were being used far more often than Peterson,
ADRIAN PETERSON
who ended up being a horrible fit in Sean Payton’s offense. Even if the exchange caught on camera between Payton and Peterson in Week 1 wasn’t as emotionally charged as it looked, Peterson has made it clear that he was unhappy with his role in New Orleans. The Cardinals have a need at tailback after David Johnson underwent wrist surgery earlier in the season, so Peterson should have plenty more opportunities
with his new team.
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