Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 2-12-21

Sports
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson Among 8 Elected To Pro Football Hall Of Fame
PEYTON MANNING, CHARLES WOODSON AND CALVIN JOHNSON
Mahomes Says Super Bowl LV Loss Was 'Worst I've Been Beaten In Long Time'
PATRICK MAHOMES Patrick Mahomes didn't
have just the worst game of his NFL career in Super Bowl LV. He had the worst game of his career, college or pro.
The Kansas City Chiefs were held to three field goals in their 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers, the first time since at least high school that Ma- homes' team failed to score a touchdown in a game he started. The loss was his first as a starter with the Chiefs by more than eight points.
"They were the better team today,'' Mahomes said. "They beat us pretty good, the worst I think I've been beaten in a long time.
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Named 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man Of The Year
RUSSELL WILSON
With a running list of sensa- tional seasons and an ever-pre- sent grin, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been one of the most success- ful players in the NFL since his 2012 debut and one of the faces of the league.
He's now been recognized with the league's most presti- gious accolade.
Wilson was named the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year at NFL Honors, which aired Saturday on CBS.
Wilson is the first quarter- back to be recognized as NFL Man of the Year since the New York Giants' Eli Manning in 2016 and the first Seahawks player since Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent in 1988. Largent and Wilson are Seat- tle's two recipients for the award, which was first awarded in 1970 to icon Johnny Unitas.
Leon Spinks, Former
Quarterback Peyton Man- ning added the last, and per- haps only, missing entry to his NFL résumé Saturday night when he was named as one of eight new enshrinees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Can- ton, Ohio.
Manning, who was in his first year of eligibility, played on two Super Bowl-winning teams, was a five-time MVP, a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, a former Of- fensive Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
Joining Manning from the modern-era finalists in the Hall's Class of 2021 will be for- mer Raiders and Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson, former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, current San Francisco 49ers general man- ager and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Bron- cos defensive back John
Lynch, and former Pittsburgh Steelers guard Alan Faneca.
Manning, Woodson and Johnson were all in their first year of eligibility. They com- bined for 29 Pro Bowl selections and Woodson was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Among the modern-era fi- nalists, Lynch, who had been a finalist eight times, has waited the longest for enshrinement.
Also included in the Class of 2021 is former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, who was elected as a senior in- ductee, and former Steelers scout/personnel executive Bill Nunn, who will be posthu- mously enshrined in the con- tributor category. Former Raiders and Seattle Seahawks coach Tom Flores, the lone candidate in the new coach cat- egory this year, is also bound for Canton.
Former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, best known for defeating Muham- mad Ali in 1978, has died at the age 67, according to a statement from his publicist.
Spinks lost his five-year battle with prostate and other cancers on Friday evening.
"At the time of his passing his wife Brenda Glur Spinks was by his side. Due to Covid re- strictions, only a few close friends and other family were present," the statement read.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Spinks represented the United States during the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada, as a light heavyweight and won a gold
MUHAMMAD ALI AND LEON SPINKS
medal.
He faced Muhammad Ali
in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Febru- ary 15, 1978, winning to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. It was only Spinks' eighth professional bout and one of the greatest up- sets in boxing history.
Heavy Weight Champ Who
Beat Muhammad Ali, Dead At 67
Andy Reid Addresses Son’s Car Crash In Postgame Comments
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid addressed his son’s car crash for the first time in his postgame comments following the team’s Super Bowl loss.
Reid’s son Britt, the Chiefs’ outside linebackers coach, was involved in a car crash that left two children in- jured on Thursday, one of them in critical condition. The younger Reid did not travel to Tampa with the team.
Andy Reid said his heart went out to those injured in the accident, but refused to point to the distraction as a factor in the Chiefs’ 31-9 loss.
BRITT AND ANDY REID
Britt Reid is facing an on- going criminal investigation over his role in the crash. How- ever, most of the Chiefs’ players would likely agree with their coach that this situation had lit- tle to do with their bad perform- ance.
Jones After Chiefs' Super Bowl Loss: 'Penalties
Affect The Game 1,000%'
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones credited the referees with helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 victory in Sunday's Super Bowl.
"I mean, penalties cost the game either way," Jones said, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Only the refer- ees can call the penalties. So the penalties affect the game 1,000 percent. What can I say? We had a lot of penalties called on us today."
The Chiefs were whistled 11 times during the course of the game and lost 120 yards on penalties, compared to 39 yards on four calls for the Buccaneers.
Of those, the Chiefs were handed eight flags for a loss of 95 yards in the first half, while
CHRIS JONES
Tampa Bay was flagged once for five yards.
"I was very surprised. This is the Super Bowl. Usually you let the guys play, especially in the biggest game of the year," Jones said. "Penalties can change the game."
Jones told reporters he was surprised to see so many flags thrown during the champi- onship game.
PAGE 12-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021