Scared NFL Makes Epic Mistake with Anthem Policy

The NFL has gotten things wrong before, but in the recent history of this league, it has gotten fewer things more horribly, disgracefully, stupidly, terribly wrong than what it decided to do Wednesday in trying to half-heartedly stop players from protesting during the national anthem.

In a statement released by the league, team owners decided that starting this season, players can stay in the locker room during the anthem. If players take a knee to protest, say, unarmed black and brown people being unjustly shot by law enforcement, cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale commissioner Roger Goodell can potentially fine both teams and players.

Essentially, the league is trying to shove the protests out of sight by putting them in the locker room. And by fining players who want to publicly protest, it is also trying to make this a financial decision for players.

“We want people to be respectful of the national anthem,” Goodell said in a press conference. “We want people to stand—that’s all personnel—and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That’s something we think we owe. [But] we were also very sensitive to give players choices.”

But as protesters like Colin Kaepernick (who, along with Eric Reid, started the protests) have said, they are not protesting the anthem or the military; they are using the anthem to bring attention to racial injustice and the issue of police abuse of black and brown citizens.cheap nfl nike jersey

Now, because of the NFL’s ineptitude, the anthem controversy will be around a long time, and it will be messy, and ugly, and divisive. The union and the league will likely go to war, and swaths of America will fight over it.

Within hours of the league’s announcement, the NFLPA had fired back:cheap nfl jerseys china nike

Why is the NFL handling this so poorly, crafting a policy based on fear, not practicality? The answer remains clear, according to a variety of league sources: an intense fear of President Donald Trump.

This is a fact. This is the truth. This is the core basis for the NFL’s decision. This has been told to me before, and it was reiterated by several people Wednesday.

“Our league,” one team official said, “is f–king terrified of Trump. We’re scared of him.”nike nfl jerseys cheap china

What does the NFL fear? It fears boycotts of games. It fears people not watching its product on television. It fears people not buying its products.

Antonio Callaway’s NFL Draft Combine Drug Test Reportedly Came Back Diluted

The agent for former Florida Gators wide receiver Antonio Callaway told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday that his client produced a diluted drug test sample at the NFL Scouting Combine.

According to Rapoport, “Callaway has told those close to him he was over-hydrated and will address the issue with teams.”cheap nike nfl jerseys paypal

However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter spoke to league sources who said Callaway’s sample came back positive for marijuana.

Callaway stood out with 89 receptions for 1,399 yards and eight total touchdowns during his first two seasons with the Gators, but he was suspended all of last season after being charged with a pair of third-degree felonies for credit card fraud.

He was also previously served a misdemeanor marijuana citation and was accused of sexual assault.nike cheap nfl jerseys

Callaway was ultimately cleared in that case by Florida’s Title IX office after testifying that he was “high on marijuana” and “so stoned I had no interest in having sex with anyone,” per ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach.

“Honestly, I think the credit card thing is the least of his transgressions,” an NFC scout told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “The drug issues that he’s had are higher on the list.”

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has Callaway ranked 13th overall among receivers in this year’s class and compared him to former Gators speedster Percy Harvin. nike nfl cheap jerseys

“On sheer talent, Antonio Callaway would be a top-three receiver in the 2018 class,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, off-field issues matter and Callaway’s are bad. There will be teams that have him completely off their board. Of course, it only takes one and Callaway’s talent is enough that someone will bite.”

Vita Vea, Defensive Tackle

We’ve reached the point in the calendar where even the tiniest nuggets of information regarding a possible first-round pick are worth dissecting.
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That applies to defensive tackle Vita Vea, who’s a constant disruptive force up the middle and should be a top-20 selection. He might even come off the board in the top 10.

Vea shined during his brief appearance at the combine, showing off his strength at 6’4″ and 347 pounds. He recorded 41 bench-press reps, but then his afternoon abruptly came to an end when the giant lineman suffered a hamstring injury while lumbering through the 40-yard dash.hi-res-e9a5c19d490a68e8b37a1f8bc5f80bb8_crop_exactnfl jersey for cheap

But even at his size, and even during a run in which Vea injured himself, he still posted a time of 5.10 seconds. He has rare light, nimble feet for such a massive defender in the trenches, which is what makes him a threatening and versatile presence up front. He finished 2017 with 30 tackles (5.5 for a loss) and 3.5 sacks.nfl jerseys cheap authentic

The hamstring injury kept Vea out for drills and testing during the Washington Huskies’ pro day but only because it was shortly after the combine. Any general manager who cares about the injury going forward shouldn’t be a general manager much longer.
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Vea recorded 39 pressures in 2017, per PFF, and his power as an interior pass-rusher is why Miller  projects him as a future member of the Washington Redskins after being selected 13th overall.

Boston Celtics: Kyrie Irving’s Knee

Kyrie Irving’s “minimally invasive” left knee procedure could wind up having an outsized impact on the Boston Celtics’ postseason hopes.nfl wholesale jerseys

A three- to six-week timetable doesn’t guarantee his return before the end of the first round, let alone the start of the playoffs altogether. And if he’s unable to suit up, the Celtics face the prospect of an immediate exit.

It doesn’t matter that they have the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Possible matchups with the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards (assuming John Wall returns) have close-call potential even if the Celtics are at full capacity.nfl jerseys from china

Remove Irving from the equation, and Boston may forfeit favorite status in any one of those hypothetical series.hi-res-8404aaa811b07d5cb78f5f7d71285c00_crop_exact

Indeed, the Celtics have shown they can survive without Irving. Al Horford continues to headline units that outscore opponents by 9.7  official nfl jerseys cheap points per 100 possessions whenever he plays without the All-Star point man. And the defense remains sturdy in the time rookie Jayson Tatum logs on his own.

But generating consistent offense without Irving is a chore the Celtics aren’t fit to complete in a playoff setting. They score like a bottom-three attack when he’s on the bench and don’t have a proven face-up alpha on which to lean in crunch time.

Tatum will be that player one day, just not now. Ditto for Jaylen Brown. Horford can helm an offense by himself for 43 minutes or so, but he’s not the from-scratch dribble-driver needed to excel with the game on the line. (Most big men aren’t, by the way. Boston is lucky Horford is nimble and effective at pump-and-drives from above the break.)reebok nfl jerseys

The Celtics have turned to Irving during high-pressure moments accordingly.

Among the 328 players to make at least five crunch-time appearances, only LeBron James has a higher usage rate or averages more shot attempts per 36 minutes. And just as the Cavaliers would have no way of offsetting his absence, the Celtics don’t have the experience, one-on-one maestros or healthy 6’8″nfl authentic jerseys  All-Star safety nets to last without him.