by tyler | Apr 27, 2023 | CNN, sport
Brittney Griner said during a press conference on Thursday that she’ll “never go overseas again” to play basketball unless it’s for the Olympics after being detained in Russia.
The two-time Olympic gold-medalist spent nearly 300 days in Russian custody following her detention in February 2022 and was sentenced to nine years in prison under drug-smuggling charges after authorities in the country found cannabis oil in her luggage.
She was released in December last year in a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Griner had for years played on a Russian women’s basketball team during the WNBA off-season and was detained in a Moscow airport as she traveled back to the US.
The 32-year-old said many women’s players go overseas for the pay and that she wouldn’t criticize anyone for doing that, though Griner hopes the WNBA will continue to grow and that there will be change.
“If I make that (US) team, that would be the only time I’ll leave the US soil and that’s just to represent the USA,” Griner said. “The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap.
“A lot of us go over there to make an income, to support out families, to support ourselves. So I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas and want to make a little bit extra money.
“But I’m hoping that our league continues to grow and with as many people in here now covering this I hope you continue to cover our league and bring exposure to us.”
Griner began her press conference by thanking the media for its coverage while she was detained in Russia and for the exposure it provided to help her get back to the US.
The Phoenix Mercury star was moved to tears by the opening question, but quickly composed herself.
“I’m not stranger to hard times,” Griner told reporters with a crack in her voice. “Just digging deep, honestly.
“You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life, this was a pretty big one, but I just kind of relied on my hard work, getting through it.
“I know this sounds so small but dying in practice and just hard workouts, you find a way to just grind it out, just put your head down and keep going and keep moving forward.
“You can never stand still and that was my thing; just never be still, never get too focused on the now and looking forward to what’s to come.”
Griner said that during her detention there was sometimes a little bit of a delay in getting news but that she was aware of what was going on.
The knowledge that people were fighting for her “definitely made me a little bit more comfortable” and gave Griner “hope.” She urged those who remain wrongfully detained to “stay strong.”
Griner said that she had no doubt about whether or not she would return to the WNBA this season. She signed a one year deal with the Mercury in February.
“I believe in me,” Griner said. “I believe in what I can do. I know if I put my mind to it I can achieve any goal.
“I’m not trying to sound big-headed, but I bet on me. I have all the resources here to help me get to that point where I can play, and it was no question to be back in the WNBA, back in Phoenix playing.”
The Mercury play their first preseason game on May 9 with the WNBA season beginning on May 19.
Phoenix play their first game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Griner explained that during the times where she had almost lost hope all together, pictures of her family helped get her through.
“Just being able to see their faces, that did it for me. … You know what you’re waiting on,” Griner said. “You’re waiting to be back with your family.”
Griner said the mental health assistance she had received before she was detained in Russia “helped a lot.”
“I’ve always promoted speaking to a counselor, seeking therapy, any tool that will help you get to a good center place. And I’m still doing that as of right now.
“That’ll never change. So much goes on in this world, we exposed to so much on social media that is just a lot.”
Griner was asked if she felt a burden for coming home before others who have been wrongfully detained.
“If I could have went and got them out or any of that, of course, I would have,” Griner said.
“It hurts, because no one should be in those conditions,” she added. “Hands down, no one should be in any of the conditions I went though or they’re going through.”
Griner last played with the Mercury in 2021, helping the team to the WNBA Finals, which they lost to the Chicago Sky.
Before that, the seven-time All-Star had played all nine seasons with the franchise since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
by tyler | Apr 26, 2023 | CNN, sport
Heading into the NFL Draft, there’s always one prospect coming out of college who everyone becomes infatuated with, despite not being the finished article.
Sometimes, it’s down to physical traits shown at the Combine; sometimes, it’s down to their personality; or sometimes, it’s down to their display at their particular pro day in front of scouts.
This year’s golden boy is Anthony Richardson and, in his unique case, he’s impressed at every stage of the process.
Richardson ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of all quarterbacks, as well as jumping the highest and furthest at the Combine.
But it was at his University of Florida pro day where his big arm and all-around skillset lit up social media and had teams drooling over his potential.
He literally almost threw the ball out of the building when one of his booming throws hit the ceiling of the indoor facility.
Richardson has become the most tantalizing prospect at the draft; reports have indicated some see him as the next Josh Allen – a rough diamond who will take years to perfect but who has elite potential – with teams all the way up to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 considering taking him.
It is those rough edges which could see him fall down the draft order. But the prospect of ‘what if’ that comes with Richardson – and at just 20 years of age – is one general managers and coaches around the league have been unable to turn a blind eye to for years.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described him as having “elite size, strength and athletic ability for the quarterback position … potential to perform in a variety of offensive schemes … arm strength to throw downfield and into tight windows” in his official draft profile, but also points to his passing inaccuracy.
With potentially nine picks in the opening 12 being held by quarterback-needy teams, Richardson could be finding a new home anywhere across the league.
Richardson first burst onto the footballing scene not for his skills throwing the ball, but for catching it instead.
In his first game for Eastside High School in Florida, Richardson was deployed as a wide receiver and was caught making an extraordinary one-handed leaping catch, similar to one made by Odell Beckham Jr. for the New York Giants.
That video, posted over four years ago, has become a portent for the athleticism Richardson is now known for.
Richardson says that he has a new tattoo which reads “1 of 1” to describe his unique skillset.
“A lot of people say I’m a different breed. I always tell people I’m not from Earth,” Richardson told ESPN. “I’m gifted, I’m talented. I feel like God made me different, and I just try to use that in my daily life.”
He quickly earned the starting quarterback spot, before deciding to attend the University of Florida; the college was just 15 minutes from his high school.
Richardson’s start to life with the Gators was underwhelming; he redshirted his first year and attempted just 64 passes in his second.
It was only in his third year at the college where he laid down a marker, starting 12 games and throwing for 2,549 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions as the team finished with a 6-6 record with him at the helm. He also ran for 654 yards and nine more touchdowns.
It means that Richardson has just 13 career college starts to his name entering the draft. According to ESPN, that would be tied for the lowest amount of college starts for a first-round quarterback draft pick if he gets selected in the opening round, level with Mitch Trubisky, since 2002.
Despite the lack of experience, the evidence on tape shows that Richardson has ability.
Richardson’s electricity with the ball in his hands isn’t limited to throwing; the young quarterback has had touchdown runs of 45, 60, 73, 80 and 81 yards over the past two seasons.
But despite those wow plays, both throwing and running the ball, Richardson will need “a lot of work that needs to be done to reach a potentially high ceiling,” according to Zierlein’s evaluation.
“His accuracy on short and simple throws left much to be desired due, in part, to shoddy footwork and inconsistent rhythm. The footwork issues can be corrected, but the challenge will be determining whether he can be at least a functionally accurate passer at the next level.”
But it is that hope that Richardson could make the maximum out of his potential which has teams intrigued.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Richardson’s draft stock rocketed from a mid-first round pick at the end of a college season to a top-five pick in the matter of months.
The comparison which Richardson has drawn from analysts is to Cam Newton – a physically dominant quarterback with some accuracy issues.
In 2011, Newton was coming off a thrilling final season with Auburn, winning the Heisman Trophy and the NCAA championship, and eventually going on to have an extremely successful NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, including winning the 2015 NFL MVP award.
Matching the production of an MVP is a high bar, but Richardson’s ceiling is such that Newton’s career path is what a team selecting him in the top five of the draft will be hoping for.
Richardson would also continue the trend of teams prioritizing quarterbacks in the draft who can excel at both throwing and running the ball – Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance and Justin Fields in 2021 and Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts in 2020 can all count mobility in their arsenal of weapons.
And nobody wants to miss out on picking a franchise quarterback; no one wants to be the Chicago Bears choosing Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes. While Mahomes has won two Super Bowl rings and two league MVPs, Trubisky is on his third team and has settled into a back-up role.
Come Thursday, Richardson could be drafted first overall or he could go outside the top 10.
His rare combination of athleticism and a big arm is an intriguing prospect and could have general managers pulling out their hair if they decide to look past him or could totally transform their prospects if he reaches his potential.
by tyler | Apr 26, 2023 | CNN, sport
US long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall has been stripped of her recent national indoor title and hit with a one-month suspension after a positive test for cannabis, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Tuesday.
USADA said Davis-Woodhall tested positive for THC, a chemical found in cannabis, marijuana and hashish. Her positive test was from the result of a sample collected in competition at the 2023 USA Track and Field indoor championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 17, the same day she had won the title with a jump of 6.99 meters.
Davis-Woodhall, 23, has already completed her suspension, which she began serving on March 21.
The positive test means Davis-Woodhall lost her title, as she was disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 17, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
Cannabis, marijuana, and hashish are considered prohibited substances under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.
“WADA seeks input on each year’s updated version of the Prohibited List,” USADA’s press release states. “USADA has advocated and will continue to advocate to WADA, the rule maker, to treat marijuana in a fairer and more effective way to identify true in-competition use.”
Per WADA rules, THC allows for a reduced three-month suspension if the athlete establishes the substance was taken out of competition and unrelated to sport performance. USADA said Davis-Woodhall’s case was reduced to one month for those reasons and because she completed a substance abuse treatment program for her use of cannabis.
In 2021, US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson had initially booked her spot at the Tokyo Olympics with a runaway victory in the women’s 100 meters at the US Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, only to have her title stripped after testing positive for marijuana.
Richardson was suspended for a month. USA Track and Field opted not to select her as part of the women’s 4×100-meter relay pool after her suspension ended, keeping Richardson off the Olympic team.
by tyler | Apr 26, 2023 | CNN, sport
Trae Young’s clutch three-pointer secured a shock 119-117 win for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 to cut the Boston Celtics’ first-round series lead to 3-2 and take the match-up back to Atlanta.
Few people expected the Hawks to stave off elimination on Tuesday – including, it would seem, organizers at the team’s home State Farm Arena.
Janet Jackson had been scheduled to perform there on Thursday as part of her ongoing tour, but the concert has now been postponed until Friday as the Hawks will now have to play Game 6 at State Farm Arena instead.
“All tickets for Thursday night’s show will be honored for Friday night,” concert promoter Live Nation said in a statement. “Refunds will be available at point of purchase for those who are unable to attend.”
Jackson’s Atlanta concert date on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena will not be affected, the organizers said, and the newly-scheduled Friday concert will take place on the same day as the opening of Taylor Swift’s three-night stand at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, less than a block away from State Farm Arena.
The Hawks fought back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter thanks to Trae Young’s 38-point, 13-assist performance, which was capped off by a game-winning, 30-foot three point shot with just 2.1 seconds remaining.
Atlanta pulled off the improbable victory in Boston without Young’s partner in the back court, Dejounte Murray, who was serving a one-game suspension for an altercation with an official in Game 4.
The Hawks now have a brilliant chance to level the series at home and take it to a deciding Game 7 back in Boston.
“This is such an exciting time for the city with world-class events between Hawks Playoff basketball, Janet Jackson and Taylor Swift in downtown Atlanta,” State Farm Arena Executive Vice President Trey Feazell said in a statement.
“We are committed to ensuring all of our guests have a great night out at each of our events and are working with our partners to provide the most seamless experience possible.”
While Jackson and her fans might not be happy with the news, Hawks fans will definitely be ecstatic on Thursday night.
by tyler | Apr 18, 2023 | CNN, sport
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been cleared to resume football activities, the team’s general manager said on Tuesday.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2.
The 25-year-old has been at Buffalo’s practice facility participating in voluntary offseason workouts this week, according to the team.
“He is fully cleared,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters. “He’s here.”
Beane said that Hamlin had seen three separate specialists over the offseason, who all agreed that the player “is clear to resume full activities just like anyone else who was coming back from an injury.”
“(Hamlin’s) in a great headspace to come back and make his return,” Beane added.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said the team is happy that Hamlin is back.
“We’re super excited for Damar. He’s moving forward one step at a time here. He’s been cleared from a physical standpoint,” McDermott said.
“We’ll provide all of the mental help we can from a mind, body and spirit standpoint so just happy for him that he’s been able to check some of those boxes to this point and we’re moving forward taking it one day at a time.”
Cardiac arrests result from electrical disturbances that cause the heart to suddenly stop beating the way it should.
“When you have a situation like this, someone has a cardiac arrest, you have to figure out: was there some sort of underlying abnormality to the heart?” CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on Tuesday.
“If the answer is no,” Gupta added, “then you’re basically left with this being a rare occurrence, but right now there’s nothing to suggest that [Hamlin’s] likelihood of having this happen again is any higher than the general population.”
by tyler | Apr 17, 2023 | CNN, sport
There was double delight for Kenya at the 2023 Boston Marathon as Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri won the men’s and women’s races respectively.
Chebet claimed his second consecutive Boston Marathon – the first man to defend his title since Robert Cheruiyot did so in 2008 – in an unofficial time of two hours, five minutes and 54 seconds, while Obiri took the honors in only her second official marathon.
Tanzanian Gabriel Geay came in second, finishing in 2:06:04, while Kenyan Benson Kipruto placed third in 2:06:06.
More than 30,000 athletes from all 50 states and more than 100 countries participated in the famed 26.2-mile course, starting in rural Hopkinton and finishing on Boylston Street.
This year’s race marked the 10-year anniversary of the double bombings that took place near the finish line, killing three people and injuring at least 264.
Obiri won the women’s elite race to claim her first Boston Marathon title in an unofficial time of two hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds.
An exuberant Obiri, who finished sixth in the New York Marathon in November, was greeted at the finish line by her proud daughter.
Obiri is a two-time Olympic silver medalist, coming second in the 5000 meters at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Ethiopian Amane Beriso came in second, finishing in 2:21:50, while Lonah Salpeter of Israel placed third in 2:21:57.
American Emma Bates finished fifth in 2:22:10.
