Megan Rapinoe points out her own privilege in powerful speech

“I’m not going to act like my whiteness has nothing to do with me standing before you now,” she said.

When Megan Rapinoe stepped up to the stage to accept her Glamour Women of the Year honor on Monday night, she had former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick on her mind.

The USWNT star has had an incredible year where she’s enjoyed personal and professional success, but knows that it didn’t happen in a vacuum.  As a part of her speech,  Rapinoe took a moment to acknowledge Kaepernick’s sacrifices and the unjust system that still keeps him unemployed.

So while I’m enjoying all of this unprecedented—and, frankly, a little bit uncomfortable—attention and personal success, in large part due to my activism off the field, Colin Kaepernick is still effectively banned from the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of known and systematic police brutality against people of color, known and systematic racial injustice, and known and systematic white supremacy. I see no clearer example of that system being alive and well than me standing before you right now. It would be a slap in the face to Colin, and to so many other faces, not to acknowledge, and for me personally, to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some over the detriment of others, and frankly is quite literally tearing us apart in this country.

In the fall of 2016, Rapinoe joined Kaepernick by kneeling during the national anthem to protest systemic racial inequality. Since then, Rapinoe has helped lead the fight for equal pay in women’s soccer and garnered the attention of President Trump.

Rapinoe didn’t just stop at mentioning Kaepernick in her speech though. She went on to acknowledge her own white privilege and the black and brown activists upon whose shoulders she stands.

I’ve gained this incredible platform in such a short period of time, but I’m not going to stand on it alone. I refuse to do that. There’s going to be ladders on every side, all over the place. And I’m not going to act like it wasn’t Colin Kaepernick, Tarana Burke and the #MeToo Movement, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi of Black Lives Matter, the women of Time’s Up, Harvey Milk, Gloria Steinem, Audre ‪Lorde, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and the injustices that so many others face that have put me in this very position. And I’m not going to act like my whiteness has nothing to do with me standing before you now.

In a world where many like to pretend that race doesn’t matter or that privilege, specifically white privilege, is a non-issue, Rapinoe’s words have a powerful, lasting impact.  This is how one becomes a good ally.

As an athlete and an activist, Rapinoe has never shied away from acknowledging and challenging the position she occupies in the world.  In her powerful speech, she made it clear she’s not going to stop anytime soon.

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Defensive back Jaquayln Crawford has entered the transfer portal, per report

As Alex Grinch moves towards getting his own defenders to Oklahoma, transfers are inevitable and that number is rising.

Oklahoma has lost another defender to the transfer portal.

Redshirt freshman Jaquayln Crawford—who started out his career in Norman, Oklahoma, as a receiver—has entered the transfer portal, according to a report from The Athletic’s Jason Kersey.

Crawford was a highly touted athlete out of Rockdale, Texas, that had the top-end speed and makeup of productive Z-receiver in Lincoln Riley’s offense. The 4-star chose Oklahoma over the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Georgia, Florida and Auburn.

Earlier this season, Crawford made the move from offense to defense to help build depth for Alex Grinch in the secondary. He has played in two career games, making his lone appearance this season in the South Dakota game.

This is the fourth Oklahoma defender to enter the transfer portal this season. Crawford followed defensive backs Starrland Baldwin, Miguel Edwards and linebacker Jonathan Perkins. All four of those players were in their first or second years at Oklahoma.

Based off the optics, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is wasting no time finding room to bring in his own guys that fit and can play his style of defense.

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Presidents Cup: Golf equipment that will be used by the American team

See all the gear that the American stars like Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are expected to play in December.

With Tiger Woods having announced his captain’s picks (including himself), we now know the 12 members of the U.S. Presidents Cup team that will face the International squad Dec. 12-15 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. Below is a list of the U.S. players and the equipment they are expected to use.

Patrick Cantlay's Titleist irons
Patrick Cantlay’s Titleist irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Patrick Cantlay

DRIVER: Titleist TS3  (10.5 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana BF 60X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist 915F (15 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana BF 70TX shaft

HYBRID: Titleist 816 H2 (21 degrees), with Mitsubishi CK Pro Blue 90 X shaft

IRONS: Titleist T100 (4-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 shafts

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (54 degrees bent to 53, 56 degrees bent to 57, 60 degrees bent to 61), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300 shafts

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Newport GSS prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

Week 12 Big Ten power rankings, Michigan falls during bye week

Michigan Football moves down on their bye week, how far do the Wolverines fall after the dust settles in my latest Big Ten power rankings?

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The bye week was a good week overall for the Wolverines. Penn State, a team ahead of them in the Big Ten championship race fell, and Michigan State blew a 28-3 lead against Illinois. Even with those moves, Michigan falls back in my Big Ten power rankings. There were some huge Big Ten games last week, so expect some big changes in the rankings. You can check them out below.

1. OHIO STATE 9-0 (6-0)

Ohio State came off their bye with a suspension from their star defensive end Chase Young. No length has been determined for his suspension, but he didn’t play against Maryland last week and most likely won’t play Rutgers this week.

Moving to the action last week against Maryland, the offense never put their foot off the gas in the 73-14 beatdown. Ohio State put up 705 yards of offense, 322 came from the four different quarterbacks that played and combined for four touchdowns. The other 383 yards came on the ground as eight different people ran the football for those yards and six touchdowns.

The defense played hard, holding Maryland to 139 yards of offense. They had Maryland try out both quarterbacks Josh Jackson and Tyrrell Pigrome, holding them to 77 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Buckeyes take on Rutgers this week in what could be a repeat of this game.

2. MINNESOTA 9-0 (6-0)

Minnesota was able to pull off the upset last week, beating Penn State 31-26. Quarterback Tanner Morgan played lights out, going 18/20 for 339 yards and three touchdowns.

The defense was able to create some big turnovers, forcing Penn State to throw three interceptions and make it a struggle to pass the ball on them. The win moves Minnesota to the second spot as they look to keep their Big Ten championship hopes alive as they are in the driver seat. They play Iowa this week as a win would officially eliminate the Hawkeyes and make it come down to their game next week to clinch their spot in Indianapolis.

3. PENN STATE 8-1 (5-1)

Penn State possibly just knocked themselves out of the playoff picture and the Big Ten title picture with their 31-26 loss to Minnesota. Quarterback Sean Clifford struggled, going 23/43 for 340 yards with only one touchdown and three interceptions. The running game had some better production, as the leading running back Journey Brown had 14 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense couldn’t stop the Minnesota passing game and only forced one fumble all day long. They did hold the Golden Gophers to 121 rushing yards and a touchdown on 40 carries, so they were forced to pass and it was still working. Penn State will look to rebound this week against Indiana as they try and keep their playoff and Big Ten championship hopes alive.

4. WISCONSIN 7-2 (4-2)

Wisconsin moves up with their 24-22 win over Iowa as they take over the second-place spot in the Big Ten West, with hopes that Minnesota slips up just once before they take them on in the season finale. Running the football with Jonathan Taylor was the main focal point of the offense, as Taylor had a whopping 31 carries for 250 yards, but he never found the endzone.

The defense made it a mission to shut down the Hawkeyes ground game and they did just that, holding the Hawkeyes to 87 yards on 23 carries. Wisconsin looks to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive as they take on Nebraska this week.

5. MICHIGAN 7-2 (4-2)

Michigan was on a bye week this week as they fall a spot with Wisconsin winning over Iowa. They take on Michigan State this week as they try and keep the Paul Bunyan trophy in Ann Arbor for at least another year.

6. INDIANA 7-2 (4-2)

Indiana moves up with the Iowa loss as they were on a bye week as well. The Hoosiers have a chance to ruin Penn State’s season this week and what better way to do that than in front of their own fans.

7. IOWA 6-3 (3-3)

Iowa falls a spot after their 24-22 loss to Wisconsin as they need a miracle to reach the Big Ten championship game now. Quarterback Nate Stanley went 17/28 for 208 yards with two touchdowns and a fumble. The running game struggled to get into the end zone, getting held to just 87 yards.

The defense was able to hold quarterback Jack Coan in place, having him go 16/25 for 173 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a fumble, but stopping Taylor wasn’t possible unless it was out of the endzone as he ran for 250 on them. Iowa takes on Minnesota this week as they look to try and ruin their perfect season and keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.

8. ILLINOIS 6-4 (4-3)

Illinois got a huge win last week as they came back down 28-3 and beat Michigan State 37-34. Quarterback Brandon Peters played very well, going 22/42 for 369 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe had a great game too, with four catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense, while allowing over 500 yards of offense, held MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke in check by forcing him to go 19/36 for 251 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Illinois gets a week off this week but takes on Iowa next week.

9. PURDUE 4-6 (3-4)

Purdue jumps after their own comeback as they came back down 14-0 to win 24-22 over Northwestern. It was behind their quarterback Aidan O’Connell who went 34/50 for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The defense did their best in stopping Northwestern’s passing game and it did as well as it could, holding them to 184 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Purdue gets a week of rest as they take on Wisconsin as they try and keep their bowl hopes alive.

10. MICHIGAN STATE 4-5 (2-4)

Michigan State falls two spots after blowing a 25 point lead to Illinois at home. While Lewerke struggled, the running game had some better success, getting 275 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the team was able to average 5.4 yards per carry.

The defense is where things fell apart as they let Illinois get back into the game with a 25 point lead. While they couldn’t stop Peters that much, they did well in stopping the Illinois rushing attack, holding them to 36 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. They take on Michigan this week as they try and upset the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

11. NEBRASKA 4-5 (2-4)

Nebraska sits still after their bye week. This week they take on Wisconsin as they try and eliminate the Badgers from the Big Ten title picture. Nebraska is looking to make a bowl game as well as they need to win two of their final three games.

12. MARYLAND 3-7 (1-6)

Maryland is officially out of the bowl game picture after its 73-14 loss to Ohio State. Maryland couldn’t do much on offense, and it showed as they were only able to muster up 139 total yards on offense as the running game had 62 yards and a touchdown on just 32 carries.

The defense couldn’t do anything to stop Ohio State, allowing 705 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Six came on the ground, and four in the air. Maryland has a bye week this week, but they take on Nebraska next week.

13. RUTGERS 2-7 (0-6)

Rutgers had a bye week last week and this week they look to have a huge upset as they try and take down Ohio State.

14. NORTHWESTERN 1-8 (0-7)

Northwestern blew a 14 point lead and lost to Purdue 24-22 as they couldn’t keep their offense moving constantly. The running game was the bread and butter for the team, getting 251 yards and a touchdown on 45 carries.

The defense had troubles in stopping the passing game, but when it came to stopping the run they had more success, holding Purdue to 74 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Northwestern takes on UMASS this week in a late non-conference game.

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It sounds like Vikings CB Trae Waynes will be back vs. Broncos

The Vikings starting cornerback was held out of Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury.

The Vikings were without cornerback Trae Waynes (ankle) in Week 10 against the Cowboys in Dallas.

Minnesota won, but did have some trouble with its pass defense.

Waynes, who by no means has been great this season, is expected to be back on Sunday against the Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“Yeah, I think we will (have him back),” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.

The Vikings have two other injuries lingering as well. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (knee) both missed Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.

We don’t have a great feel on their availability quite yet, but will have a better idea this week when practices start.

It’s worth noting that the Vikings have a bye in Week 12, so if Thielen and Joseph aren’t ready to go in Week 11, they’ll have two weeks off before the team takes on the Seahawks in Week 13.

“I want to be somewhere I can be three …

“I want to be somewhere I can be three or four years,” he said. “I was in Sacramento for three years. I was in Boston for three years. Even though that’s not a long time, I was comfortable there. My family was able to build relationships with people around the organization, people around the city. It just made things easier. So, what I am looking for — obviously, I want to get paid the most I possibly can, because I feel like I deserve that, but I also want to be able to be somewhere for a while.”

But Wednesday, for the first time since …

But Wednesday, for the first time since he was a member of the Celtics, he’ll hear his name called as a starter in a city that appreciates him as much as any NBA community cares for any opposing player. “It’s real, genuine love from the first day I got there,” Thomas said. “And then, I went through a real-life situation there that they went through with me, so I think that love is going to be forever. Actually, I know that love is going to be forever. I was only there three years, and you would think I won a championship there how much they love me. … Even on my social media, that’s all it is. That’s forever.”