Watch Lynch join a high school football team’s practice in Flint, MI.
Marshawn Lynch is more than just a Seahawks legend. He’s become a cultural icon and role model for a new generation of young athletes.
Watch Lynch join a high school football team’s practice in Flint, MI.
Imagine being a HS student and Super Bowl champ Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch casually pulls up to your football practice, then participates for over an hour? That’s what happened at Flint Carman-Ainsworth today. Coach Dajuan Massey described the moment as “huge for #Flint.” pic.twitter.com/EZ2J7FWNSM
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche is reporting that the Detroit Lions plan to interview Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, a Flint native, for their secondary coach position.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche is reporting that the Detroit Lions plan to interview Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant for their secondary coach position. This would be considered a promotion, so the Rams are unable to block him from interviewing.
“Pleasant would make a ton of sense as the Rams’ next defensive coordinator,” Rams Wire’s Cameron DaSilva said. “He just finished his fourth season as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach, working under both Staley and Wade Phillips. The Rams have had one of the best cornerback units in the league in recent years, led by players such as Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Trumaine Johnson and Troy Hill.”
The Rams’ opted to hire former-Falcons DC/interim coach Raheem Morris for the position and it’s no surprise that Pleasant would be open to exploring other opportunities after being passed over — and Detroit makes a lot of sense considering he is a Flint native.
Pleasant works with several organizations to help Flint residents who have been impacted by the city’s compromised water supply. In the video below, you can see Pleasant’s passion when talked about his My Cause, My Cleats campaign.
Pleasant began his coaching career in the state as well, starting out at Grand Blanc high school in 2010. He then joined the University of Michigan for two seasons before the NFL came calling. He took a position as a coaching intern with the Cleveland Browns during the 2013 training camp, then joined Washington that same season as an assistant. A year later he was promoted to defensive quality control, where he stayed for two years before taking the Rams position.
Over the last decade, Pleasant has quickly grown to be a highly respected coach. Before he left for the Chargers, Staley had its to say about Pleasant:
“Aubrey Pleasant is one of the elite coaches in the league,” Staley said via Rams Wire. “Aubrey, all you’ve got to do is ask Jalen Ramsey, ask Darious Williams, ask Troy Hill about their relationship with Aubrey. He’s a tireless worker. He’s a really talented communicator. He can see the game in all levels of the defense. Sometimes as a secondary guy, okay, do you just know the back end. He knows how the front and the back tie in together.”
Ok coach, let’s see what Ramsey has to say about Pleasant:
Jalen Ramsey also had high praise to Rams CBs coach Aubrey Pleasant: "In my opinion, this is the best body of work that I've put out in the NFL, and a lot of that is thanks to him." Said Pleasant "for sure" has the skillset to get looks as a defensive coordinator.
Pleasant is an ascending coach with strong ties to the state, and if he is a talented enough coach to make Ramsey a better player, the Lions would be wise to take a long hard look at adding him to their organization.
Claressa Shields has a message for Billy Joe Saunders and all the women in abusive relationships around the world…
Claressa Shields didn’t find it funny when Billy Joe Saunders joked about hitting women in a viral video clip that prompted the British Board of Boxing Control to suspend his boxing license for the foreseeable future.
So Shields clapped back at Saunders on Sunday in a video of her own on Twitter. In the video, Shields purports to show “all women in abusive relationships” how to respond to violent men. You aim for below the belt, apparently.
“You see this bag here? Women, we may not be as strong as men, but we are smarter,” Shields said, as she faced a punching bag. “What I want you girls to do is when a guy goes here – a right hand and tries to come back with a hook, tries to put your lights out – what I want you to do: You duck, and when you duck, you hit him right there.
“You see where that’s at? That’s not the stomach ladies. That is the nuts. Hit him as hard as you can in the nuts.That should make him hit the ground and fall like that. And then you can get away from him. A tutorial for all the women in abusive relationships.”
Video for all the women in abusive relationships! This a tutorial on what to do when your boyfriend, husband or any man tries to put his hands on you! #DefenseMechanism ! Thank me later pic.twitter.com/FaAXWkYOm6
— ClaressaT-rexShields (@Claressashields) March 29, 2020
Los Angeles Lakers forward and Flint, Michigan Native Kyle Kuzma is trying to help his hometown in a time of crisis.
As the rest of the world grapples with the fallout of a global pandemic and hospitals in the United States are starting to run low on crucial supplies, one member of the Los Angeles Lakers is doing what he can to help kids in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.
Starting early next week for at least the following six weeks, Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has partnered with the local YMCA to provide approximately 550 meals per week for kids, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram. The program will include a nightly dinner and a snack for kids. It isn’t the first time that Kuzma has tried to give back to his hometown of Flint.
Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, was sentenced to one year in jail on for assault after punching trainer James Ali Bashir on Oct. 4
It looks as if the final sentence in the messy incident involving Claressa Shields’ brother has been delivered.
Artis Mack, 28, was sentenced to one year in jail on an assault charge after punching Habazin trainer James Ali Bashir during a brawl at a weigh-in on Oct. 4, the day before Shields was scheduled to fight Ivana Habazin in Flint, Michigan.
The jail term was the maximum allowed. However, the Genesee District Court credited Mack with 158 days, the time he has already spent in jail, at a hearing Wednesday.
Mack was charged on Oct. 17 with felony assault. He was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years. However, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, a single count of misdemeanor assault, on Feb. 10.
In a message to MLive-The Flint Journal, Habazin expressed anger at the plea deal
“How is it possible that a convicted felon on parole who almost cost my trainer his life, could be given a slap on the wrist for his terrible crime?” she said. “As a citizen of Croatia, I thought there was justice in America. Now I realize the justice system in America is a joke. Shame on the people who are allowing this to happen!”
Bashir was left unconscious and rushed to a nearby emergency room for treatment.
The ugly brawl prompted the cancellation of the Shields-Habazin fight on Showtime. It was subsequently rescheduled for Jan. 10 in Atlantic City. Shields won a unanimous decision for two middleweight belts. With the victory, she also became a three-division champion in only her 10th pro bout.
On the day the sentence was handed down, Showtime announced Shields’ next bout. The two-time Olympic gold medalist (10-0, 2 KOs) is going back down in weight, to junior middleweight, against 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-0), a Canadian from Quebec, on May 9 in Flint, Shields’ hometown
Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for his role in a brawl at an Oct. 4 weigh-in in Flint, Mich.
An ugly incident in 2019 moved closer to a legal resolution Monday.
Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated assault for his role in a brawl at an Oct. 4 weigh-in before a scheduled fight between Shields and Ivana Habazin in Flint, Mich.
Mack was originally charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. He reached a plea deal Monday at Genesee District Court, reducing the charge to a misdemeanor.
Mack, 28, is accused of punching Habazin trainer James Ali Bashir at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Shields’ hometown. Bashir suffered serious head injuries from what witnesses said was “a sucker-punch’’ thrown by Mack.
Mack, who faces up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10.
“It was bad for the city, bad for his sister and certainly bad for everybody involved,’’ Mack attorney Frank Manley said. “Hopefully, this will put an end to it.’’
Because of injuries to Bashir, Habazin (20-4, 7 KOs), of Croatia, refused to fight on the Showtime-televised card on Oct. 5. The bout was rescheduled for Jan. 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) won a one-sided decision, becoming a three-division champion in only her 10th pro bout.
Hip Hop legend Ice Cube will co-star in the upcoming biopic about three-division women’s titleholder Claressa Shields.
Claressa Shields has won world titles in three divisions and two Olympic gold medals, all before the age of 25. What more can the self-styled Greatest Woman of All Time (GWOAT) ask for? Well, how about a Hollywood movie?
Shields is the subject of “Flint Strong,” a Universal Pictures-backed biopic of her life as a 17-year-old Flint, Michigan native who goes on to make history as the first American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic boxing. Shields medalled at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games.
In the film’s latest development, hip hop luminary Ice Cube has signed on to join the cast as Shield’s trainer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Shields is played by Ryan Destiny, best known for her role in the Fox musical drama “Star.”
The film boasts some strong names on the creative end. The screenplay is penned by acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk“). Rachel Morrison, the Academy Award-nominated Director of Photography for “Black Panther,” will make her directorial debut on the film.
Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) unified two 154-pound titles in January, when she defeated Ivana Habazin by a wide unanimous decision. She has also won titles at super middleweight and middleweight.
Claressa Shields said people will forget about Ivana Habazin after she knocks out the Croatian on Friday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Claressa Shields is fighting to move on. Fighting to forget, too.
Shields gets that chance Friday against Ivana Habazin in a junior middleweight bout that was rescheduled after a brawl as ugly as any in 2019 at a weigh-in on Oct. 4, the day before they were supposed to fight in Flint, Michigan, Shields’ hometown.
Four months later, they have moved on to a new day and a new zip code, Atlantic City, New Jersey. They fight on Showtime.
“Everyone who was in Flint and knows about the incident that happened knows it’s not something I have a history of doing,’’ Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) said Tuesday at news conference in New York. “I don’t do stuff outside the ring.’’
“I’ve been thinking about this since October and I have more of an incentive now given what happened,” Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) said. “I feel like I’m fighting for James Ali Bashir, as well as for my own pride and respect. I’m also fighting for my country. I want to make Croatia proud that I am their daughter, and I feel that I now have their full support.’’
There’s also incentive for Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has never been shy about what she thinks of herself or her opposition. She called herself the GWOAT – the greatest woman of all time – on Tuesday. She also expressed her contempt for Habazin.
“One of the things she said that was really disrespectful was that I didn’t make weight for October 4,’’ Shields said. “Don’t believe the lies. I made 154 pounds and I’m going to be a three-division world champion come Friday. Ivana doesn’t stand a chance.
“I’m sorry, I’m just going to keep it real. She’s not as skilled as Christina Hammer. She worked her way up, but once a quitter, always a quitter.
“Once the fight is over, she’s going to be a blast from the past. They won’t be talking about the incident in Flint. They may remember it, but her? They won’t even remember her name after I beat her down on Friday.”
Claressa Shields has remained fit in spite of two postponements leading up to her showdown with Ivana Habazin on Jan. 20.
Claressa Shields had an unusual year in 2019, one marked by both success and tumult.
The two-time Olympic champion started off well, easily outpointing Christina Hammer in a battle of unbeaten middleweights in April. Little did she know that she wouldn’t fight again last year.
She was scheduled to make her 154-pound debut against her Croatian rival in August but the fight was postponed after Shields was injured. Then the fight, rescheduled for Oct. 5, was canceled after Habazin’s 68-year-old trainer James Ali Bashir was attacked at the weigh-in the day before the fight. Shields’ brother Artis J. Mack was later arrested on assault charges.
Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) still wanted the fight, however. So here are again: The two are scheduled to fight on Jan. 10 at Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City on Showtime.
Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) is eager to have a big 2020.
Claressa Shields (left) and Ivana Habazin are pictured at a news conference last August. They’ll finally fight on Jan. 10. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio
“I really have just one main resolution for the new year – no compromising,” Shields said. “That goes for both my personal and professional life. I also want to get closer to God and stay undefeated. I was going to say stop cursing also, but that’s just not happening.”
Shields, who trains with coach John David Jackson in Miami, evidently has not compromised on her conditioning.
She has remained active in spite of what amounts to two postponements leading up to Jan. 10. That included not going home to Flint, Michigan, for the holidays. Her focus has been on maintaining her dominance in the ring.
“I made 154 pounds back in October before the cancellation,” said Shields. “After our fight was cancelled, I stayed active and only put on about 10 pounds. I’ve been down in Florida for the last six or seven weeks. It’s been hard work. I’ve pushed myself and I’m not taking Habazin lightly. I want the knockout because Ivana talks too much. I’m staying focused on being focused, and not letting anyone throw me off by talking nonsense.
“I don’t eat meat anymore. I haven’t in over three months, so my body is more toned now. I actually have a six-pack already with just a little more weight to lose. I think people are going to be surprised at the 154-pound version of me. I’m going to be very strong and very fast because I’ve basically had five months to prepare and to get ready for her specifically.”
And she doesn’t regret her decision to stay in Florida during the holidays.
“I saved a lot of money by not going home for Christmas, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I still spoke with all my family and connected with everyone. I have a very strict diet in camp and I actually trained on Christmas. I consider my diet more of a life plan in general, and I have my days where I’ll splurge, but I stay disciplined.”
Claressa Shields and Ivana Habazin will fight on Jan. 10, nearly three months after Habazin’s trainer was injured in a weigh-in altercation.
Claressa Shields and Ivana Habazin will fight on Jan. 10 in Atlantic City, nearly three months after their scheduled matchup was canceled following a violent altercation at the weigh-in.
The bout had been scheduled for Oct. 5 in Flint, Michigan, Shields’ hometown, but it was pulled off a Showtime-televised card after Habazin trainer James Ali Bashir was injured by punches on the day before opening bell.
Bashir was hospitalized with reported facial fractures. A few days after the incident, he returned to the hospital with a brain bleed, according to a Facebook post from Habazin.
Artis Mack, Shields’ brother, was arraigned on an assault charge in Michigan’s Genesee District Court on October 17 for allegedly throwing the punches. Mack, 28, pleaded not guilty.
Shields (9-0, 2 knockouts), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, hoped that the junior middleweight fight would be rescheduled. She and Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs), of Croatia, were initially scheduled to meet on August 17. That date was shelved when Shields suffered a knee injury.
James Ali Bashir was hospitalized as a result of punches he took at the Claressa Shields-Ivana Habizin weigh-in last month. Stephanie Trapp / Showtime
“My goal is to become three-division champ faster than any man or woman in history,” said Shields, who already has won middleweight and super-middleweight belts. “This is a very significant fight for both of us. We have both trained really hard twice and great opportunities await the winner, so hopefully three times is the charm.”
Habazin says she is motivated for the fight because of what happened in Flint.
“I’ve been thinking about this since October, and I have more of an incentive now, given what happened,” Habazin said. “I feel like I’m fighting for James Ali Bashir, as well as for my own pride and respect.’’
