Tag: letter

Marcus Freeman pens letter to Notre Dame community

Are you all-in on the Freeman train?

Marcus Freeman has only been Notre Dame’s head coach officially for a handful of days but I feel safe in declaring something about him.

He gets it.

Lou Holtz once said about Notre Dame that those who don’t understand what makes it special, no explanation to them will suffice and that nobody who understands requires any explanation whatsoever.

I think it’s crystal clear at this point that Freeman is in the later.

Freeman penned a letter to the Notre Dame community through The Players Athletic that was released on Tuesday morning.  Check out the full letter here as some highlights include:

  • Stressing the importance of being himself as a head coach
  • Coaching not being now and never being in the future, about himself
  • A huge reason he sees as to why the 2021 Notre Dame team has gotten so much better as the year has gone on
  • Who he names as the best leaders he’s ever talked to – perhaps more noteworthy is who he doesn’t mention
  • The two main ideas of his leadership style

I’m not going to simply steal their letter and post it as my own like some places may do, but I’ll use certain things that are said in it and react to them in a matter of days after their link has made its rounds.

Related: The best images from Marcus Freeman’s introductory press conference

Just know that my main takeaway not from just the letter but from seeing how Freeman has handled this entire situation is that Notre Dame got the right guy.

Plenty more on that thought to come in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Related:

Marcus Freeman discusses wild week that was with Dan Patrick

Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees talks all things Fiesta Bowl

Watch Marcus Freeman’s entire introductory press conference 

Longtime Notre Dame assistant is joining Brian Kelly at LSU

[vertical-gallery id=39978]

 

Texas takes first official step in changing conferences, sends letter to Big 12

Game on! The first official step was taken to back up the claims that Texas and Oklahoma will leave the Big 12 to join the SEC.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Continue reading “Texas takes first official step in changing conferences, sends letter to Big 12”

Much ado about nothing? Russell Wilson not mentioned in season ticket holder letter

The Seahawks sent a letter to their season ticket holders and quarterback Russell Wilson’s name was not mentioned. Much ado about nothing?

Rumors about a possible trade of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson continue to swirl around the internet leading to more and more conspiracy theories about his future (or lack thereof) in Seattle.

One of the latest stories circulating around social media involves a letter recently sent by the organization to season ticket holders. While the letter doesn’t mention every player on the team, one name has “mysteriously” been left out . . . that of the face of the franchise, Mr. Wilson himself.

The letter was penned by Seahawks’ president Chuck Arnold and contained a brief recap of recent team happenings, including some records set last season and some new hires this year. Only a handful of players were actually mentioned, including wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

The lack of Wilson’s name in the letter is likely indicative of absolutely nothing, but for those looking for clues of a potential trade, the evidence could be stacking up.

Much ado about nothing???

Here’s a look at the letter in question – you decide for yourself.

[lawrence-related id=71652]

Drew Brees joins Players Coalition in petitioning Congress to end qualified immunity

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees lent his signature to a letter from the Players Coalition petitioning Congress to end qualified immunity.

[jwplayer 87H9AWAV-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has backed up his words with actions, following up his changed perspective on peaceful protests by adding his voice to a list of over 1,400 professional athletes and coaches writing to the United States Congress in hope of new legislation ending qualified immunity.

The letter was issued by the Players Coalition, which you can read here. Brees was joined in signing the petition by many of his teammates, including Terron Armstead, Demario Davis, Ethan Greenidge, Deonte Harris, Malcolm Jenkins, Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Ty Montgomery, and Noah Spence. Former Saints players Delvin Breaux, Jermon Bushrod, Marques Colston, Jabari Greer, Deuce McAllister, Lance Moore, Scott Shanle, and Benjamin Watson also added their signatures.

And their focus is aimed at ending qualified immunity. As explained by our own Mark Schofield over at Touchdown Wire:

The doctrine of qualified immunity works as a shield to prevent courts from finding police officers and officials personally liable for constitutional violations, including excessive force claims. These officials cannot be held liable for monetary damages as long as the officers did not violate “clearly established law.”

Schofield included several examples of how the qualified immunity doctrine has been used to protect law enforcement officers from lawsuits accusing them of police brutality, which has been a central message of demonstrators at protests around the nation following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd during an arrest.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that so many Saints players have taken an interest in this fight. Davis, Jenkins, and Watson are founding members of the Players Coalition, while Brees has stepped up as an ally after several days of intense conversations with his friends and teammates. Stay tuned to see how they use their platform to again advance the cause.

[vertical-gallery id=35147]

Teddy Bridgewater writes open letter to young athletes: ‘I was once in your shoes’

New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater wrote an inspiring open letter to young athletes, musing on their shared experiences.

[jwplayer 7muryDs1-ThvAeFxT].

New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is grateful to be where he is today, standing on his own two feet. His career could have ended on the Minnesota Vikings practice field, when he suffered a non-contact knee injury so severe that it nearly required amputation. While he did bounce back from it, that injury set his career back by years, and it’s made him introspective.

Bridgewater recently published an open letter to young athletes over his official social media accounts, initially writing it on Facebook before sharing it through Twitter and Instagram. In his message to those who look up to him (such as the children in his old Miami neighborhood), Bridgewater mused about the challenges he experienced and shares with them having grown up in an underprivileged community.

“To the young boy who woke up this morning and hand to prepare yourself for the harsh realities of this world on your own because your mama job schedule is hectic,” Bridgewater began, listing the difficulties he and others like him have faced growing up in single-parent, low-income households. He also identified personal struggles like speech impediments and lauded the sense of accomplishment he felt during football practice as a youngster. Read it for yourself:

It’s easy to see why Bridgewater has become such a popular figure within the Saints locker room, and why he’s so highly-regarded around the NFL. The list of players easier to root for in this league is very brief, with few having risen from such humble backgrounds and overcome such adversity. It’ll be fascinating to see where Bridgewater goes next in his career, but he’ll always be welcome in New Orleans.

[vertical-gallery id=28660]

Lady Vols basketball signs two four-star recruits

Lady Vols basketball signs two four-star recruits.

KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols basketball program got in on the college basketball signing fever on Wednesday, adding two four-star recruits.

Tess Darby, a 6-foot-1 swingwoman from Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Tenn., first verbally committed to UT back on October 18, but the paperwork is now official. The prized perimeter player is rated at four-stars, as well as the No. 33 guard and the No. 144 player overall by ProspectsNation.com; she is given a three-star rating and ranked as the No. 29 guard in the nation by espnW HoopGurlz. She won a state championship in 2018 and was a Class A finalist for Miss Tennessee Basketball that season.

Head coach Kellie Harper had the following to say about her newest Lady Vol.

“Tess is a skilled and competitive wing. She is a terrific shooter and has a high basketball IQ. As a native Tennessean, Tess has a great appreciation of what it means to be part of our university and the Lady Vol(s) program.”

Destiny Salary, a 6-foot guard out of Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, Ark., is ranked as a four-star guard by both espnW HoopGurlz and ProspectsNation.com. She was a USA Today All-Arkansas Second Team selection in 2019 and earned Class 5A all-state in 2019 and Class 6A all-state in 2017.

Coach Harper also had some encouraging words about the four-star signee.

“Destiny is an athletic and high-energy guard. She is aggressive getting to the basket and defending the ball. Destiny has a magnetic personality that will be great for our team and Tennessee fans.”

 

The two women represent the first high school signees of the Kellie Harper era. She was quoted saying, “both Tess and Destiny are really good people, and we are excited to be adding them to the Lady Vol family.”