Tag: suspended

Seahawks OL Kyle Fuller suspended 2 games for violating substance abuse policy

Seahawks offensive lineman Kyle Fuller has been suspended for the first two games of the year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The Seattle Seahawks will be without backup offensive lineman Kyle Fuller for the first two games of the 2020 regular season after he violated the league’s substance abuse policy, the NFL announced on Saturday.

Fuller will be permitted to participate in the Seahawks’ preseason practices and will be eligible to return to the active roster on Monday, Sept. 21, which is after Seattle hosts New England in the home opener.

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NFL 2020 new league year and free agency set to start on time

Despite the coronavirus pandemic impacting the nation, the NFL has not pushed back the start of the new league year or free agency.

The NFL has finally answered the question of whether or not the new league year and free agency will start on time as scheduled or be pushed back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the nation.

A memo has been sent out to all 32 teams around the league informing them it will be business as usual for the NFL this week, with the legal tampering period kicking things off Monday morning at 9 a.m. PT. Free agency and the new league year will follow, beginning March 18.

Unlike other sports leagues that have shut down operations over the last few days due to the threat of the virus spreading, the NFL has been taking care of a few housekeeping issues. After a player vote which concluded Saturday night, the proposed new collective bargaining agreement has been approved and will govern through the next 11 seasons.

In addition, the NFL has set the salary cap for the 2020 season at $198.2 million, an increase of $10 million from last year.

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Lions announce suspended travel for coaches and personnel staff

The Detroit Lions are being proactive and have announced that they are suspending travel for coaches and personnel staff.

With mounting global concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the Detroit Lions are being proactive and have announced that they are suspending travel for coaches and personnel staff.

Typically this time of year, members of the Lions front office, coaching staff and scouting staff are spread out across the country attending college Pro Days — they were at Clemson’s today — but everyone is being asked to work remotely at this time.

Here is the Lions full statement:

“The Detroit Lions have been closely monitoring the global events surrounding the spread of COVID-19 and fully support the precautions being taken in response. Our organization has been in direct contact with the NFL, leading health administrators and city officials throughout this process.

“Over the past week we have asked employees to participate in a variety of proactive measures to reduce the risk of transmission at both Ford Field and the team’s training facility in Allen Park. At this time our organization has suspended travel for coaches and player personnel staff. Additionally, we have encouraged all employees, except operationally critical staff, to work remotely until further notice beginning Friday, March 13, 2020. It is imperative that we remain diligent in our responsibility to keep our players, coaches, staff members and their families safe and help slow the spread of the virus.”

Several other teams from around the league have taken a similar approach with their staff in the name of safety. NFL owner’s meetings have also been canceled and it’s fair to speculate if the opening of the league new year — set to take place next Wednesday — will also be postponed as it coincides with the NFL Free Agency period, which also requires travel for contracts, medical checks, etcetera.

Stay tuned to Lions Wire as this situation unfolds further.

Former Georgia basketball player, now playing in Spain, tests positive for coronavirus

Trey Thompkins, a former Georgia basketball player now playing on Spain’s Real Madrid, has Coronavirus.

Sports leagues are right to take the drastic measures that we have seen put into place over the last 24 hours.

First, the NCAA announced all championship games will be held without fans, including swimming at UGA. Then, shortly after the NCAA’s announcement, the NBA suspended play indefinitely after one of its players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Outside of the United States, soccer league’s across Europe are suspending play or not allowing fans into the stadiums to attend the game.

In most recent news from Spain, basketball player Trey Thompkins, who plays for Real Madrid, has tested positive for the virus.

Thompkins is a former Georgia Bulldog. He is from Long Island, attended high school in Atlanta and, while at Georgia, was voted First Team All-SEC in 2010.

In 2011, Thompkins was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Real Madrid’s basketball club is the same one that Luka Doncic, now a superstar on the Dallas Mavericks, played for.

As a result of Thompkin’s illness, both the Real Madrid basketball and soccer squads have been put into quarantine.

From EuroHoops.net:

The whole Valdebebas area which holds the shared practice facilities for both the basketball and football divisions is now under quarantine. As for the members of the squads themselves, they must remain home for 15 days.

Thompkin’s team was set to host a match on Thursday afternoon. Euroleague Basketball, however, has suspended Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action effective immediately.

Saints working out free agent WR Antonio Brown

The New Orleans Saints worked out WR Antonio Brown, the All-Pro who got himself traded by the Steelers and cut by the Raiders and Patriots.

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The New Orleans Saints are working out free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown on Friday, the four-time former All-Pro announced from his official Instagram account. His visit was confirmed by reports from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who characterized the meeting as the Saints “doing their due diligence” on the talented but troubled free agent.

Brown wasn’t in New Orleans beyond sundown before he involved the Saints in his always-going social media firestorm, sharing a photo of the text from a confidential free agent waiver form he signed to work out with the team. He later deleted it from his account, though he still confirmed the tryout in another post.

There’s no doubting Brown’s skills on the football field. He’s set records that Michael Thomas has broken this year, and was coveted by all three of the teams he signed with already this year — the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, and New England Patriots. But Brown’s numerous legal troubles range from unpaid speeding tickets to alleged sexual assault, which the NFL is still investigating. Not to mention the headaches he’s causing on social media.

Because Brown has not been signed with a team since the Patriots cut him, he is not qualified for the Commissioner’s Exempt List. The NFL said earlier this year that, “If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation.” In other words, Brown is likely to be suspended before the ink dries on any contract he signs, with the Saints or anyone else. Still, this is a situation to monitor as the Saints move forwards without consistent production opposite Thomas at wide receiver.

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Broncos safety Kareem Jackson suspended 2 games after DWAI arrest

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been suspended for the final two games of the 2019 NFL season.

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Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league’s Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse, the team announced Tuesday. Jackson will miss the team’s final two games of the season, both at home against the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders.

“Kareem Jackson was arrested for driving under the influence on Thursday, Sept. 19,” the Broncos said in a statement. “He immediately informed our team of the incident, which we promptly reported to the NFL and thoroughly reviewed as an organization. There are high standards for the personal conduct of all members of our organization, and we have expressed our extreme disappointment to Kareem for his poor judgment.”

Jackson pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired on Monday, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. The safety posted an apology on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

Jackson, 31, signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Broncos in March after spending the first nine years of his career with the Houston Texans. Jackson totaled 71 tackles and two interceptions in 13 games this season. He also forced a fumble and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

With Jackson suspended, Denver will likely start Will Parks across from Justin Simmons to close out the year. That would leave Trey Marshall as the only backup on the roster so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos add another safety this week. One option for Denver would be to promote third-year safety Tyvis Powell from the practice squad.

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WATCH: 49ers suspend broadcaster Tim Ryan for Lamar Jackson comments

The San Francisco 49ers have suspended broadcaster Tim Ryan for one game after saying on the radio Monday that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has an advantage in faking handoffs because of his skin color.

The San Francisco 49ers have suspended broadcaster Tim Ryan for one game after saying on the radio Monday that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has an advantage in faking handoffs because of his skin color.

“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing,” said Ryan.

The comments were made during Ryan’s weekly segment on local radio station KNBR’s “Murph and Mac” morning radio show when discussing Jackson’s exceptional performance last weekend against the Niners.

Jackson
rushed for more than 100 yards in the Ravens’ 20-17 win, many of which came after successfully faking handoffs and running the ball himself. Lamar has rushed for 970 yards and thrown for 25 touchdowns for his MVP campaign this season.

Ryan’s statement read, “I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended.”

Georgia football players talk George Pickens ejection

Georgia football players talk George Pickens ejection after fight with Tech player,.

On Saturday, Georgia freshman wide receiver George Pickens sat out the first half of the Georgia Tech game for what Kirby Smart described as a ‘team matter.’

When he returned in the second half, he made a splash, catching a 41 yard touchdown pass from Jake Fromm.

But that was the only good thing that came from Pickens playing in the rivalry game on Saturday. He and Georgia Tech defensive back Tre Swilling got into it in the end zone and eventually end up exchanging punches with each other. Swilling hit first, twice, including one to Pickens’ throat.

 

Following the Tech game, Georgia players discussed the Pickens incident.

“That’s a huge lesson for him to not have him do something dumb like that,” linebacker Monty Rice said. “He’s a vital part of the team, vital part of the offense. You see how productive he is. He’s just gotta be smarter.

Ain’t no way around it. Ain’t no woulda’, coulda’ shoulda’. All you have to do is not throw a punch or slap or whatever it was. You just have to be smart.”

Pickens will be suspended for the first half of Georgia’s SEC Championship Game vs LSU. Additionally, the Bulldogs’ top receiver Lawrence Cager underwent ankle surgery this past week will not play. That is huge news seeing as how Jake Fromm has struggled this season without his top receivers out there. Dominick Blaylock and Tyler Simmons, who commented below, will be the go to guys.

“There’s always going to be some chippy talk and a chippy game like this between two rivals,”  Simmons said. “But you can’t let that get to you.”