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WFT prez says name could stick, cites fan input

Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 19:11

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Football Team name has gone from being a generic placeholder to one that will be strongly considered as a permanent one. As the organization inches along in its rebranding, team president Jason Wright said fans have warmed to the name.

Wright stressed that there is not a leading contender for the new name. However, the fact that some fans have warmed to WFT highlights what Wright said they want most in a name: a strong connection to the past.

Wright has previously said, and reiterated during an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, that Washington Football Team will remain in 2021. He said the permanent name would be in place for 2022.

The organization announced in July that it would retire its former name, which it had used for 87 years.

"There are a set of folks that have warmed to the Washington Football Team," Wright said of input the organization has received. "Some of the things that are emerging from that are the Washington Football Team has something that ties deeply to our history. It feels like that isn't jettisoning all the things we have been in the past, whereas something that's completely new might feel that way.

"It's important for a substantial part of our fan base to feel that this is a continuation of something versus a complete reset, something brand new."

Wright also said there's a chance a new name could be announced before the end of the 2021 season, although no timetable exists.

"The sooner the better -- that's one thing I hear from the fan base," he said. "I would like it sooner than later, but it's hard to commit to timing because the importance here is thoroughness, rigor and ensuring that we have been inclusive of all the folks that we need to listen to. That works against speed in some ways, but we're moving as fast as possible."

Wright said the team has received 15,000 submissions -- from 60 countries and six continents (all but Antarctica) -- regarding the name or a new logo.

The organization will continue to accept submissions on the name and logo through April 5.

Washington has been active in seeking input from fans, saying the team long ago made the decision to keep the burgundy-and-gold color scheme based on fan opinion. ESPN reported in July that Washington was likely to keep the color scheme, and nothing in the process has altered that thinking.

Wright said he will be on the social media site Clubhouse on Wednesday morning to discuss the rebranding. The organization will have a series called "Making the Brand" -- a play on MTV's old "Making the Band" series -- to take fans inside the process.

Wright said the rebranding goes beyond just a new name and logo, citing the game-day experience -- everything from entertainment to parking to concessions, and even ticketing and Washington's charitable foundation. The cheerleader program was changed in favor of a coed dance team -- Wright said he was a dancer in musical theater before sticking with football -- and the marching band, which also paused, will return with a new look as well.

Wright and his team has communicated with alumni, fans overseas, young fans, the military and longtime fans. He said owner Dan Snyder and his wife, Tonya, aren't involved in the process on a daily basis but have roles akin to being on the "board of directors." Snyder was a fan of the team long before he bought the franchise in 1999.

"The pressure is felt from the fan base to us," Wright said. "Dan feels it. I feel it. Our entire team feels it. This fan base deserves something that is thoughtful, that has taken their input into consideration very deeply."

Washington will use focus groups as well. Wright also listens to local sports talk radio and podcasts to gain as much insight as possible into what others are thinking. He actively engages on social media, especially Twitter.

"How can I steward a rebrand if I don't understand deeply held beliefs?" Wright said.

The team is approaching the expiration of its FedEx Field lease after the 2027 season and can use feedback gathered now when it comes to plans for a new stadium.

"Part of our rebrand will incorporate technology and things that Gen Z are engaged with, whether that's legal gambling or fantasy football or VR technologies, ways to engage socially, how to bring those folks in," Wright said. "The whole league and sports in general need Gen Z to remain as robust and healthy as it is today."

Flacco signing deal with Eagles to back up Hurts

Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 19:11

Quarterback Joe Flacco has agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agency announced Tuesday.

"Congratulations to our client @JoeFlacco on signing with the @Eagles #NextChapter," JL Sports tweeted.

Flacco is receiving a one-year deal with $3.5 million guaranteed and the opportunity to earn $4 million more in incentives, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In Philadelphia, Flacco is in line to back up Jalen Hurts, who is the presumed starter after the Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.

With 175 career starts, Flacco can be a veteran resource for Hurts, the Eagles' second-round pick last April, while also pushing him.

"We've always tried to value that position and have depth at that position. I don't see any of that changing here as we go forward," general manager Howie Roseman said last week. "We want to have a really strong quarterback room. We feel like we have incredible coaches on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball who can maximize quarterback play."

The Eagles are in the midst of overhauling their quarterback room. They traded Wentz following a rocky 2020 season, while reserve Nate Sudfeld is a free agent. The Eagles could still draft a quarterback this April. They have 11 picks, including No. 6 overall.

The move represents a return home for Flacco, who grew up close to Philadelphia and went to high school in Audubon, New Jersey.

Flacco appeared in five games for the New York Jets last season and went 0-4 as a starter, replacing the injured Sam Darnold (shoulder) in October and November. His numbers were mediocre (an 80.6 passer rating and a 55.2% completion rate), but he was responsible for the team's best passing day of the season.

In a Week 9 game against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, Flacco passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns. The Jets blew a late lead and lost 30-27, falling to 0-9.

Upon replacing Darnold, Flacco admitted his goal was to again become a full-time starter, saying, "I think I'd be lying if I were to deny that. I want to play quarterback in this league. ... I think I have a lot left."

Flacco, who turned 36 in January, signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Jets with the hope of proving to potential suitors that he was healthy after his neck surgery in April 2020. Because of an extended rehab period, he missed training camp and was inactive for the first three games, but he made it through the season unscathed.

Flacco reached the pinnacle of his career in 2012, when he led the Baltimore Ravens to a win in Super Bowl XLVII and was named the game's MVP. He parlayed the incredible postseason run into a six-year, $120 million contract, which made him the league's highest-paid quarterback at that time.

He lasted six more seasons with the Ravens, becoming the franchise leader in every major passing category. Late in the 2018 season, he lost his job to Lamar Jackson, leading to a trade to the Denver Broncos in 2019.

In 13 seasons, Flacco has passed for 40,931 yards, which ranks eighth among active quarterbacks, and he has 224 touchdown passes and 144 interceptions.

ESPN's Tim McManus and Rich Cimini contributed to this report.

Heat to open vaccinated-only sections for fans

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 18:00

MIAMI -- Vaccinated fans will soon have their own sections at Miami Heat games.

The Heat announced plans Tuesday to open two sections in their lower bowl only for fully vaccinated fans starting with an April 1 game against the Golden State Warriors. The Heat are the first NBA team to reveal such a plan, though other clubs are believed to be working on similar measures.

Masks will still be required, even for the vaccinated fans, but social distancing rules will be slightly relaxed in those areas.

The NBA told teams last week that such sections would be allowed, under very specific conditions and in accordance with local and state health and safety guidelines. If any of the sections provided by teams include seats within 30 feet of the court, fans in those seats will have to take a PCR test two days prior to the game or an approved antigen test on game day.

"You're already getting a sense that things are starting to change and go in a much more positive direction," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said." Just the environment in our building, I remember those first couple games we had at the beginning of the year when there was literally nobody here, that was an eerie experience."

The Heat are devoting two sections for the fully vaccinated fans, where pods of groups will be separated by just one seat. Those fans will be admitted through a separate gate and required to show their CDC vaccination card, or proof thereof, along with valid identification. Fans will have to have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days to be eligible to be in those sections.

Miami has allowed a small number of fans to attend games for the past several weeks and has had virus-detecting dogs at entrances this season. The Heat are also one of three teams -- including the New Orleans Pelicans and the Atlanta Hawks -- to publicly acknowledge in recent days that some players and staff members have started the vaccination process.

"Things are moving," Spoelstra said. "All of us can't wait until we get our building full again, and same thing for other arenas."

By NBA rules for the vaccinated-only sections, children not yet eligible to receive the vaccine would not be permitted even if with parents or guardians who have been vaccinated. Teams are also being encouraged to have dedicated concession and restroom areas for the vaccinated fans, and to make efforts to limit any chance for those fans to commingle with others inside the arena.

Tearful Malone reads names of 10 Boulder victims

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 18:00

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone broke down in tears during his pregame media session Tuesday after reading the names of the 10 victims of Monday's shooting massacre in Boulder, Colorado.

Malone, speaking before the Nuggets played the Orlando Magic, opened his session by shifting the focus off of basketball and toward the latest mass shooting in the United States, which took place in the Nuggets' home state.

"Obviously, I think we are all tired of it," Malone said of how he and his team processed the latest shooting in Colorado. "That's an understatement. I know for me, you get so caught up in the job and basketball and..."

"You know we get judged on wins and losses ... I apologize," added Malone, fighting back tears. "But if you take a step back and put yourself in one of those families, what do you feel?"

Malone read off the names of the 10 men and women who were shot and killed on Monday -- Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, Rikki Olds, Tralona Bartkowiak, Suzanne Fountain, Teri Leiker, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters and Eric Talley. Malone choked up when he read off the name of Talley, a Boulder police officer, who was a father of seven.

This is not the first time Malone has spoken to reporters about a shooting in Colorado. Before Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals in May of 2019, he pleaded for something to change after a school shooting left one student dead at a Highlands Ranch public charter school in his suburban Denver community.

Malone's two daughters, then in middle school and attending a different school, experienced a lockdown that day at their school. At that time, it was the second lockdown in the span of three weeks due to a shooting threat.

"This is a game, the game I love, I have a passion for," Malone said choking up. "But I think about Eric Talley and his seven kids. ... That is what I think about. I'm just heartbroken for them and everybody else. And hopefully we as a country, we as a state, can find a way to be better. I apologize for my emotions."

Since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, Colorado has had several fatal shootings that have made national headlines.

"Seems like we have been here," Malone said at the start of his media session. "I think it is really important that we turn our attention where it should be and that is back in Boulder. Yesterday was another tragedy. Hopefully that is something that we can find a way to prevent from happening in the future.

"I think I speak for everyone on our team, our travel party, that our thoughts and prayers -- which is never enough -- but our thoughts and prayers are definitely with the Boulder community and all the families of the 10 innocent people who were murdered yesterday."

Twins option prospect Kirilloff; LF job still open

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 18:26

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins optioned prized prospect Alex Kirilloff to their alternate training site on Tuesday, leaving a wide-open competition for playing time in left field while giving the 2016 first-round draft pick more time to develop.

Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick and Brent Rooker are the primary candidates at that position, vacated when Eddie Rosario was not tendered a contract during the offseason. Luis Arraez, a natural infielder who has moved into a super-sub role this year, has also been in the mix in left field.

Kirilloff made his major league debut in last year's postseason but has yet to appear in a regular-season game. Excluding him from the major league roster to start the year will allow the Twins to keep his service time clock from running and potentially delay his eligibility for free agency by a year. This issue has become increasingly tense between clubs and players following the union's loss of a grievance against the Chicago Cubs for holding back third baseman Kris Bryant as a rookie in 2015.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters Sunday that service time wouldn't factor into decisions about the roster.

"Our goal is to figure out a way to put the best roster together that we think can impact us over the course of a season. We're out there trying to compete, we're trying to win, and we're going to figure out a way to do that," Falvey said.

Kirilloff has four hits in 31 at-bats with one home run and eight strikeouts in spring training exhibitions, which didn't help his cause to make the team out of camp. The COVID-19 pandemic that eliminated minor league competition last year didn't help, either.

Kirilloff, who finished 2019 in Double-A, performed so well at the team's alternate training site last summer that he was included on the roster for the playoffs and achieved the rarity of making his debut in a postseason game. When Rosario was released, Kirilloff was widely viewed as the natural replacement, but the Twins obviously are not in a rush.

"What we really want is for Alex to start his career off at the major league level on a good note where he's feeling good, and he's locked in, and he's ready to go and then never look back," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "And I have no doubt that we're going to find that point."

Tatis leaves game with left shoulder discomfort

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 17:28

Star San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left his team's spring training game Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds because of left shoulder discomfort.

Tatis, who throws with his right hand, left the game in the third inning after making a backhanded play at shortstop. Tatis moved to his right to field a ground ball by the Reds' Jonathan India and then made a throw to first to record the out. He then left the field with trainers.

The Padres said that Tatis will be reevaluated on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the Padres last month.

Other than that, it hasn't been a smooth spring for Tatis. He missed time with flu-like symptoms and then jarred himself after diving headfirst into home on a flyball to shallow left field in a game on March 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rangers' Davis out with strained left quadriceps

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 19:02

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers designated hitter Khris Davis strained his left quadriceps running out a bunt single in a Cactus League game Tuesday and could start the season on the injured list.

Davis pulled up before reaching first base and left the game against the Los Angeles Angels. Texas won 6-4. Manager Chris Woodward said after the game the extent of the injury wasn't known but that the IL was a possibility.

The injury to Davis means the two leading candidates at DH for the Rangers could begin the season on the injured list. Willie Calhoun is dealing with a hamstring injury. Texas opens the season April 1 at Kansas City.

The Rangers acquired Davis from Oakland this offseason in a trade that sent longtime shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Athletics.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter says the criticism of England coach Eddie Jones is unfair.

The Australian has come under fire after Six Nations losses to all three home nations saw England finish fifth.

Baxter, 50, has been tipped as a future head coach for England.

"That's probably the biggest problem with the game, or with the position of being England head coach or head coach in international rugby, most things get blown out of all proportion," he said.

"In other jobs, if you got to a one match off winning a World Cup and you have the success over the last five to six years that England have had there probably would not be that much scrutiny.

"This year it has not gone so well and there is massive scrutiny. That's kind of how it goes.

"Is it fair? Of course it is not. That's what sport is now and that's probably more magnified in the current climate when you don't have anything else."

Baxter has led the Chiefs to two Premiership titles and the 2020 European Champions Cup since taking over in 2009.

But Baxter - who first joined the club in 1987 as a player - reaffirmed his commitment to the Chiefs, where his contract runs until the summer of 2023.

"You've got to suddenly say I'm prepared to drop everything and this is it, this is what I'm going to focus the next pretty much 24 hours a day on from now on until I get sacked," he said.

"I'd have to ask myself a lot of questions before I'd want to commit to something like that.

"I'd have to spend a lot of time talking to my wife about it, whether it's something she was comfortable with because she's a huge part of the success I've had down here.

"That on top of the fact that I'm under contract here which is very important to me.

"I'm the kind of guy when I offer contracts to players I expect them to honour them. I've signed more players here with the shake of a hand than we have with the signing of the pen, the pen stuff has come afterwards as a bit of a by-product of everything else.

"When I shake hands with Tony Rowe and he says 'you're going to be here for the next three years' and I say 'yes', then that means a lot to me as well.

"That and things like coaching staff - the only coaching staff I know I'd feel comfortable with at the moment are here at this club and I couldn't take them away from here."

Ireland centre Bundee Aki will serve a four-match suspension after his red card in Saturday's 32-18 Six Nations victory over England.

Aki was dismissed after a high tackle to the head of England back row Billy Vunipola on 63 minutes.

The 30-year-old will now miss Connacht's next four matches in the Champions Cup, Rainbow Cup or Pro14.

It was Ireland's second red card of the tournament after back row Peter O'Mahony was sent off against Wales.

Aki will sit out Connacht's last-16 encounter with Leicester Tigers in the Challenge Cup on 3 April and the three following matches, which will roll into the Rainbow Cup should the Irish side exit the European stage.

A Six Nations statement said Aki accepted the charge and the disciplinary committee agreed the tackle "had been reckless rather than deliberate or intentional."

With the entry point for the offence set at six weeks, he was denied the maximum 50 percent discount because of his previous disciplinary record, which included a red card against Samoa at the 2019 World Cup, but his sanction was reduced by two weeks due to his "clear remorse and concern for the welfare" of Vunipola.

The British and Irish Lions plan to tour South Africa this summer after rejecting contingency options of staging the matches elsewhere.

The possibility of switching the tour to Britain and Ireland or hosting it in Australia had been raised as the Covid pandemic continues to hamper sport.

However, the Lions hope to press ahead with the original itinerary.

"The Board's intended position is for the Tour to go ahead as scheduled ," said Lions chairman Jason Leonard.

"We acknowledge that there is a significant amount of work still to be undertaken to deliver a robust Covid-19 countermeasure plan to ensure a successful, safe and uninterrupted tour."

Mark Alexander, SA Rugby president, admitted that the original schedule, which includes five warm-up matches against provincial teams, an invitational side and second-string South Africa A before the three Test series, could be changed.

"There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby, should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations," he said.

It is not yet known whether, as with this summer's Tokyo Olympics, overseas supporters will be barred from following the tour.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rugby Football Union boss and Lions board member Bill Sweeney said there was "critical dialogue" ongoing about what was possible in South Africa.

Australia put forward a bid to host the matches in January, underlining the ability to play in front of capacity crowds in a relatively Covid-free environment.

However that offer was rejected earlier this month, leaving Britain and Ireland or South Africa as the possible destinations for 2021, alongside a possible postponement for 12 months or outright cancellation.

"We have run out of runway on the UK option so the agreement that is in place is South Africa have an obligation to host the tour if they can, and we have an obligation to go there and tour," Sweeney told the BBC.

"There is a lot of work to be done now. The statement is just the start of the process. All of the negotiations around the players that are going to be in the squad and making sure of the safety of the players to go to South Africa. All that work has to be done, so it is not a small undertaking."

Covid concerns have kept South Africa out of action since beating England in the Rugby World Cup final in November 2019.

Lions coach Warren Gatland is due to announce a squad for the tour at the start of May.

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