Fifa can rectify Qatar ‘mistake’

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Outgoing Fifa Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger says Qatar should be stripped of the 2022 World Cup.


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Berlin - Qatar should be stripped of the 2022 World Cup in order to rectify the mistake of awarding them the world's biggest single sports event, outgoing Fifa Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger said.


Zwanziger, the former boss of Germany's football association (DFB), said that could happen, however, only if a report into how the World Cup was awarded offers details of specific wrongdoing.


“The best solution would be not to play in Qatar and to rectify this wrong awarding,” he told Bayern 2 radio station.


“But that can only happen if the report provides sufficient clues that the awarding broke Fifa ethics rules,” he sad.


Fifa has been plagued by a wave of scandals and controversy, ranging from allegations of corruption in the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding processes to a row over $25,000 watches given as gifts to executive committee members at the World Cup in Brazil.


Former U.S. attorney Michael Garcia who investigated the claims and drafted a report, resigned in December, saying he felt he was no longer making progress and that soccer's governing body “lacked leadership.”


His report has not been made public while a redacted version will be published at an undisclosed date.


Garcia resigned after a disagreement with Hans-Joachim Eckert, head of the ethics committee's judgement chamber, over the handling of his report.


“Qatar was not suitable to host such a World Cup for a number of reasons,” Zwanziger, who steps down from Fifa in May, said, citing among other the scorching desert temperatures.


Fifa is expected to move the tournament to winter.


The energy-rich Gulf state has also been criticised over migrants' working conditions and protection of their human rights as they build the multi-million dollar football stadiums.


“One has to tell candidates (for World Cups) that sports, football, the clubs and Fifa, they all represent values that we expect to be observed,” said Zwanziger. – Reuters






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Welbeck’s mixed emotions

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Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck admitted having mixed feelings after his goal knocked former club Manchester United out of the FA Cup.


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Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck admitted having mixed feelings after his goal knocked former club Manchester United out of the FA Cup.


Born in Manchester, Welbeck joined United at the age of eight but was allowed to sign for Arsenal last September after new manager Louis van Gaal decided he was surplus to requirements.


The 24-year-old scored the decisive goal to give holders Arsenal a 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup semi-finals on Monday, but said it had not been a case of claiming revenge.


“Manchester United is a club that means so much to me,” Welbeck said, in quotes published by the BBC on Tuesday. “I'm a fan and it's hard to knock them out.”


Despite celebrating his 61st-minute winner, which came after United captain Wayne Rooney had cancelled out Nacho Monreal's opener, Welbeck was granted a warm reception by the supporters of his former club.


“I'll always respect the fans,” he said. “I had a lovely reception from them and I'm thankful for that.”


Arsenal, who had not won at United since September 2006, were drawn to face either Championship side Reading or third-tier Bradford City in the semi-finals. – AFP






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Di Maria adds to Van Gaal’s woes

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A needless red card for Angel Di Maria in the FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal added to manager Louis van Gaal's woes.


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London - Another unconvincing display from Manchester United was compounded by a needless red card for Angel Di Maria on Monday as the Argentine added to manager Louis van Gaal's woes.


With United trailing 2-1 to Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final, Di Maria was booked for diving and minutes later grabbed the shirt of referee Michael Oliver, giving the shocked official little choice but to send him off.


It ended United's hopes of hauling themselves back into the tie and marred what had started off as a bright performance by the man signed from Real Madrid for 60 million pounds ($90.65 million).


Van Gaal, who now has virtually no chance of marking his first season with a trophy, had little sympathy for Di Maria.


“In Spain he knows that he doesn't touch the referee, but that is also in his emotion,” the Dutchman told the BBC.


“I've already spoken with him, he knows my opinion but also I have to see on the video.


“I think he's touched the referee and that's forbidden in every country, so he has no excuses.”


When Wayne Rooney cancelled out Nacho Monreal's opener for the visitors before halftime with a flying header, United looked as though they might continue their quest for a first FA Cup since winning a joint record 11th in 2004.


But they faded after the break and now only have a desperate battle for a top-four Premier League finish to play for.


That it was Danny Welbeck, sold by Van Gaal last summer, who poached the winner after a dreadful mistake by Antonio Valencia only rubbed salt into the wound.


“We didn't lose to them, we lost because of our own performance, and that's very disappointing,” Van Gaal said.


“The players are very disappointed, they know it could have been different. It's a pity because after we were 1-0 down, we recovered immediately.


“We gave the ball away in an area where you cannot give the ball away and that's very disappointing,” he added.


“I think the best man in my team made the error and it was decisive. These things happen.” – Reuters






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News sport : Brandon Knight leaves Suns-Warriors with sprained ankle, does not return

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The Phoenix Suns' increasingly dicey chances at nabbing the last playoff spot in the Western Conference might have received a devastating blow in Monday's home game vs. the Golden State Warriors. With roughly 4:20 remaining in the second quarter, guard Brandon Knight, the team's prized deadline-day addition amidst the controversial departures of Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, turned his left ankle on a drive to the basket and stayed on the ground in considerable pain. Knight left the court and did not return.


You can take a look at the play here:





The Suns later announced that x-rays were negative and that Knight had suffered a left ankle sprain. The severity of the injury is not known, but given the replay angles and his apparent pain, it would not be a huge surprise to learn that Knight will miss a week or more.


With just 17 games remaining, even one or two missed games for a key player could end up spelling doom for Phoenix. Monday's 98-80 loss to the Warriors brings the Suns' record to 33-32, or three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for eighth and 2 1/2 behind the New Orleans Pelcians for ninth. At 4-7 since the trade deadline, the Suns have not impressed. Worse yet, they have scored just 159 points in their last two games.


It wouldn't be a death knell to Phoenix's playoff hopes if Knight misses significant time, but an extended absence of a key player certainly wouldn't help matters at this point in the season. Keep an eye on his status, because it could turn the West's tightest race into a two-team competition.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Pac-12 tournament preview: Arizona enters as the clear favorite

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The Dagger will be previewing this week's marquee conference tournaments. Here's our look at the Pac-12 tournament:


Pac-12 Conference Tournament
Dates: March 10-14

Site: Las Vegas (MGM Garden Arena)

Top four seeds: 1. Arizona 2. Oregon 3. Utah 4. UCLA

Draw: Click here


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Best draw: Oregon. Regular season results suggest Oregon and Utah both should want to prolong facing Arizona again as much as possible. If so, both the Ducks and Utes got their wish landing on the other side of the bracket. Of the two, Oregon would seem to have gotten the more favorable potential quarterfinal draw, facing either overachieving Oregon State or struggling Colorado. Utah is likely to face a Stanford team that collapsed late in the season but has the talent to play with the Utes.


Worst draw: UCLA. A potential semifinal against Arizona could be UCLA's path to the NCAA tournament, but just getting to that game won't be easy for the Bruins. Their likely quarterfinal opponent will be Arizona State, which finished the season winning five of its last seven including a 68-66 victory over UCLA a couple weeks ago. That's a tough path for a Bruins team that has the most at stake in the Pac-12 tournament of any team in the league.


Three players to watch:


• Delon Wright, G, Utah — The engine of Utah's offense needs to be more selfish in the postseason. He averages 14.7 points and shoots 52.2 percent from the field to go along with 5.3 assists per game.


• Joseph Young, G Oregon — The Pac-12's leading scorer is shooting a lower percentage this year as the focal point of Oregon's offense but he still propelled the Ducks to a 13-5 conference record.


• Stanley Johnson, G, Arizona — T.J. McConnell is Arizona's MVP, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is its most versatile player, but Johnson is the go-to scorer the Wildcats need when their offense stagnates.


Bubble implications: Surging Oregon has all but secured its bid. Sinking Stanford probably needs to win the automatic bid to make the field. That leaves UCLA, which owns a 3-1 record against those two and a home win against Utah but still has work to do to make the field. The Bruins (19-12, 11-7) almost certainly must win their quarterfinal against either Arizona State or USC to have a chance. Given their awful record away from Pauley Pavilion, they may need to upset Arizona in the semifinals too in order to feel secure.


Projected champ: The past two years, losses to UCLA have cost Arizona the Pac-12 tournament title. The Wildcats have a lot of incentive this season to avoid another loss to the Bruins or anyone else this weekend. If Arizona wins out, the Wildcats have a good chance to be the No. 2 seed in the West at worst or maybe even the No. 1 in the West if Villanova stumbles in the Big East tournament. Regardless, staying ahead of Gonzaga in that race is important because the Wildcats would likely have the crowd on their side were they to play a regional in Los Angeles.


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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Dak Prescott, two other Mississippi State players, jumped during spring break concert

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Dak Prescott was assaulted during spring break in Panama City. (courtesy of EliteDawgs.com) Three Mississippi State players, including quarterback Dak Prescott, were jumped by a group of random people while watching a concert in Panama City.


Prescott, defensive lineman Torrey Dale and backup quarterback Damian Williams were on spring break in Panama City and watching a Waka Flocka concert when they were assaulted by an unknown group of people, according to Mississippi State assistant AD for media relations Bill Martin.


A fight ensued and the players received superficial wounds. No police were called.


EliteDawgs.com, a Mississippi State fan site that first reported the story on its message board, posted pictures of Prescott’s wounds, which included a gash on his forehead.


Martin said the assault was unprovoked and that none of the injuries were serious.


Williams confirmed the incident on Twitter and later deleted the tweet, but it was preserved in a screenshot.



Mississippi State defensive lineman Damian Williams.

Prescott, Mississippi State’s starting quarterback, was the Heisman frontrunner for the first half of the season while he led the Bulldogs to a 9-0 start and a No. 1 ranking. The Bulldogs finished the season 10-3.


For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com.


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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : Broncos offense takes a hit with Julius Thomas to the Jaguars

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Julius Thomas became a big part of the Denver Broncos' offense the past two seasons, but apparently the Broncos didn't think he was all that irreplaceable.


Thomas has reached an agreement with the Jacksonville Jaguars (oooooh, the NFL will be mad about that getting out!), as reported by multiple outlets including Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson. That's not a huge surprise; the Jaguars have a boatload of cap room and Thomas was perhaps the best free agent who hadn't been spoken for aside from New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis.


The surprise comes from Mike Klis of the Denver Post: The Broncos didn't make the slightest effort to retain Thomas. Literally. They never made an offer to Thomas and according to Klis, they never even made one call to Thomas' agent to even gauge his desire to return.


Sure, everyone knew Thomas was going to get a large deal in free agency. But to make no attempt has to say something, either about how the Broncos feel about Thomas or that they feel he can be easily replaced. There's no obvious replacement on the roster now, however. Thomas caught 24 touchdowns the past two years as the Broncos won AFC West titles each season. The offense went to a historic level in 2013 when Thomas had his breakout season, becoming the first NFL team to score 600 points in a regular season. But they'll go on without him.


It's a nice get for the Jaguars, who are quietly giving quarterback Blake Bortles, last year's first-round pick, some good young weapons. Maybe the Broncos will regret losing their blossoming tight end, even if they didn't give off the impression over the past few months that they'd miss him.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Heat's Hassan Whiteside ejected after flagrant foul for running over Celtics' Kelly Olynyk

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Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside was ejected from Monday night's matchup with the Boston Celtics after receiving a flagrant foul-2 for this blindside tackle on Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter:


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Whiteside had missed a layup on the preceding Heat possession and was slow getting back on defense. After a Brandon Bass dunk gave Boston a 66-58 lead, Olynyk met Whiteside at the foul line and put a forearm into him as Miami moved the ball around the perimeter. Whiteside took exception, getting an elbow up high on Olynyk as the two tangled near the free-throw line.


As Miami guard Mario Chalmers drove to the basket, Olynyk slid toward the baseline to cut off his path. Then, all of a sudden, in came Whiteside with a full head of steam to clean out the former Gonzaga star with a high forearm to the back of the neck.


Here's another look:



The referees reviewed the play, decided Whiteside's contact met the "unnecessary and excessive" descriptor that goes with a flagrant-2, and gave the 25-year-old center the gate. he finished with seven points on 2-for-6 shooting and nine rebounds in just under 22 minutes of floor time.


This is Whiteside's second ejection in less than a week, with the first coming for wrestling Alex Len during Miami's win over the Phoenix Suns last Tuesday. Whiteside received a $15,000 fine for that escapade, and he'll pay another penalty for this early exit:


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Whiteside spent the first four years of his professional career as something of a nomad, failing to stick with the Sacramento Kings and spending several seasons in the D-League before heading overseas for stints in Lebanon and China before returning stateside for another D-League run this year. He's has been a revelation for Miami over the past 2 1/2 months, finding a home with the Heat by rebounding at historic levels, protecting the rim like an elite interior defender and dunking everything he can get his hands on.


But while his remarkable post-Christmas play — 13 points on 63.1 percent shooting, 11.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game over 28 appearances — has made him a top candidate for Most Improved Player honors and a critical part of the Heat's playoff push, he has at times shown some of the struggles with maturity and decision-making that had dogged him earlier in his career. This, it seems, would quality, and you'd suspect that there's a very good chance that Whiteside will hear from the league about additional discipline for his cheap shot on Olynyk come Tuesday.


More NBA coverage:



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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






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News sport : Ticket punched: Wofford overcomes scare from Cinderella to win Southern title

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Wofford will play in its second straight NCAA Tournament, but the Terriers had all they could handle from a true Cinderella story on Monday in the Southern Conference tournament championship.


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No. 10 seed Furman, the Terriers’ old, bitter rival, had a chance to win in the final minute but couldn’t come up with the plays to complete what would have been one of the most improbable conference tournament title runs in history.Spotlighting Wofford


Wofford claimed the title for the fourth in the past six seasons with a 67-64 victory despite an off-shooting night from star guard Karl Cochran who finished with 11 points and went 1-for-7 behind the 3-point line.


But Wofford is not a one-man show. Three other Terriers schored in double figures including guard Eric Garcia, who finished with 15 points and made four 3-pointers. Forward Lee Skinner led Wofford with 17 points.


The teams have played 136 times since series began in 1908 but Monday’s contest was the first meeting in the postseason. Furman (11-22) had beaten No. 2 seed Chatanooga and No. 3 seed Mercer to earn a shot at making history.


Furman knocked down nine 3-pointers to keep itself in the game. Forward Geoff Beans came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and lead his team with 15 points.


Wofford has won eight straight and 15 of its past 16 entering the NCAA Tournament. It overcame a stretch of more than 6 minutes without a basket on Monday. It helped that the Terriers didn’t have to contend with Furman forward Kris Acox for most of the game.


Acox hurt his left foot in first half and didn’t return.


Furman was trying to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 35 years. It was also vying to be the third team in history to advance to the NCAA Tournament with 20 losses on its resume. Coppin State (2008) and Liberty (2013) remain the only teams to do so.


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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Free agency dries up even more, as top pass rushers get claimed

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Pernell McPhee (AP) Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee hasn't started a game in either of the past two seasons, but that didn't stop the Chicago Bears from paying him like an elite pass rusher.


The Bears are gambling on McPhee taking off in a bigger role, and they better be right. McPhee will sign a five-year, $40 million deal with $16 million guaranteed with the Bears, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Not bad for a player with five career starts over his four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. McPhee has shown a lot of potential in a reserve role and will be a centerpiece for the Bears in their new 3-4 defense.


McPhee wasn't the only pass rusher taken off the market. The Buffalo Bills, who have been very active as they try to snap a playoff drought that dates back to the 1999 season, re-signed defensive end Jerry Hughes to a five-year, $45 million deal. Hughes has 10 sacks in back-to-back years and will be a key part of new coach Rex Ryan's defense.


There was also a run on defensive tackles, according to multiple reports. Former Miami Dolphins tackle Jared Odrick agreed to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stephen Paea agreed to leave the Chicago Bears and join the Washington Redskins. Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle said the Oakland Raiders were close on a deal to land Terrance Knighton, who would leave the Denver Broncos.


Players can't officially sign contracts until Tuesday, but that hasn't stopped a flood of agreed-upon deals from being leaked to the media since the negotiating period started on Saturday.


Sunday saw a number of players taken off the market, either by re-signing with their old team or agreeing to a deal with a new team. That continued on Monday. Quarterback Brian Hoyer, the Cleveland Browns' starter last year, reportedly was close to going to the Houston Texans, although reports say the New York Jets are still in play for Hoyer. The Oakland Raiders agreed to a deal with former Kansas City Chiefs center Rodney Hudson. The Kansas City Chiefs will sign receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will go from the Atlanta Falcons to the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal, as Yahoo Sports' Rand Getlin reported.


Receiver Ted Ginn has reunited with the Carolina Panthers after a season in Arizona, the team announced (Ginn was cut by the Cardinals so he was free to sign before unrestricted free agency begins). The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly will sign Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Jermey Parnell for five years and $32 million, ESPN reported. The Jets are pushing hard to sign San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati, considered the top offensive lineman in free agency, according to the New York Daily News. That and the Parnell signing would thin out the offensive line position a bit.


All of the early news makes it seem like when free agency actually starts on Tuesday, it will be pretty anticlimactic.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Matt Cain looks good in first outing for Giants since July

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(AP Photo)

Sure it's still the spring, but two perfect innings against the Dodgers was the perfect way for Matt Cain to make a return to a major-league mound.


Cain made his final start of 2014 on July 9 and had surgery in August to remove bone chips from his right elbow. He went under the knife again in September, this time to remove a bone spur from his right ankle.


Healthy and raring to go, Monday was his first chance to get back in action and everything went according to plan. He needed just 20 pitches to record six outs and allowed no baserunners.


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"That went really good. I wanted to get out there and get in rhythm, find a groove and it all worked out," Cain told reporters after the game, which ended in a 5-5 tie.


"Obviously we're happy with the first outing," added Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He had good command, good stuff, and he used all his pitches. For the layoff he's had, that was an impressive two innings for him."


Now with the first outing out of the way, Cain can settle in and focus on the details. The 30-year-old right-hander isn't discouraged by last season's injury-plagued campaign. He's intent on getting back to the form that made him one of baseball's top pitchers from 2007 to 2012.


[Baseball is back! Check out Yahoo For Spring Training for great spring training pics.]


"I want to go out there and throw 200 innings," said Cain. "I want to go out there and give those guys a chance to win every fifth day. That’s my goal and that’s what I want to do."


More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:





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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.






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News sport : Oklahoma players and coaches wear black, hold silent vigil in protest of SAE's racist chant

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The Oklahoma football team was supposed to participate in spring football practice on Monday, but instead did something far more meaningful — it walked out.


Hours after Oklahoma president David Boren banished a fraternity that was filmed while singing a racist chant, players and coaches dressed in black walked arm-in-arm in silent protest to the Everest Training Center indoor practice facility.



The team stopped at midfield, said the Lord’s Prayer and then met together without speaking to the media.



It was the latest of many silent protests and prayers the football team engaged in on Monday, a day after the video was released on the Internet. Players and coaches also met and prayed outside Owen Field earlier in the day.


On Sunday, two websites released a video of members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity joyfully and drunkenly singing a racist chant while on a bus trip to a black tie event. Several football players took to Twitter to voice their outrage and by Monday morning, Boren had issued a statement which read in part, “all ties and affiliations between the University and the local SAE chapter are hereby severed.”


Brad Cohen, the fraternity’s national president, backed the university's actions.


By midday, the Greek letters were being pried off the side of SAE's former home.



Despite Oklahoma's quick work to distance itself from the fraternity, the football team has already felt the repercussions. Shortly after Boren’s statement, four-star recruit Jean Delance announced he was decommitting from the Sooners and opening up his recruitment. A few hours later, Alabama offered him a scholarship.


For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.


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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : Former UFC veteran tracks down thieves who robbed him

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Mixed martial artist and UFC veteran Ryan Jensen hasn’t seen a professional fight in almost a year. Fans last saw Jensen inside the Bellator cage in April 2014 when he made his promotional debut with a first-round submission choke over Mark Stoddard.


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But just because the 37-year-old veteran hasn’t been active in the ring, it does not mean he’s been avoiding confrontation. Actually, quite the contrary; he has been busy doling out some vigilante justice.


Omaha, Nebraska’s NBC affiliate bring us the story:



No word yet on whether Jensen (20-8) will get a fight in 2015, or if he even wants one for that matter. But rest assured, if there are any crooks thinking about knocking over Ryan Jensen’s gym in the near future, they might find themselves in a world of hurt.






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News sport : The 10-man rotation, starring 'Playoff Marbury'

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A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.


C: VICE Sports. Andrew Crawford on Stephon Marbury leading the Beijing Ducks into contention for yet another the Chinese Basketball Association championship, how he's still doing it at age 38, and why he's going to keep doing it over there as opposed to trying his hand again here: "He's not coming back, for a number of obvious reasons. It's just striking that He Can't Do It Anymore doesn't appear to be one of those reasons."


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PF: At the Hive. In which Chris Barnewall makes the case for Charlotte Hornets stopper Michael Kidd-Gilchrist winning Defensive Player of the Year. He won't, but it's an interesting case.


SF: Raptors Republic. After having watched them lose eight of their last nine to drop into the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, Tim Chisholm wonders if anything we're going to see over the course of this regular- or postseason is likely to change what we've come to learn about the Toronto Raptors: "This is the end-of-the-line for this particular assemblage. All that’s left to be decided is how many parts are cast aside or replaced."


SG: NBA.com. This week's edition of David Aldridge's can't-miss "Morning Tip" leads off with a look at how Hassan Whiteside became the glass-eating, dunk-everything monster in the middle for the Miami Heat.


PG: San Antonio Express-News. While Tim Duncan struggled on Sunday, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard looked an awful lot like the players they were during last season's title run, which could mean the San Antonio Spurs are about ready to take off.


6th: Sunday Shootaround. Paul Flannery catches up with the Utah Jazz, who are now 7-2 since the All-Star break (with the two losses coming by a combined five points, and one coming at the buzzer) and developing into a devastating defensive squad thanks to the emergence of French shot-eraser Rudy Gobert.


7th: The Nation. Dave Zirin speaks with Royce White about Larry Sanders' decision to walk away from the NBA, his ongoing advocacy for increased awareness surrounding mental health care for athletes, his desire to once again play in the NBA and more.


8th: The Triangle. Jason Concepcion on what your preferred MVP choice — Stephen Curry, James Harden or Russell Westbrook — says about your personality and athletic value system.


9th: ESPN New York. Ian Begley speaks with several members of the New York Knicks about the "mindfulness training" that president of basketball operations Phil Jackson has implemented during this largely disastrous season. Quoth the hirsute Quincy Acy: "We’re getting in touch with our inner-beings, our inner-selves."


10th: Silver Screen and Roll. Some good news out of El Segundo, as Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle — who's been sidelined since suffering a broken right tibia on the first night of the season — has been cleared for non-contact basketball work.


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






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News sport : Frank Gore reportedly reconsidering Eagles deal, Colts in play?

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The thing about all these reports of NFL free agents accepting deals is that nothing can be official until Tuesday.


So, if some team saw a reported deal and decided they'd pay more, there's technically nothing but unspoken collusion holding them back from making a better offer before free agency starts on Tuesday. In fact, this is what Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and the entire SEC would call "business as usual" in recruiting. A commitment to another team just means you have to recruit him a little harder, right?


Is that what happened with Frank Gore? The San Francisco 49ers' all-time leading rusher reportedly had a deal in place with the Philadelphia Eagles and even contract details (three years, $7.5 million guaranteed over the first two years) were leaked. Then all of a sudden, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said that Gore was having second thoughts. Rapoport said Gore reconsidered his deal with the Eagles, and the Indianapolis Colts were mentioned as a potential suitor.


Maybe the deal with Gore and the Eagles gets done in the end, but this is the problem with the NFL's period that allows teams and agents to talk about free agents. Teams think they have deals in place, enough so that either they or the agents leak them to various media members with very specific contract details (of course the NFL says it's not too happy about this). But if nothing is official, so there's nothing to say a player can't change his mind.


It appears that might be happening with Gore. If Gore or his representatives agreed to a deal with the Eagles but then backed out before Tuesday because someone like the Colts offered something better, the Eagles might be upset, but all's fair in love, war and free agency.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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