Berlin – Hakan Calhanoglu says his father will never again be involved in his career as the Turkey international and Bayer Leverkusen star begins his four-month ban for breach of contract.
The 22-year-old, Leverkusen’s joint top-scorer with six league goals, is effectively banned for all bar the last few weeks of the season after Thursday’s decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Leverkusen, ninth in Germany’s top flight, will be without its goal-scoring winger for the season’s key phase – starting with Friday’s German league match at Hamburg.
The club faces Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in three weeks time and must finish in the top four to qualify for Europe’s top competition.
On Thursday, CAS, which is based in Lausanne, upheld a previous ruling by FIFA from Jan. 2016 which found Calhanoglu guilty of breach of contract.
In 2011, while still a teenager, the German-born forward signed a preliminary contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor, even though he had just signed an extension deal with Karlsruher.
As well as the suspension Calhanoglu was ordered to pay Trabzonspor €100,000 in compensation.
In its ruling, CAS rejected the player’s appeal against both the ban, which was suspended pending the outcome of the appeal, and the fine.
In an interview with Cologne newspaper Express, Calhanoglu explained the background.
“In our culture, the father has the say. I was 17 years old and not aware of the scope (of his actions),” he told the newspaper having stayed at home for the verdict from Switzerland.
“I heard by accident from a friend that my father had met a representative from Trabzonspor at a restaurant in Darmstadt.
“My father came home and said ‘Hakan, you must sign the contract’.
“He knows that he made a bad mistake and it makes him sad.
“He is my father and remains my father, but he will never be involved in my career again.”
After a two-year spell with Karlsruher, the attacking midfielder moved to topflight Bundesliga side Hamburg for a season before joining Leverkusen in 2014.
With Calhanoglu now unavailable, Leverkusen need star striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez fit again after suffering a groin injury.
New signing Leon Bailey, 19, has yet to make his debut after signing from Belgium’s Genk for €12 million on Tuesday.
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts punter Pat McAfee has announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 29.
McAfee, who has done stand-up comedy in Indiana the past couple of offseasons, made the announcement on Comedy Central. He said he plans to work for Barstool Sports.
McAfee, in a letter posted to Twitter, said he met with Colts owner Jim Irsay for 45 minutes Monday to tell him about the decision .
Dear Indiana, pic.twitter.com/FJISS001J3
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 2, 2017
Irsay saluted McAfee in a tweet on Thursday morning.
Pat was a terrific player and ambassador for us. He will be missed, and we wish him all the best!
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) February 2, 2017
Health issues have been a concern for the punter. He’s about to have his third knee surgery in four years. McAfee still had two years remaining on his five-year, $14.5 million contract.
McAfee’s career with the Colts didn’t get off to a promising start. McAfee, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was arrested for public intoxication after he was found swimming in an Indianapolis canal in October 2010.
He shook off the embarrassment to become one of the top punters in the NFL while being a part of one of the top special-teams units, along with kicker Adam Vinatieri and long-snapper Matt Overton.
McAfee often celebrated good punts by doing things like imitating a golf swing or strutting around the field like Conor McGregor. In eight seasons with the Colts, McAfee averaged 46.4 gross yards per punt and 39.8 net yards per punt and was named to two Pro Bowls .
LOS ANGELES — In 12 months, Los Angeles went from zero professional football teams to one too many. The Rams moved back here from St. Louis in January 2016, then the Chargers moved back here from San Diego in January 2017. A city that spent two decades clamoring for the NFL’s return now has a couple of floundering franchises that it doesn’t very much care for. In some ways, though, it means the market is up for grabs.
The Rams have history here, but it’s too far removed. The Chargers have history here, but it’s composed of one season. L.A.’s general populace has a tendency to quickly lose interest if the winning is not prevalent, with the only potential exceptions being the Lakers and Dodgers. Success is the only way the Chargers and Rams will capture the hearts and minds of the nation’s second-largest media market, and in a sense, the Chargers’ presence has created something of a race to see who can win first.
The Chargers (Anthony Lynn) and Rams (Sean McVay) each hired first-year, offensive-minded head coaches on the very same day, after the two teams combined to finish 9-23. The Rams should be happy the Chargers are here, because the alternative was the ever-popular Raiders, who may have lost Las Vegas as a primary option. With the Chargers as neighbors, the Rams at least have a chance to stand out. But are they more primed for success? (Eric Williams, ESPN’s Chargers beat reporter, doesn’t think so.)
In tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams have arguably the game’s best defensive player, the centerpiece of a line that can be devastating at full strength. Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports
Below is a section-by-section comparison, starting with their numbers over the last two seasons.
Offense: This one isn’t close. The Chargers have an elite, established quarterback in Rivers, a premier running back in Gordon and, if healthy, a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Keenan Allen. They averaged 25.6 points per game last year, ninth-highest in the NFL, while the Rams have spent each of the last two seasons dead last in average yards. Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, had one of the worst rookie seasons ever for a quarterback. Gurley, the No. 10 overall pick in 2015, had one of the biggest second-year drop-offs ever for a running back. And the Rams’ receiving corps has lacked a reliable, consistent playmaker pretty much since the days of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Oh, and their offensive line was quite possibly the worst in the game last season. Edge: Chargers
Defense: The Chargers have a couple of Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Hayward and Verrett. They have a young, dynamic defensive end in Joey Bosa, who was taken third overall in 2016. And they have a couple of solid contributors in defensive tackle Brandon Mebane and linebacker Jatavis Brown. But the Rams have arguably the game’s best defensive player in Donald, the centerpiece of a defensive line that can be devastating at full strength. They have a couple of athletic linebackers in Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron. And they recently hired one of the NFL’s most accomplished defensive coordinators in Wade Phillips. The Rams defense fell off down the stretch, but that was largely because their hapless offense put so much pressure on this unit. If they can re-sign cornerback Trumaine Johnson and shore up depth throughout their secondary, they’ll be just fine here. Edge: Rams
Intangibles: The Rams can tell you all about the tolls of a move. In 2016, their facilities went from St. Louis to Oxnard to Irvine to Thousand Oaks. Their season was in a constant state of flux, exacerbated by a hectic regular-season travel schedule. Over time, many in the organization believe, the move ultimately took its toll on the field, though the magnitude is impossible to determine. The Chargers are moving from closer proximity, so they won’t have it quite as bad. But they’ll face their own challenges, and they’re in a tougher division. Edge: Rams
Recent past: The Rams haven’t made the playoffs since 2004, haven’t won their division since 2003 and have now gone 10 straight years with a losing record. The Chargers won four straight division titles from 2006 to ’09, finished .500 or better in 10 of 11 seasons leading up to 2015 and made the playoffs as recently as 2013. Edge: Chargers
Immediate future: The Chargers might have been only one win better than the Rams last season, but they were generally a lot better than their record indicated. They led the league in players on injured reserve, led at one point in 15 of 16 games and led in the fourth quarter in six of their contests, all of which ended as losses. A couple of breaks can easily lead to drastic improvement next season. The Rams were one of the NFL’s healthiest teams for most of 2016 and still finished with seven consecutive losses, getting outscored by a whopping 136 points during that stretch. Their defense is solid and their special teams play is a major strength. But there is way too much work to do with the offense. Edge: Chargers
HOUSTON — If the guys over at 3DQB training create a new brochure promoting how they help quarterbacks elevate their games, they might want to consider putting Matt Ryan’s image on the cover.
Some may recall that Ryan spent time last offseason in Southern California working out with 3DQB instructors and ex-baseball players Tom House and Adam Dedeaux. Focusing on core strength and mechanics was a significant shift in routine for the 31-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Ryan proceeded to have the best statistical season of his career, setting franchise records in five categories — yards (4,944), touchdowns (38), passer rating (117.1), completion percentage (69.9) and passes of 25-plus yards (42) — while becoming the leading MVP candidate.
Offseason work paid off for Matt Ryan, who set five Falcons season records and is the leading candidate for league MVP. Tim Warner/Getty Images
“Those guys sell themselves,” Ryan said of House and Dedeaux, downplaying how he might help attract more clients to 3DQB. “The work that they do, they’re so good at what they do. And they’re great people to work with. I certainly learned a lot and improved a lot having worked with those guys.”
Dedeaux declined to take much credit when reached by phone this week.
“I think when we first started getting together, we saw that there was room for improvement,” he said. “But ultimately it was up to Matt to put in the work, and I think he did exactly that. He’s a true professional. And for where he is now, I’d be lying if I said I thought this is where we’d be. I’m ecstatic. This is the best-case scenario: possible MVP and in the Super Bowl. What more could we have asked for?”
He threw weighted balls. He curled dumbbells. He took swings with bats. He monitored his diet.
But there was more to the story than what occurred during the offseason. After the Falcons suffered an ugly 24-15 loss at Philadelphia back in November, Ryan worked with Dedeaux in Atlanta during the bye week that followed. It was right around the same time that coach Dan Quinn challenged the entire team to dig deeper and find something to improve upon for the remainder of the season.
Ryan took the message to heart. And Dedeaux came in for a “tuneup” session with the quarterback.
“Nothing had really gotten away from him, which, again, is a credit to him because he stuck to the process,” Dedeaux said. “But as new installs come in or certain plays with different footwork, maybe we change things just to make him just a little more comfortable, more in position. That was pretty much the main thing: ‘Hey, how can we be in a better position so we’re not putting on any extra strain?’ For a quarterback, when they’re out of position, that could be the difference between pulling the trigger or not.”
Ryan takes a six-game winning streak into the Super Bowl. The run of nearly two months has included 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.
His deep-ball accuracy has been on point this season, another byproduct of Ryan’s work with Dedeaux and House. “He got a lot stronger,” wide receiver Julio Jones said. “He got a few more yards on his deep ball after working in the offseason. … Matt just took care of himself to be able to do his job. As a quarterback, there’s just so much that [you] have to do. You’ve got to have everybody ready to go. I felt like this year, he just took care of Matt Ryan and let everybody else take care of themselves. So now the way he’s playing is lights-out.”
Ryan modestly shied away from thumping his chest about his improvement. He simply emphasized how much 3DQB contributed to his cause.
“It’s one of those things, when you want to get the best out of yourself, you have to find avenues to try and get that done,” Ryan said. “And those guys have been the right avenue for me. I’m really happy I decided to go out and work with them.”
So how about those “Matty Ice” brochures? Are they in the works?
“We haven’t taken Matt’s success and tried to use it for our gain,” Dedeaux said. “If people have seen the results of what he’s been able to do over this year, and if we had a small part in that and somebody became interested, that’s the best way. We haven’t gone out and used that. That’s not our M.O.
“Matt’s success speaks for itself. Obviously, we’re very grateful and happy for him.”
