May 8, 2020 - HeadtoHeadFootball

NFL

Players seek federal inquiry of Georgia shooting

The Players Coalition and dozens of professional athletes sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting an immediate federal investigation into the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband also was sent the letter on Friday. It was signed by such sports stars as Tom Brady, Steve Kerr and Players Coalition co-founders Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins.

Today should’ve been Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday. Instead, our nation is mourning. Because of the local conflict of interest, @playercoalition, other athletes, and I are urging Attorney General Barr, to have the FBI and the DOJ investigate this tragic death. We need action. pic.twitter.com/2qG8lih6A4

— Anquan Boldin (@AnquanBoldin) May 8, 2020

The Players Coalition was formed in 2017 to raise awareness about police and community relations, criminal justice reform and education and economic advancement. It developed out of the dispute between NFL team owners and the players who were kneeling during the national anthem to bring a focus on social injustice.

The letter requested that the FBI and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division lead the investigation into the shooting of Arbery, a black man, on Feb. 23 by two white men, Travis and Greg McMichael. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged the father and son this week with murder and aggravated assault after a video of the shooting was leaked and shared widely, sparking outrage.

Soccer

Clubs allowed up to 5 substitutes, VAR can be scrapped

Find out the latest on COVID-19’s impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

Teams will have the luxury of substituting five players per match when or if the current season resumes, the International Football Association Board announced Friday.

However, managers will still have only three opportunities to make those changes during a match.

Leagues will also be permitted to suspend the use of the Video Assistant Referee system. Competition organizers will decide whether the technology will continue to be implemented.

IFAB said the new rules will remain in place at least Dec. 31, 2020.

The temporary amendment will ease players’ concerns about their fitness, which has been compromised by the sudden work stoppage. The majority of players in the top five European leagues have spent the last two months training on their own because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most European leagues shut down in March in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, while others canceled their seasons entirely. The Bundesliga confirmed this week it’s returning May 16, and Serie A, La Liga, and the Premier League also expressed their intention to complete the 2019-20 campaign.

Major League Soccer had barely begun when play was suspended. Teams still have 32 games remaining on their schedule.