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.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, per Duval County court records.
Smith entered the plea in writing via his attorney.
Smith has a May 20 court date, according to records. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
He was arrested April 29 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at his home after a six-month investigation. Per Florida Statute 794.05, the charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors is a second-degree felony and applies to any person 24 or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years old.
ESPN obtained a copy of the arrest warrant, and in it, Smith is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl multiple times, both at his home and in his vehicle, last August and September. The victim told Smith the day they first met she had recently turned 17 and a witness corroborated that, per the report.
The warrant also states that Smith offered the victim $200 while driving her back to her car after their first sexual encounter, and that he told the victim not to tell anyone about the encounter because he could go to jail. The victim eventually accepted $100 from Smith, who also asked the victim to say he was her “mentor” if anyone asked about them meeting, per the warrant.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens re-signed Pernell McPhee to a one-year contract Tuesday, adding the veteran outside linebacker after not addressing edge rusher in the NFL draft.
McPhee, 31, will compete for playing time at the Ravens’ rush linebacker position with Jaylon Ferguson and Jihad Ward.
He was having a resurgent season in his return to Baltimore last season before missing the final nine games with torn triceps. He was a physical presence along the line of scrimmage, recording 19 tackles and three sacks (second most on the team at the time) in the first six games.
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“He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to get back on track and demonstrate that he still could play,” coach John Harbaugh said when McPhee was placed on injured reserve. “I see no reason why he can’t recover from the triceps injury and be back next year stronger than ever.”
A fifth-round pick by Baltimore in 2011, McPhee reunited with the Ravens after spending four mostly forgettable seasons with the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. He provided leadership for a defense that lost Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Eric Weddle.
Durability has been a major issue with McPhee, who hasn’t played a full season since 2014. In his past five seasons, McPhee has missed more games (24) than sacks recorded (17), primarily because of problems with his knees.
With McPhee sidelined, Ferguson held his own last season with 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks.