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NFL

Dungy, Tampa teams help pay to move statue

Tony Dungy challenged Tampa’s professional sports teams to help pay to move a Confederate statue from in front of a local courthouse, and they have responded.

Confederate statues, and there are hundreds, are being taken down across the country in the wake of Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. White nationalists marched there, in part, to protest the impending removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the key Confederate military figure in the Civil War.

Money is being raised to move the Confederate statue Memoria In Aeterna from in front of a Tampa public building. The statue, which was unveiled in 1911, portrays a Confederate soldier marching into battle during the Civil War and another returning. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

A woman, Heather Heyer, was killed in Charlottesville when a car driven by a man from Ohio plowed into a crowd that was protesting the white nationalists.

Since then, Baltimore has removed a number of Confederate statues, and many around Tampa rallied to have the statue Memoria In Aeterna removed from in front of the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The statue was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910 and installed in 1911.

On Wednesday, Hillsborough County commissioners voted 4-2 to block public spending to move the monument. The county said that the $140,000 required to move the statue would have to come from private funding, and that if it didn’t in 30 days, the statue would likely stay.

Tony Dungy, the former Buccaneers and Colts coach who lives in Tampa, tweeted an appeal to his 754,000 followers.

The Buccaneers, Rays and Lightning responded.

But those teams weren’t the only ones. According to the Tampa Bay Times, former Tampa Bay Storm owner Bob Gries pledged $50,000, and even Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn offered $1,000.

In about 24 hours, enough money appears to have been raised to move the statue to a small cemetery in nearby Brandon.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.

NFL

GM: Bell part of Steelers plan, but he's behind

LATROBE, Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers do not know when running back Le’Veon Bell will show up, but they are still counting on him to have a big year, general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday.

Asked whether the Steelers have considered rescinding Bell’s $12.1 million franchise tender, Colbert told ESPN the Steelers will work with who’s available. Still, he said, “I fully expect Le’Veon Bell to be a significant contributor for the 2017 Steelers. That’s as simple as I can state it.”

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Both sides couldn’t reach a long-term contract before the deadline to do so passed, and because Bell isn’t under contract, he’s training in South Florida instead of at Saint Vincent College for training camp. All signs point to a late August return for Bell, whose Steelers will play the first-string offense Aug. 26 against the Indianapolis Colts.

When asked about the belief that Bell can stay fresh and injury free away from the team, Colbert stressed, “It’s beneficial for everybody to be in camp.

“I’ll argue that consistently,” Colbert said. “Training camp is important for the growth and preparedness to be ready to play this game opening week. We can argue about camp and preseason, how many games and all that, but I do know you need to practice this game to play it at the highest level. Someone once said it would be like boxing without sparring. You can’t just show up and play.”

Bell can’t be fined for his absence from training camp because he doesn’t have a signed contract. He isn’t permitted to receive a long-term contract this season because the deadline to do so for tagged players passed on July 17.

Bell is one of the game’s best playmakers but plays in a positional market that appears tapped out at around $8 million per year. Colbert said the Steelers don’t “box anybody” when it comes to positional marketplaces and place values on players based on what they do for the team. But the Steelers can’t revisit that process with Bell until after the season.

“Right now we’re worried about 2017; that’s all we can focus on,” Colbert said. “We’ve said it in the past — we want Le’Veon to have a great NFL career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. That hasn’t changed. In reality, all we’re dealing with is 2017.”

NFL

Bennett backed by brother Martellus, Baldwin
6:58 PM ET

  • Sheil KapadiaESPN Writer

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    • Covered the Philadelphia Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine and Philly.com from 2008 to 2015.
    • Covered the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL for BaltimoreSun.com from 2006 to 2008.

Two days after electing to sit during the national anthem, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett received support from his brother, Martellus, and his teammate Doug Baldwin on Tuesday.

“I support him, I support his movement, I support Colin Kaepernick, I support all the guys, Angela Davis, all the people that came before us to pave the way for what we’re trying to do in the black community,” Martellus Bennett, a Green Bay Packers tight end, said. “I support everybody and always will. I always will be very pro black, I guess would be the term to say.”

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Baldwin said that he is considering joining Bennett’s protest.

“I was really proud of it. And I think we as a society should be proud,” Baldwin said.

“The overwhelming and most profound message is that we claim to have equality and liberty for all people. And some people feel that’s not the case. So maybe we should listen to them. Maybe we should listen to what their thoughts are and see if we can’t be better. If we think we’re perfect, the Romans thought they were perfect. I’d just say maybe we shouldn’t think we’re perfect and there’s always room for improvement.”

Bennett said after Sunday’s game that he plans on sitting during the anthem for the entire season. He told reporters that he wanted to use his platform as an athlete to promote equality.

Pete Carroll said he supports Bennett’s message but thinks everyone should stand for the anthem.

“I support the heck out of his concerns and issues and all that,” Carroll said. “When it comes to it, I love our country, and I think we should all stand for the opportunities when the flag is represented. But the fact that his heart is in a great place and he’s going to do great work well after the time he’s with us, it’s easy for me to support him in his issues. But I think we should all be standing up when they play the national anthem.”

“If there’s anybody you can look up to, it’s Mike. I know sometimes he may come off a little abrasive, but man the dude is such a great guy. He’s always working in the community, he’s always trying to better the young and he’s a progressive thinker. I think it’s awesome.”

Martellus Bennett on brother Michael Bennett

Martellus Bennett wouldn’t say whether he’s decided to join his brother in protest.

“I support Michael in everything he does,” Martellus Bennett said. “He’s very well-educated on what it is he wants to happen in the world and what he’s trying to communicate, and I think he does an awesome job. I love him to death, and I think he’s very courageous in the position he’s in and the things that he says, and I’m very proud to be his brother and to see him make the impact that he does — not just with stances like that but the work that he does in the community, the type of father that he is. If there’s anybody you can look up to, it’s Mike. I know sometimes he may come off a little abrasive, but man the dude is such a great guy. He’s always working in the community, he’s always trying to better the young and he’s a progressive thinker. I think it’s awesome.”

Baldwin was asked if he’s worried about a segment of fans being turned off by players sitting for the national anthem.

“No. It’s football,” Baldwin said. “I appreciate the fans who come out here and support us. But it’s football. We’re not saving lives. We’re not police officers. We’re not doctors. We’re football players, first and foremost. So if you want to stop watching the game because a guy feels strongly about a very serious topic that’s going on in our society, well then that’s your choice. You have a right to freedom of speech. So yeah, if you want to do that, all for it.

“If your feelings are hurt about a particular situation, then maybe you should ask yourself, ‘Why are my feelings being hurt about this? Why is it so important for somebody, who seems to be an intelligent human being, why is it so important for them to get this message across? Why is it so important for them to do it in this fashion? In the particular moment in which they do it? Why is it so important?’ All of us can ask ourselves those questions, and maybe we’ll be smarter human beings, a smarter society if we do that.”

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky contributed to this report.

NFL

Bucs GM on releasing Aguayo: I owned up to it

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht says his decision to release kicker Roberto Aguayo on Saturday was his way of owning up to the mistake he made in drafting Aguayo, but that won’t stop him from making bold moves in the future.

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“I’m owning up to it,” he told The MMQB.com. “I’m owning up to it by releasing him. It was a bold move, and it didn’t work out. I don’t know what else to say. I know I have the support of my coach and my ownership.

“At the time, I was bound and determined to get the best kicker we possibly could. I thought Roberto had the chance to be a special kicker in the league for a long time. That’s a position that had been a rough spot for us.

“What did I learn from this? I’ve said this before, but when we took him, we essentially anointed him. If I could do it again, I would have gone back and brought in competition to challenge him. I look back on that a lot. Roberto is a great kid, but the magnitude of that position, and the pressure on a 21-year-old — his performance is affecting the lives of men who have families to support. That got tough.”

Roberto Aguayo was under pressure to succeed with the Buccaneers from the start after the team traded up in the second round of the 2016 draft to select him. Mark LoMoglio/ Icon Sportswire

The Buccaneers’ move to trade into the second round of the 2016 draft to select Aguayo drew scrutiny from the start. Aguayo then scuffled in his rookie year, making just 71 percent (22-for-31) of his field goal attempts. He continued to struggle in training camp. The final straw came Friday night, when he missed an extra point and then missed wide right on a 47-yard field goal attempt against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Licht vowed in his interview with The MMQB.com that the experience with Aguayo would not make him “afraid of making bold moves” in the future.

“You can’t make decisions, or not make them, based on fear. I will say that you have to learn from things that didn’t work out. Whatever that is in this case, we’ll figure it out,” he told the website.

The Chicago Bears claimed Aguayo off waivers on Sunday, and he will compete with veteran Connor Barth for the team’s starting job. Barth was released by the Buccaneers after they selected Aguayo in 2016.

Aguayo on Monday called his struggles with the Buccaneers “unfortunate.”

“What we both wanted, it just never flourished. I’m excited to be here with the Bears, and I’m excited for this fresh opportunity and a new start,” he said.

ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson contributed to this report.

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