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Soccer

Football community sends messages of support for ailing Sir Alex Ferguson

The football world came together to send messages of support for Sir Alex Ferguson after the legendary Manchester United manager was rushed to hospital to undergo surgery Saturday for a brain hemorrhage.

United released a statement, saying that the procedure went “very well” and that Ferguson will enter a period of “intensive care.”

Following confirmation, best wishes throughout the football community began to pour in. From Premier League clubs and players, to teams throughout Europe, including Aberdeen who the Scottish gaffer led to European glory before his move to United, there was no shortage of messages wishing the 76-year-old a speedy recovery:

There was even a message of support from outside the football community, as the Chicago White Sox, a team impacted by a similar incident when pitcher Danny Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage last month, offered their “positive thoughts” to Ferguson:

NFL

Seahawks rookie Griffin: 'Time to get to work'
11:14 PM ET

  • Brady HendersonESPN

RENTON, Wash. — Shaquem Griffin said he has no problem with all the attention he has received as perhaps the biggest story of the 2018 NFL draft. But after what he described as a “whirlwind” period of media interviews and an unforgettable experience on draft day, he’s turning his focus squarely to football.

“Now that’s over with and it’s time for us to get to work and make sure I give high competition,” he said, “make sure I give the coaches a chance to see who I am and make sure I can do my best to make sure I can make my players better and help anybody I can.”

The first step toward that goal came Friday, when Griffin joined the Seattle Seahawks’ other eight draft picks, 15 undrafted free agents and dozens of other players for the start of the team’s three-day rookie minicamp. It was Griffin’s first practice with the Seahawks since they chose him in the fifth round, making him the first player in the NFL’s modern era with one hand to be drafted and reuniting him with his twin brother, Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin, in the process.

“Quem looked very aggressive,” coach Pete Carroll said of Friday’s practice. “We had to slow him down in some stuff early in the practice. In the walk-throughs, he was going too hard so we had to chill him out a little bit. But he’s very excited about being here. He’s a very, very good-looking prospect. He’s big and fast and he had a good feel for what’s going on. Obviously, [Shaquill] had done a little bit of tutoring. He was ahead of us a little bit, which was good.”

The Seahawks selected Shaquem Griffin in the fifth round, making him the first player in the NFL’s modern era with one hand to be drafted. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

The speed that the Seahawks had to temper Friday was part of what drew them to Griffin, who was clocked at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine — the fastest time by a linebacker in more than a decade. The Seahawks are putting him at the weak-side linebacker spot, where they feel his speed and relatively smaller frame are best suited. For now, he’s projected to back up former Pro Bowler K.J. Wright and compete for a part-time role on defense in addition to playing on special teams.

Griffin, listed at 227 pounds, said he has added a few pounds since the scouting combine and plans to meet with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches this weekend to make sure he knows what weight they want him playing at.

“I feel pretty comfortable there,” he said of the weak-side spot. “When I was at UCF, I played a lot of different positions, so I don’t feel uncomfortable moving around. I feel like where they put me at right now is a pretty good fit. It doesn’t matter where I play at — as long as I get an opportunity to help better my team in any aspect, I’ll play anything.”

Griffin isn’t taking anything for granted. When asked what it’s like to be done with the “auditioning” of the pre-draft process, he offered a correction.

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“Well, everyone here is still auditioning, so I wouldn’t say the auditioning part is over,” he said. “Everybody’s out here fighting to get a spot, fighting to get on the 53-man roster. That’s what I don’t want nobody to get beside of because no spots are a given out there. You’ve got to work your butt off. This is a great team and you’re going to learn from great leaders and great players, and the only thing you have to do is keep working your butt off and eventually you’re going to get to where you want to go.”

Griffin’s quest to reach the NFL has become a wildly popular story. He told ESPN last month that his mother was getting stopped in public for picture requests. The family even fielded interview requests from China and Italy.

“Just deal with it and then keep moving forward,” Shaquem said of all the attention he has received. “It’s nothing really for me to be able to say it’s overwhelming or anything. It’s just, you do the interviews, you interact with everybody and you make sure that, at the end of the day, you focus on why you’re here and that’s to play football and make sure I can contribute as a teammate.”

Carroll called it “extremely important” for Griffin to shift his focus to football.

“It’s been a great story. It will always be a great story, but right now he’s got work to do and he’s got focus that he’s got to generate,” Carroll said. “There’s a lot of people tugging on him for all of the right reasons and all that, but I know he’s very determined and we are to help him in his pursuit of making the club and making the spot and all of that.

“He’s like everybody else. He’s got to compete like everybody. He’s going to do it. He’s going to bring it. But it’s important, and the fact that he’s talking to you guys about it, he understands and he’s gotten the message and he’s very clear about it. So we appreciate [the media] giving him a chance for everybody that’s working. It’s just such a wonderful story — he’s a wonderful kid and all that. I get it. But right now, it’s ball.”

Soccer

Pallotta 'dying of laughter' after UEFA charges him for referee rant

Roma president James Pallotta is still seething at the officiating during his side’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Liverpool on Wednesday, so is refusing to take his UEFA charge for “improper conduct” seriously.

The American ranted into a camera after the match, declaring that video assistant referees are needed in the competition. He cited several flashpoints from the semi-final second leg which could’ve been called in Roma’s favour, including when a shot from Stephan El Shaarawy was clearly deflected over by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hand.

Liverpool eventually won 7-6 on aggregate, although the scoreline wasn’t reflective of the clear superiority the Reds exerted over Roma during various chunks of the doubleheader, especially in the first meeting.

“I’m surprised by the opening of this disciplinary procedure,” Pallotta told Italian news agency ANSA, as translated by The Associated Press. “For me, it is UEFA’s conduct which is inappropriate. What do I think? I’m dying of laughter.”

Pallotta’s rant was a sorry end to an incredible run by the Giallorossi. The club was expected to be entering a period of transition following the arrival of sporting director Monchi and the departures of key players in Mohamed Salah and Antonio Rudiger. However, the windfall from this unforeseen charge into the Champions League’s final four should put Roma in fine financial shape at the beginning of this new era.

Related: Why Roma has reasons for optimism after deep Champions League run

Roma plays Cagliari, Juventus, and Sassuolo to round off its Serie A campaign, and possesses a four-point cushion in the Champions League qualification places.

NFL

John Schneider: Seahawks aren't trying to trade Earl Thomas
11:19 PM ET

  • Brady HendersonESPN

SEATTLE — The chances of the Seattle Seahawks trading Earl Thomas diminished considerably over the weekend when he remained with the team through the second day of the NFL draft.

Another indication a trade isn’t likely came Thursday, when general manager John Schneider said in an interview with Seattle’s Sports Radio 950 KRJ that the team isn’t trying to move its All-Pro free safety. Specifically, he was asked if the Seahawks are still “actively” looking for a trade partner.

“Nope, not actively looking for that,” Schneider responded. “Nope.”

Earl Thomas, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and arguably the NFL’s best safety, isn’t likely to be traded. Jeff Halstead/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

Asked if the Seahawks had looked to trade Thomas, Schneider said it’s his job to consider everything.

“The way to answer that is that we’re not doing our job if we don’t listen to everybody,” he said. “If you guys could sit next to me throughout the draft, you’d be blown away with what you hear. You have to be ready to make decisions all the way through whether it’s the first round, third round or fifth round with players that are on their restricted tenders that want to be moved, so there’s names being thrown around all the time.”

That’s been a common response from Schneider to questions about a possible Thomas trade, which has been one of the more pressing topics of Seattle’s offseason. It has persisted for several reasons.

Thomas is entering the final year of his contract and at one point mentioned the possibility of holding out if he didn’t get a new deal, though his stance on that may have changed. This comes at a time when the Seahawks are reshaping their roster at the expense of some of their star players such as Richard Sherman (released), Michael Bennett (traded) and Jimmy Graham (left in free agency), to name a few. The Dallas Cowboys also have known interest in Thomas. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys may continue to pursue Thomas before the 2018 season.

However, the best chance of a trade almost certainly came and went along with the second day of the draft. That’s because a trade now would have to include 2019 draft picks, which wouldn’t be nearly as valuable to the Seahawks since they can no longer draft an immediate replacement.

But it’s worth noting that at no point have the Seahawks slammed the door on a possible trade.

The next question: Will the Seahawks extend Thomas before the season? Schneider was noncommittal when asked Thursday if he foresees any talks with Thomas’ representatives about a new deal in the near future.

“That’s hard to tell. I mean, he’s under contract for next year,” Schneider said. “From a timing standpoint, that’s not something I’m going to get into. But obviously, everybody loves Earl. We all know he’s a Hall of Fame-caliber player. Like I said, he’s the second player we ever picked here. He’s just been a huge inspiration all the way through. The guys a tempo-setter at practice and overcame his injury, and he’s been doing great ever since.”

Thomas was the NFL’s highest-paid safety in terms of annual average when he signed a four-year, $40 million extension in 2014, but he’s since fallen to sixth, with teammate Kam Chancellor ($12 million) among those who have surpassed him. He first raised the possibility of holding out in an interview with ESPN from the Pro Bowl in January, but Schneider said last month that he’s been told by Thomas’ representatives that he won’t hold out.

Is there any concern on Schneider’s part that Thomas’ attitude may change if he doesn’t get a new deal before the season?

“I don’t think so,” Schneider said. “He plays the game 100 miles an hour. He only knows how to do this in one manner, and that’s just all out. So no, I wouldn’t think that would be a factor for him.”

Schneider also said in the KJR interview that the team “would love” to extend left tackle Duane Brown before the season. Brown has one year left on the contract the Seahawks inherited when they acquired him in a trade with the Houston Texans in October. The Seahawks gave up their third-round pick in that deal, which is why Schneider said he considered Brown to be, in a sense, a part of Seattle’s recent draft class.

“We had to keep looking over at that card too — right? — in the third round, like, ‘OK, he’s part of this too,'” Schneider said. “When we made that move, we were hoping to lock him up, have him finish his career here.”

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