Matt Mitrione apologizes

Matt Mitrione apologizes for comments, plans to make amends to LGBT community

Matt Mitrione

UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione (6-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has thus far remained silent in regards to his recent suspension for breaching the UFC's code of conduct. But with the promotion's inquiry into the incident complete, Mitrione wants the world to know he's sorry for the remarks. "I want to apologize for my hurtful comments about Fallon Fox and a group within our society which, in truth, I know nothing about," Mitrione told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I know now there’s an important line between expressing an opinion on a subject and being hurtful and insensitive. I crossed that line by expressing my views in an ugly, rude and inappropriate manner." The UFC froze Mitrione's contract earlier this month for offensive remarks he made about transgender fighter Fallon Fox. He also was fined an undisclosed amount and, according to UFC President Dana White, complained about the hit to his pocketbook. In the midst of a rant about Fox's career as a professional MMA fighter, Mitrione called the 37-year-old a "lying, sociopathic freak." "Earlier this month, heavyweight competitor Matt Mitrione made offensive and hurtful remarks about an individual from the transgender community during an appearance on the 'MMA Hour' broadcast," UFC Executive Vice President and COO Lawrence Epstein explained. "The UFC immediately suspended Mr. Mitrione from all duties relating to his position as a UFC athlete, pending the results of an investigation. "As communicated to Mr. Mitrione in the form of a written reprimand, that investigation found he went beyond expressing an honestly held belief and that his comments represented a significant breach of the UFC's code of conduct. As a result, Mr. Mitrione received a significant monetary penalty." UFC officials declined to reveal the amount of Mitrione's fine. However, multiple sources close to the situation repeatedly addressed the value as "significant." Mitrione's pay for his recent UFC on FUEL TV 9 win was not disclosed. This past December, he was paid $12,000 for a loss to Roy Nelson. He would have earned another $12,000 with a win. Many MMA pundits have taken issue with Mitrione's short suspension, which lasted just 16 days before he was recently booked for a summer fight with Brendan Schaub. However, as White previously explained, Epstein said the company believed the undisclosed fine was enough of a punishment and that preventing him from another opportunity at a fight purse was simply inappropriate in this situation. In short, the suspension was never meant to offer any punitive recourse but rather to prevent Mitrione from making any public appearances as a UFC fighter while the promotion was still deciding what course to take. "Mr. Mitrione has expressed genuine contrition for the harm he caused," Epstein said. "Matt is not a hateful person, and we are confident in his sincerity to make amends." UFC officials said they are currently in contact with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to help Mitrione determine how best to work toward repairing his relationship with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In the meantime, Mitrione said he regrets his choice of words and will ensure that he never again makes the same mistake. "I know there are people who look up to UFC athletes, and I let them and myself down by setting a very poor example," Mitrione said. "I also want to apologize to Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and everyone associated with the UFC. "Anyone can say, 'I'm sorry' to get themselves out of trouble. That's not the kind of person I want to be. I am embarrassed I chose to express myself in such a fashion and am looking forward to living up to this apology through my future actions, words and conduct." Earlier today, Mitrione took to Twitter to express his displeasure with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones labeling of him as a "scumbag" and challenged "Bones" to move up a division and fight him at heavyweight. Mitrione declined to comment further on those remarks at this time in hopes of keeping the focus on his apology.

source link: www.mmajunkie.com

Packers Sign Rodgers to $110M Contract Extension

Packers Sign Rodgers to $110M Contract Extension

This ought to give Aaron Rodgers better memories of the NFL draft. The Green Bay Packers signed their franchise quarterback Friday to a five-year contract extension through the 2019 season, eight years after they stopped his slide down the draft board and took him with the 24th pick in the first round. The deal, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not released the details, is worth as much as $110 million, with $40 million guaranteed. The $22 million annual average of the extension is the highest salary in NFL history, slightly trumping the $120.6 million that the Baltimore Ravens gave quarterback Joe Flacco last month over six years. "I'm excited to know my future is here and I'll be here for a lot longer," Rodgers said inside the locker room at Lambeau Field. Locking up Rodgers was a priority for the Packers, who also reached a long-term extension with linebacker Clay Matthews this month worth as much as $66 million over five years. The Packers are 53-27 in five years with Rodgers as the starter, and he led them to the Super Bowl title following the 2010 season.
"An exciting day for our football program," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Aaron is an excellent illustration of a Green Bay Packer. It is truly a blessing to witness his continued accomplishments, both on and off the field." Rodgers has thrown for 21,661 yards and 171 touchdowns, and he has had a quarterback rating of 101.2 or better in all but one season as a starter. His quarterback rating of 122.5 in 2011 is an NFL record. The finalization of the extension, which was worked on for the last few months, came on the same late-April weekend on which Rodgers was snubbed by almost every other team in the NFL draft. A standout at Cal, Rodgers was expected to be taken early in the first round in 2005. But he soon found himself alone in the green room. Rodgers acknowledged that prove-the-doubters-wrong attitude he's used to his benefit throughout his career since that day he was ignored by so many in the draft. "I have a good memory, and I'm driven to be the best," Rodgers said. "Obviously, there's a couple less critics out there now, but I still put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve the goals I set for myself here and enjoy trying to meet the challenge that those goals bring and also opposing teams bring." Draft day wasn't the only rough spot for Rodgers in his career. He arrived in Green Bay as the backup to Brett Favre, who wasn't thrilled the team had found his heir apparent. Favre kept fans and the franchise on their toes every offseason from then on, flirting with the idea of retiring but always coming back. When the tension finally snapped in 2008 — Favre retired, changed his mind and asked for his job back — Rodgers found himself in the middle of the most-bitter divorce in Wisconsin history. Favre was traded to the New York Jets during training camp, but many fans remained loyal to him. They took their anger at the organization out on Rodgers, even booing him at the team's "Family Night" scrimmage. Rodgers kept his composure, never firing back at fans or even publicly criticizing Favre.

Rodgers played well in his first year as a starter. Despite a 6-10 record, he showed flashes of why general manager Ted Thompson had such faith in him, and fans began to come around. Any lingering animosity disappeared after he led the Packers to the playoffs following the 2009 season, and he's now one of the most beloved figures in Wisconsin sports history. The Wisconsin Legislature designated Dec. 12, 2012, as "Aaron Rodgers Day," and students and workers throughout the state were encouraged to celebrate by wearing his jersey.
When he was shown on the scoreboard at the Milwaukee Bucks' playoff game against the Miami Heat on Thursday, he got one of the biggest cheers of the night.
Rodgers holds four of Green Bay's top five single-season marks for passer rating (2009-12) and two of the top three for passing TDs (2011-12). He also has three of the top four records for completion percentage (2010-12) and two of the top three for passing yards (2009, 2011).
Rodgers will be 36 when the deal ends. He said he thinks he has at least eight years left in his legs and his body, when asked if wondered if this would be his last contract.
"A lot of times you don't see a deal all the way through if you're playing well. It's just the nature of some of these contracts. That's a long way off. In order to even get to that conversation, it's going to take many years in a row at a consistently high level of play for me, which I expect to do," Rodgers said. "And I'm going to get myself in the best shape mentally and physically to do that, and hopefully we can have that conversation in seven years where I can still play and maybe we can keep this thing going."

source link: http://abcnews.go.com

Chael Sonnen Is Still Not Taking This Fight Very Seriously

Chael Sonnen Is Still Not Taking This Fight Very Seriously

Chael Sonnen Promo

Chael Sonnen is now three days away from his Light Heavyweight Championship match against Jon ‘Bones’ Jones at UFC 159. Yesterday, we shared the pre-fight conference call, wherein Chael eschewed his traditional spew of wordy hatred to lovingly cradle Jon Jones’ reputation in his arms and gently kiss its forehead. We wondered what was up with Chael, and reader Iron Mike Sharpie put it best when he said he reads Sonnen’s comments as, “Please don’t put me in a coma, okay?” That overwhelming sense of “what the f**k are you doing” continued on SportsCenter, where an interview with Sonnen started with his totally normal white person request to touch the reporter’s hair and ended in a WWE-style promo so sing-songy it could’ve come from the mouth of The Rock himself. You know, if Rock could say that many words in a row without having to stop and catch his breath. Here’s the clip. Warning: If you are Jon Jones, this is somehow going to make you even less scared. The “Chael Sonnen did something kinda racist” thing is obvious, so a lot of sites (like our friends over at Cage Potato) have taken the opposing, “don’t pretend like Chael Sonnen did something racist, liberal soapbox something something.” And yeah, I get it, Chael Sonnen asking to touch the black lady’s hair is more “Chael Sonnen” than “racist,” but for anyone reading who is not famous for being a weird asshole, asking to touch a black person’s hair and remarking on live television about how shocked you are that it is soft is probably not a thing you should do, okay. We’ll give Sonnen a break here, though. He’s only got three more days to live, he can do whatever he wants.

source link: http://withleather.uproxx.com

Penske Racing gets date in court May 1 before NASCAR appeal panel

Penske Racing gets date in court

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Penske Racing will take its appeal of penalties and fines against defending champion Brad Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano before a three-member NASCAR panel next week.
NASCAR selects the panel from a list of 48 people — former car owners, crew chiefs and drivers, as well as current track promoters and industry veterans. Their identities will not be revealed until after their decision, which can be appealed to NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook. The May 1 appeal will be conducted at the Research and Development Center in Concord.
The  have been one of the biggest stories of the season so far. NASCAR seized parts from the rear suspensions of both Penske cars during pre-race inspections at Texas, accusing the team of using unapproved parts in the rear housing.
NASCAR docked 25 points each from Keselowski and Logano in the driver and owner standings, fined crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon $100,000 each, and suspended Wolfe, Gordon, car chiefs Jerry Kelley and Raymond Fox, engineers Brian Wilson and Samuel Stanley and Penske competition director Travis Geisler for six points races.
All seven suspended employees were put on probation through Dec. 31. Penske officials say they are concerned that’s more than double the probation any previous infraction received.
Team owner Roger Penske told The Associated Press the parts were approved, but NASCAR alleged they had been modified before use.
“NASCAR has approved parts and unapproved parts. The parts that we had were approved parts, they are concerned that we modified them. That’s where the discussion is,” he said. “From an overall standpoint, NASCAR felt what we had provided them for approval, then these parts were different during the inspection process.”
Penske also said the team was working in a gray area of the rule book.
“I certainly don’t think it’s cheating,” Penske said. “You are looking at the rules and you are working in a gray area. We all work in the gray areas. We’re trying to be as competitive as we can be, we’ve got very creative minds and it takes a lot of creative minds to be competitive. There are many different areas we are all working on. We just looked at a particular rule that maybe NASCAR has a different view of. Now we’ll get a chance to have an unbiased panel look at it.”
Penske President Tim Cindric researched and found the three-member appeals panel has not overturned a NASCAR penalty regarding body infractions in the last three years. But, crew members are allowed to work during the appeal, and teams use the time to restructure and prepare for when the penalties are enforced.
Last year, Middlebrook overturned a six-race suspension for Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus and restored 25 points for five-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
Knaus had been punished for allegedly modifying sheet metal on Johnson’s car at Daytona. Middlebrook left intact the $100,000 fine against Knaus.
This time, NASCAR has not revealed many details of its case against Penske.
Teams very much were manipulating the rear suspensions of their cars last year, and NASCAR slowly addressed the issue through a series of technical bulletins issued over the course of the season. The rule book was specifically tightened this season, with added language to the passage demanding that all suspension systems and components must be presented “in a completed form/assembly” prior to being used in competition.
A second new passage clearly states, “all front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel.” That puts in writing that NASCAR will not tolerate teams altering the skew of the rear ends the way they did a year ago.
Penske said there was no prior warning from NASCAR that the team was potentially in violation of the rules, and that Logano’s car had already cleared tech at Texas before inspectors called him back after taking parts from Keselowski’s car. Logano barely made the start of the race.

Source Link: www.washingtonpost.com

Van Persie treble fires Manchester United to 20th title

 Manchester United to 20th title

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie celebrates after scoring the opening goal in Monday's 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

All the talk this season has been that Robin van Persie is the difference between winning the English Premier League title, or not. Roberto Mancini wanted to sign him after his Manchester City side won a first championship in 44 years on the final day of the 2011-12 campaign. Much to his chagrin, even the deep pockets of the club's Abu Dhabi owners could not tempt the Dutchman. Even worse for the Italian, and for Arsenal fans hoping he would stay in London, the 29-year-old decided to join Manchester United for what has proved to be a bargain initial $34 million. Having never won a title at any of his previous clubs, the striker opted for Old Trafford -- and it has paid off handsomely. His first-half hat-trick in Monday's 3-0 win over struggling Aston Villa clinched a record-extending 20th English crown for United, and put him back on top of the EPL scoring charts. While City's top scorer Carlos Tevez has 11 this season, Van Persie has 24 -- one more than Liverpool's Luis Suarez, who may miss the rest of this season after being charged with violent conduct for biting a Chelsea opponent on Sunday. "I'm very happy but it's weird. I had to wait for so long for my first title and it's a great feeling," Van Persie said in a post-match interview after United moved 16 points clear of second-placed City. Two of his goals were set up by 39-year-old Ryan Giggs, who claimed his 13th EPL title since starting his career with United. The second was a spectacular volley following a lofted pass from England striker Wayne Rooney, which virtually ended the game as a contest as early as the 13th minute. "It was a great ball from Wayne, so the only thing I had to do was guide it right and hit it properly and it went in great," said the Netherlands international, whose efforts this season will cost United an extra $2 million in add-on fees. He went 10 games without a goal as United crashed out of the European Champions League, but has bounced back with five in the last three matches. Rooney has had to play second fiddle in the goalscoring stakes, but was able to celebrate his 400th United appearance with an impressive performance from a deeper-lying role. "It's what we've worked all year for and we've fully deserved it. We won this game in the first half and it is a fantastic night for us," Rooney said. "When you lose the title it's hard to take, and the way we did it wasn't a nice feeling last time so we've all dug in deep and all worked together and done fantastic to put ourselves in the position tonight to finish the job off." Last season United blew an eight-point lead before surrendering the title in the final minutes as City snatched an injury-time victory. This season United did not let up, while City dropped points against lesser teams. "You can go on and on about losing a title but at the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years is unbelievable," said United manager Alex Ferguson, who has also won 13 titles since joining in 1986. "The focus of the team was good, they focused on the challenge of City and came up trumps." Read: EPL co-owner tops rich list The 71-year-old, the most successful manager since the EPL began in 1992, acknowledged the contribution of Van Persie this season. "He's been unbelievable, his early form in the first six months was fantastic. He had the spell where he didn't score (for 10 games) but he was unbelievable tonight." Ferguson's team can break the EPL points record held by Chelsea with victories in the club's four remaining games. "We've now got 84 points with four games left -- we've never done that," he said when asked where this season's achievement ranks. "We've won most of our games, drawn three, lost four, and the goal tonight (Van Persie's volley) ... all the great goals we've scored over the years, from David Beckham through Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric Cantona, that goal has joined that. These players have joined the pedestal." While the result will likely quell any further protests against United's U.S. owners, the Glazer family -- unpopular after their highly leveraged takeover in 2005 -- the situation is not so positive for another American in charge of an EPL club. The defeat left Randy Lerner's Aston Villa three points above the relegation zone, having played one more match than the third-bottom team, Wigan. Villa manager Paul Lambert was relieved his side did not suffer a repeat of December's 8-0 defeat at Chelsea, having gone behind after just 90 seconds against United and then trailed 3-0 after 32 minutes. "We wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. Credit to them they kept on going against a brilliant side, the best in the country," Lambert said. "Congratulations to Man Utd. They have been the best team all season. They work really hard, they work for each other, they have a mentality that has been here for years and years. The best team always wins the league."

source link:www.cnn.com

Openly Gay Former College Kicker Alan Gendreau Trying to Catch on in NFL

Openly Gay Former College Kicker Alan Gendreau Trying to Catch on in NFL.

Kicker

Over this offseason, there has been much speculation about the possibility of an openly gay player in the NFL. At one point it was rumored that as many as four players were contemplating coming out. Former Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo not only openly campaigned in support of a potentially gay player, but at one point implied he was in contact with one or more in the NFL. None of that has come to fruition, but if former Middle Tennessee State kicker Alan Gendreau realizes his dream, he could be the first openly gay player in pro football. In a profile by The New York Times’ John Branch — the same writer who famously profiled the life and death of former NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard — Gendreau talks about his dream to play in the NFL. He says his goal isn’t necessarily to break barriers, just realize his own athletic potential.
“I’m a kicker that happens to be gay,” says Gendreau. “It’s a part of who I am, and not everything I am. I just want to be known as a normal kicker.” Gendreau has actually told his story before, albeit anonymously. Back in his freshman year, the now-23-year-old Gendreau wrote about his experiences for SB Nation’s Outsports.com. However, he hid his identity in part due to worry about how it might affect his NFL prospects. After his senior season in 2011, though, Gendreau went undrafted and was unable to latch onto an NFL team. Although he made 28 of 34 field goal attempts in his sophomore and junior seasons, a 1-for-5 stretch at the beginning of his senior year likely hurt his chances.
Gendreau gave up football at that point, but after some encouraging words from fellow coaches at football camp this past summer, he decided to give his NFL dream another try. Likewise, though Gendreau says his goal is for personal reasons, he doesn’t mind being something of a role model, too. “My whole thing in this is just to help anybody who is struggling with coming out,” Gendreau said. “I want people to know that I didn’t have a problem with it, and they shouldn’t, either. “… I’m not in the NFL. If that were to happen, I’d love to be that role model to anybody struggling. I know that’s a lot of pressure, but that’s the life of a kicker.”

Source Link:http://nesn.com

Korean tensions scare off U.S. golfers

 American players pulling out due to security fears. 

U.S. golfer Dustin Johnson

The sponsor of a top golf tournament in South Korea insists it is safe to go ahead despite two American players pulling out due to security fears.

U.S. Ryder Cup stars Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson withdrew from the Ballantine's Championship Monday, citing concerns over recent tensions between North and South Korea.

"They have reached this decision following perceived unrest on the Korean Peninsula and can no longer assure their commitment to this year's event," Ballantine's said in a statement on the website of the European Tour, which co-sanctions the tournament with the Asian Tour.

Now held at the Blackstone course at Icheon, 60 kilometers south of the capital Seoul, the €2,205,000 ($2.85 million) event was the first staged in South Korea in 2008 on the island of Jeju.

"Ballantine's and the European Tour would like to reiterate that the tournament is going ahead as planned with a full field of European, Asian and Korean PGA Tour members," the statement added.

"Ballantine's has been kept fully up to date on relevant issues and the European Tour has also been liaising with key decision makers, including the Foreign Office, who have not warned of any increased risk to those traveling to or within the country.

World No. 30 Zach Johnson, who won the 2007 Masters, said he did not want to take the risk following North Korea's recent threats against its neighbor and its move to test missiles and restart its nuclear program.

"It was one of those things where the women in my life really didn't feel like it was necessary for me to go," the 37-year-old from Iowa told the Des Moines Register, referring to his wife, mother and young daughter.

Read: The $74M golf course in Korea that nobody plays

"The posture and rhetoric that is taking place right now makes it not worth it. And it probably is just posture and rhetoric. However, I don't want to take the chance."

World No. 19 Dustin Johnson, who played at the Korean event in 2011, had similar concerns.

"I feel bad for the tournament," said the 28-year-old, whose partner is Paulina Gretzky, the model daughter of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. "They were gracious and understanding. Hopefully it will work out in the future."

The tournament, which starts on Thursday, will feature three former major champions in South Africa's world No. 6 Louis Oosthuizen, South Korean veteran Y.E. Yang and Britain's Paul Lawrie.

source link: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/23/sport/golf/korea-dustin-zach-johnson-golf/index.html?hpt=isp_c1