FOOTBALL

Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown can’t stay out of the news. After creating a stir with a helmet controversy and missed training camp days for a cryotherapy injury to his foot, it’s now reported that celebrity chef Stefano Tedeschi (known as “The Sports Chef”) filed a lawsuit against Brown for not paying him $38, 521 for a weekend of meals for his guests during the 2018 Pro Bowl.

Ohio State University (changed to “The Ohio State University” by the Ohio legislature in 1878) is looking to trademark the “The” when it’s used in conjunction with “Ohio State University.” According to a spokesman, “Like other institutions, Ohio State works to vigorously protect the university’s brand and trademarks,” The school is looking for the trademark to be used on clothing and hats.

FOOTBALL

Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones is trying to figure out how to keep his offensive star players happy with new lucrative deals.  Jones offered Quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and receiver Amari Cooper salaries that would rank in the top five of their positions, but the three are still negotiating. Jones expressed his disappointment in the situation and how he needed to fit their salaries within the confines of the salary cap.  He said, “It’s not like me going out here and buying something that I have to decide whether I want to just spend to have that. That’s not it at all. It’s that I’ve got to realize that I can let a DeMarcus Ware out of here because I don’t have enough money because I paid it to too many others. That’s happened to me, and I don’t want it to happen again. And, we’ve got some top talent here.”

New York Giants newly acquired wide receiver Golden Tate (who was signed as a result of the team losing Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns) lost his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the League’s Performance Enhancing Substance Policy.  Tate claims he tested positive as a result of prescribed fertility medication he was taking in the hopes he and his wife could have a third child. Tate won’t be able to take the field until October 6th against the Minnesota Vikings.

The NFL reached a multi-year agreement with music, entertainment company Roc Nation, founded by rapper and business executive Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.  In an attempt to “nurture and strengthen community through football and music, including through the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative”, Roc Nation will advise the NFL on their selection of artists for major events including the Super Bowl. The company will also collaborate on “production, promotion, and marketing of live music events” and potentially producing artists podcasts.

GYMNASTICS

With a double-double and a triple-double in the U.S. Gymnastics Championship, Simone Biles won her sixth national all-around title. Biles is the first woman in history to land a triple-double in completion on the floor.  Next up are the World Championships October 4-13th where the U.S. women won Gold last year and earned a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

FOOTBALL

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown is creating drama for refusing to wear an NFL mandated helmet. He’s even claiming he’ll sue the league if he suffers an injury while wearing the new head covering. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brown has claimed he’ll retire if he is not allowed to wear his old helmet. In addition to the gear issue, Brown has reportedly missed practices for dealing with frostbite in his feet after not using the proper protection in a cryotherapy chamber.

FOOTBALL

We’re in the first week of the NFL preseason’s four-week schedule. It’s a great chance for teams to get practice before the regular season begins, but most of the high profile stars aren’t playing full games for fear of injury. In fact, there’s a move to shrink the number of games in the preseason. According to a member of the NFL’s competition committee, Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, “The reality is that the preseason is changing pretty rapidly. The quality is not good, and it’s changing for the worse in terms of the quality of games. Even if you went to two [per team], I still think with the salaries that we’re paying, that people will be just reluctant to expose players to injuries. So you would have to figure out how much preseason you need to develop and evaluate young players. Veterans just don’t need it.”

Even though most of the star athletes only took a few snaps, there were some standout performances. The number one pick in the NFL, Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, had an almost flawless debut going 6 for 7 for 44 yards in a 17-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The New York Giants controversial #6th pick in the draft, Daniel Jones, had a solid drive with a touchdown and no incompletions to beat the New York Jets 31-22.

One of the best stories of the preseason was Sheehy-Giuseppi earning a spot on the Cleveland Browns roster by pretending to know the VP of player personnel. He made the story even better this weekend by catching an 86-yard punt return touchdown in the Browns’ 30-10 win over the Washington Redskins.

FOOTBALL

Former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick has been out of football for three seasons, but recently posted on social media that he was “still ready” to play and was in top shape.  Kaepernick settled a collusion case against the NFL in February where he claimed his protests against police brutality and the US treatment of black people prevented him from getting picked up by a team.

BASKETBALL

Kevin Durant told the media he doesn’t hold the Golden State Warriors responsible for his Achilles’ tendon injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals this season. Durant said, “Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no. I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back. It was only me and [trainer] Rick [Celebrini] working out every day. Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. S— happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that s— because I’m going to be back playing.” In July, Durant signed a four-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets $164 million.

In case of an injury there are lawyers that deal with such cases as well like the ones at Scott C. Nolan law firm DUI charges in Fairfax.

BASEBALL

The New York Mets are hitting their stride and are now over .500. Unfortunately, though,  they also received some upsetting news that their second baseman Robinson Cano has a torn left hamstring, and they are uncertain when he’ll be able to return.

BASKETBALL

In an odd story from EuroHoops, a former Ohio University basketball player D.J. Cooper was trying to make a Bosnian national team but failed his drug test because it revealed he was pregnant. Cooper received a two-year suspension for using his pregnant girlfriend’s urine (which contained the hormone gHC which is produced in pregnancy) instead of his own. In case of drug addiction, hire blue cross residential treatment center

FOOTBALL

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady received a two-year $70 million contract extension bringing his salary to $23 million for 2019, $30 million for 2020 and #32 million for 2021. Brady just turned 42 years old and is showing no signs of slowing down. As a six-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, he is only the 10th highest-paid quarterback in the league with Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson all making more than Brady this season.

GAMING

Gaming superstar Ninja, aka Tyler Blevins, rocked the streaming world by announcing he’s switching platforms from Twitch (owned by Amazon) to Mixer which is run by Microsoft. Ninja explained the move saying, “Mixer provides me with more ways to connect with my community.” Ninja has over 14 millions followers on Twitch, but his management team will be looking to bring his fans to Mixer and will start by him hosting his first Mixer livestream on Friday from the music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago. Ninja is also reported to be writing three books and a graphic novel.

BASEBALL

The Oakland A’s made a baseball fan’s dreams come true when they signed him to a contract after he threw a ball 96 mph in a speed-pitch booth at Coors Field while at a game with his brother. 23-year old Nathan Patterson played high school baseball, but didn’t start getting serious about playing until last summer when he began working out.

FOOTBALL

The college preseason Amway Coaches poll revealed almost no surprises. Clemson was easily ranked #1 while Alabama came in at #2. The rest of the top five went to Georgia at #3, Oklahoma at #4, and Ohio State at #5.

BASEBALL

The Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went, and the most notable and celebrated move came from the  Houston Astros. The Astros traded for 35-year old Zack Greinke who joins Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. The team now appears primed for a successful postseason run and emerge as favorites to win the World Series.

For more on the Winners and Losers from the trade deadline, click here.