The Big Ten announced Thursday that they will cancel the remainder of their men&#8217;s college basketball conference tournament, reversing an earlier decision to play the games, just without an audience of spectators.
&#8220;The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately,&#8221; the league said in a statement sent to sports reporters Thursday morning. &#8220;The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.&#8221;
&#8220;The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.&#8221;
&#8220;From an advice standpoint, whether it&#8217;s the NCAA or any person in my seat, make sure you put the student-athletes at the center of your decision,&#8221; the Big Ten&#8217;s commissioner Kevin Warren, said in a news conference held Thursday afternoon. &#8220;And if you do that, you&#8217;ll make the right decision.&#8221;
Several games were scheduled for Thursday afternoon, including a game between Rutgers and the University of Michigan. Players were told of the news while they were warming up and were sent back to their respective locker rooms.
Four Big Ten teams played in two games on Wednesday night. The league will suspend the results of those two contests pending the possibility of a later &#8220;make-up&#8221; tournament.
Winners of the Big Ten tournament typically receive bids to join the NCAA&#8217;s master tournament, which is scheduled to begin next week.
&#8220;Some things are bigger than basketball,&#8221; University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard said in a statement after his team&#8217;s game ended prematurely. &#8220;This is a global situation and we need to make sure we follow the guidance and direction of the experts and health officials. While we are disappointed of not being able to play this event&#8230;we need to stay bonded together during this time.&#8221;
&#8220;The SEC, Big 12, Pac 12, Mid-American, American Athletic Conference and Atlantic 10&#8221; followed the Big Ten&#8217;s lead and &#8220;canceled the remainder of their conference tournaments on Thursday,&#8221; <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2020/03/12/remainder-2020-big-ten-mens-basketball-tournament-canceled-amid-coronavirus-concerns/5031629002/">according to the Indianpolis Star</a>. &#8220;The Ivy League was the first Division I conference to scupper its conference tournament on Tuesday.&#8221;
That leaves the future of the NCAA&#8217;s &#8220;March Madness&#8221; men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s college basketball tournaments up in the air. The ACC and the SEC will award automatic NCAA tournament bids to their respective regular-season champions instead of awarding those same bids to the winners of the SEC and ACC tournaments, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/coronavirus-updates-major-college-basketball-conferences-cancel-league-tournaments/live/">according to CBS Sports</a>, but it&#8217;s not clear whether the Big Ten or any other league will send athletes to &#8220;March Madness.&#8221;
The NCAA did announce Wednesday that its men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s tournament games will be held in smaller venues without an audience, in order to protect athletes and spectators from contracting coronavirus. &#8216;The NCAA has clarified that refunds will be provided for all fans who hold tournament tickets,&#8221; CBS Sports reported.
The National Invitational Tournament, which hosts teams that don&#8217;t get NCAA bids, is following the NCAA&#8217;s lead and playing its games without audiences. The College Basketball Invitational, which hosts teams that fail to make both the NCAA and the NIT has canceled its tournament altogether.
The NBA announced Thursday night that it would be suspending all regular season games after two players tested positive for the coronavirus.

Big Ten

SHOCK: Big Ten Cancels Tournament Games Over Coronavirus Fears, ‘March Madness’ Now In Doubt

Basketball

NCAA

The NCAA announced on Wednesday that the upcoming NCAA tournament will not be open to the public in an effort to combat the coronavirus, which originated in China.
&#8220;The NCAA continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel,&#8221; NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. &#8220;Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance.&#8221;
&#8220;While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,&#8221; Emmert continued. &#8220;This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.&#8221;
Emmert&#8217;s statement came moments after the NCAA coronavirus panel released a <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/statement-ncaa-covid-19-advisory-panel-ncaa-events">statement</a> recommending that there be no fans allowed at the games:
<blockquote>The NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel recognizes the fluidity of COVID-19 and its impact on hosting events in a public space. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the United States, and behavioral risk mitigation strategies are the best option for slowing the spread of this disease. This is especially important because mildly symptomatic individuals can transmit COVID-19. Given these considerations, coupled with a more unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 in older adults – especially those with underlying chronic medical conditions – we recommend against sporting events open to the public. We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects our players, employees, and fans.</blockquote>
As of Wednesday, the U.S. had over 1,100 confirmed coronavirus cases with 31 deaths.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/11/814460233/coronavirus-1-000-cases-now-in-u-s-and-it-s-going-to-get-worse-fauci-says">warned</a> during a congressional testimony on Wednesday that the situation was going to get worse.
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Incredible news!!! Getting a coronavirus vaccine into Phase 1 of testing has occurred the fastest “that anyone has ever done literally in the history of vaccinology.” &#8211; Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH <a href="https://t.co/T02OiOzPPi">pic.twitter.com/T02OiOzPPi</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1237853119586824199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,&#8221; Fauci said. &#8220;How much worse we&#8217;ll get will depend on our ability to do two things: to contain the influx of people who are infected coming from the outside, and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country.&#8221;
&#8220;Bottom line, it&#8217;s going to get worse,&#8221; Fauci continued. &#8220;We need to know how many people &#8230; are infected, as we say, under the radar screen.&#8221;
Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified, &#8220;As we experience the growing community spread in the United States, the burden of confronting this outbreak is shifting to states and local health professionals on the front lines.&#8221;
This report has been updated to include additional information.

NCAA Championship Game: Michigan State Spartans v North Carolina Tar Heels

NCAA Tournament Will Not Be Open To Public Amid Coronavirus Fears

Coronavirus

An arrest warrant was issued for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Thursday for apparently slapping the back side of a security officer during a post-game celebration in the Louisiana State University (LSU) locker room earlier in the week.
Following the Clemson University/LSU NCAA football national championship game on Monday, Beckham hit the locker room to celebrate. The receiver is captured own video slapping the buttocks of a security guard officer during the rowdy partying.
The warrant was issued for simple battery by the New Orleans Police Department after the security officer issued a complaint.
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According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28496532/new-orleans-police-issue-arrest-warrant-browns-odell-beckham-jr">ESPN</a>, the public affairs office for the New Orleans Police Department &#8220;confirmed that the security guard filed the complaint.&#8221;
&#8220;Louisiana statute defines simple battery as battery committed without the consent of the victim. Punishment in Louisiana can include a fine of no more than $1,000 and imprisonment for no more than six months, or both,&#8221; the sports outlet noted.
&#8220;We are aware of the incident and have been in touch with Odell and his representatives on the matter,&#8221; the Cleveland Browns said in a statement Thursday. &#8220;They are cooperating with the proper authorities to appropriately address the situation.&#8221;
Beckham caught heat earlier in the week for video footage showing the NFL star handing out cash to players during the locker room celebration.
&#8220;We are aware of the situation regarding Odell Beckham Jr. interacting with LSU student-athletes and others unaffiliated with the team following the championship game Monday night,&#8221; LSU said in a statement, ESPN reported. &#8220;Initial information suggested bills that were exchanged were novelty bills. Information and footage reviewed since shows apparent cash may have also been given to LSU student-athletes.&#8221;
&#8220;We were in contact with the NCAA and the SEC immediately upon learning of this situation in which some of our student-athletes may have been placed in a compromising position. We are working with our student-athletes, the NCAA and the SEC in order to rectify the situation,&#8221; the university continued.
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lsu-players-threatened-with-arrest-for-smoking-cigars-after-victory-espn-reporter-suffocating">The Daily Wire</a> on Tuesday, celebrating LSU players were threatened with arrest for smoking cigars in the locker room.
“A smoke-filled LSU locker room got a surprise warning early Tuesday morning,” <a href="https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2020/01/cop-threatens-arrest-for-lsu-players-smoking-cigars-in-championship-locker-room.html?utm_campaign=aldotcom_sf&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">AL.com</a> reported. “A police officer threw water on the party when telling the national champions they could not smoke the cigars that burned for easily 15 minutes after beating Clemson. In fact, the officer announced to the players any smoking cigars in the locker room would be subject to arrest.”
“Several players holding stogies laughed at the warning like it was a joke but the cop wasn’t smiling,” the outlet added.
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&#8220;In the end, no one was arrested, and the players — and their many diehard fans in Louisiana — continued celebrating long into the night,&#8221; The Daily Wire noted.
The sports game also made headlines due to President Donald Trump&#8217;s attendance. The president and First Lady Melania Trump were met with thunderous applause and &#8220;USA&#8221; chants when they walked onto the field, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-america-deafening-cheers-break-out-for-trump-at-national-championship-game">The Daily Wire</a> reported at the time.
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WATCH:
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Per multiple outlets, an arrest warrant has been issued for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Browns?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Browns</a> WR Odell Beckham. He is being charged with simple battery.
He slapped the ass of a cop during <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LSU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LSU</a>&#39;s post-game locker room celebration.
Happy Thursday. <a href="https://t.co/WbD5NqNh7x">pic.twitter.com/WbD5NqNh7x</a>
&mdash; Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) <a href="https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1217852619487576065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lsu-players-threatened-with-arrest-for-smoking-cigars-after-victory-espn-reporter-suffocating">LSU Players Threatened With Arrest For Smoking Cigars After Victory; ESPN Reporter: ‘Suffocating’</a>
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Odell Beckham Jr.

Arrest Warrant Issued On Odell Beckham For Slapping Officer’s Butt During LSU Post-Game Celebration

ESPN

Football

Louisiana

Louisiana State University

New Orleans

Police

On Tuesday, the NCAA&#8217;s Board of Governors <a href="https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/board-governors-starts-process-enhance-name-image-and-likeness-opportunities">voted unanimously</a> to allow college athletes to reap cash from use of their names, images and likenesses &#8220;in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.”
Michael V. Drake, chair of the board, stated:“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes. Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”
NCAA President Mark Emmert added, “As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes. The board’s action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals.”
The board added that among the principles and guidelines guiding the change were to “make clear the distinction between collegiate and professional opportunities” as well as “make clear that compensation for athletics performance or participation is impermissible.”
The NCAA board noted, “The working group will continue to gather feedback through April on how best to respond to the state and federal legislative environment and to refine its recommendations on the principles and regulatory framework. The board asked each division to create any new rules beginning immediately, but no later than January 2021.”
As <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/ncaa-set-to-discuss-athlete-compensation-for-name-image-likeness/fcl2iyr49mgk1tlhs3p4ik7d7">The Sporting News</a> reported, prior to the meeting in Atlanta at which the new guidelines were adopted, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ncaa-working-group-to-deliver-preliminary-suggestions-for-name-image-and-likeness-rule-changes/">CBS Sports</a>, &#8220;We are coalescing on a set of principles that adhere as close to the collegiate model as possible. We&#8217;ll be posing some questions to the board of governors about how they want us to proceed from here. It&#8217;s not going to be a short process. There aren&#8217;t going to be any answers on [Tuesday].&#8221;
The NCAA has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ca-challenges-ncaa-let-college-athletes-earn-money-hank-berrien">radically changed</a> its position on the issue; in September, after the California state senate had unanimously passed a bill allowing college athletes to cash in, the NCAA Board of Governors wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, asserting:
<blockquote>If the bill becomes law and California’s 58 NCAA schools are compelled to allow an unrestricted name, image and likeness scheme, it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions. These outcomes are untenable.</blockquote>
Dan Murphy of ESPN noted, “If the pot of money for athletic dept.&#8217;s shrink due to new rules, non-rev sports could suffer if the individual athletic department&#8217;s decide to take away from those sports&#8217; budgets as opposed to trimming budgets of money-making sports.”
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If the pot of money for athletic dept.&#39;s shrink due to new rules, non-rev sports could suffer if the individual athletic department&#39;s decide to take away from those sports&#39; budgets as opposed to trimming budgets of money-making sports.
&mdash; Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMurphyESPN/status/1189187916821491713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1189248984528904197">tweeted</a>, “Big move in the right direction toward compensating college athletes. But it’s not enough &#8211; the NCAA operates a billion-dollar business and the athletes deserve their fair share of that value, particularly as they are the ones putting themselves out there on the field.”
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Gold Football Helmet on Field

NCAA Shifts: Votes Unanimously To Permit College Athletes To Make Money From Their Fame

Last week, former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, appearing on ESPN’s &#8220;First Take,&#8221; took issue with the state of California <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51711/ca-challenges-ncaa-let-college-athletes-earn-money-hank-berrien">passing a bill </a>to allow student-athletes to obtain endorsements without being punished by the NCAA.
The next thing you know, Tebow was called a racist.
Tebow was commenting on the &#8220;Fair Pay to Play Act,&#8221; which states that the athletes can be paid for the use of their name, likeness, and image. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-takes-aim-at-ncaa-pay-ban-11568244553">The Wall Street Journal</a> noted it &#8220;allows college athletes to earn money from their name, image or likeness, through sponsorship or endorsement deals, starting in 2023. The bill also bans schools from preventing athletes from getting compensation or retaining agents.&#8221;
Tebow stated:
<blockquote>I feel like I have a little credibility and knowledge about this because when I was at the University of Florida, I think my jersey was one of the top-selling jerseys around the world. It was like Kobe, LeBron and then I was right behind them. I didn&#8217;t make a dollar from it and nor did I want to because I knew going into college what it was all about. I knew going to Florida, my dream school, where I wanted to go, the passion for it and if I could support my team, support my college, support my university, that&#8217;s what it’s all about. But now, we’re changing it from &#8220;us,&#8221; from &#8220;we,&#8221; from &#8220;my university,&#8221; from being an alumni where I care, which makes college football and college sports special, to then, &#8220;OK, it’s not about us. It&#8217;s not about we; it’s just about me.&#8221;
And, yes, I know we live in a selfish culture where it&#8217;s all about us, but we’re just adding and piling onto that, where it changes what’s special about college football. We turn it into the NFL, where who has the most money, that&#8217;s where you go. That’s why people are more passionate about college sports than they are about the NFL. That’s why the stadiums are bigger in college than they are in the NFL; because it&#8217;s about your team; it&#8217;s about your university; it&#8217;s about where my family wanted to go; it&#8217;s about where my grandfather had a dream of seeing Florida win an SEC championship; and you&#8217;re taking that away. And, you&#8217;re taking that away so that young kids can earn a dollar and that’s just not where I feel college football needs to go.</blockquote>
That prompted comments on social media calling Tebow a racist:
One Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/KindleindaWind/status/1172579506613366784">tweeted</a>, &#8220;Tim Tebow is vainly trying to pull up the ladder after himself like every other white, rich, racist a****** who’s ever lived.&#8221;
<a href="https://twitter.com/Yarn959/status/1172656158903033857">Another</a>: &#8220;I have so many things to say about Tim Tebow, but I&#8217;ll leave it at this — He&#8217;s a fucking clown, a virgin, and almost certainly a racist. The &#8216;by their own bootstraps&#8217; kind of racist. And anyone who agrees with him owns a thin blue line flag.&#8221;
And yet <a href="https://twitter.com/Naej70367743/status/1172841571139620864">another</a>: &#8220;Tim Tebow is a racist hypocrite. His grandparents and parents were attending schools at a time when Black athletes could not even apply to these schools. What has he done to help poor Black students who are suffering of starvation?&#8221;
Dave Zirin, writing in <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/tim-tebow/">The Nation</a>, opined,
<blockquote>In 1968, Dr. John Carlos said that to be black in the United States is like trying to climb up a ladder while someone above you is constantly stepping on your hands. Tim Tebow is exactly the kind of person who does the stepping … People like Tim Tebow are not trying to preserve tradition. They are trying to preserve power.</blockquote>
But Mike Bianchi, writing in <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-tim-tebow-espn-first-take-0919-20190917-i7hjszwyzzduloam4mdhpxwjne-story.html">The Orlando Sentinel</a>, countered the attacks on Tebow and fiercely defended him, writing, &#8220;Incredibly, Tim Tebow — a man who builds hospitals and orphanages in third-world countries, holds proms worldwide for thousands of special-needs kids and does more for the disadvantaged and underprivileged than any athlete I’ve ever come across —suddenly was being portrayed as the next David Duke.&#8221;
Bianchi added, &#8220;Why did this have to turn into a racial issue? Why couldn’t it be an amateurism issue? Why couldn’t it be a philosophical issue? Why couldn’t it be about Tebow wanting to preserve what infinitesimal bit of purity college football and basketball still has left?&#8221;
Bianchi noted:
<blockquote>Tebow made one mistake on &#8220;First Take,'&#8221; and it’s the same mistake ESPN analyst and noted NCAA-basher Jay Bilas and his ilk always make. In the debate about whether college athletes should be compensated, they always just brush aside the fact that college athletes are compensated — with an entirely free education that comes with room, board and unlimited perks … When you count room, board, books, tuition, tutors and other miscellaneous expenses, the price of a full-ride, full-cost college scholarship — depending on the school — can be anywhere from $150,000 to $250,000 for five years. Translation: Many college-football players are getting a quarter-of-a-million-dollar education absolutely free and clear.</blockquote>
Bianchi concluded, &#8220;Tim Tebow is not a racist. He is a role model and a hopeless romantic who believes in what college football should be instead of what it has become.&#8221;
Video of Tebow below:
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/TimTebow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TimTebow</a> passionately expresses his thoughts on the California Senate passing a bill allowing student-athletes to have endorsements. <a href="https://t.co/W5uBW7ePNm">pic.twitter.com/W5uBW7ePNm</a>
— First Take (@FirstTake) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake/status/1172538239095332864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow Slams CA Bill Allowing Student-Athletes To Obtain Endorsements. Then He’s Called A Racist.

California

Racism

The state of California is directly challenging the NCAA, passing a bill to permit college athletes to earn money from endorsements. The NCAA had warned that it might ban California athletes from its events if the bill were passed.
The California state Senate passed the bill unanimously. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-takes-aim-at-ncaa-pay-ban-11568244553">The Wall Street Journal</a> noted it &#8220;allows college athletes to earn money from their name, image or likeness, through sponsorship or endorsement deals, starting in 2023. The bill also bans schools from preventing athletes from getting compensation or retaining agents.&#8221;
On Wednesday, the NCAA Board of Governors wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, asserting:
<blockquote>If the bill becomes law and California’s 58 NCAA schools are compelled to allow an unrestricted name, image and likeness scheme, it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions. These outcomes are untenable.</blockquote>
In June, after the bill had passed the state Senate in May, NCAA President Mark Emmert <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2019/06/24/ncaa-california-schools-could-banned-championships-over-bill/1542632001/">wrote a letter</a> to the chairs of two California State Assembly committees, decrying the bill. He stated:
<blockquote>We recognize all of the efforts that have been undertaken to develop this bill in the context of complex issues related to the current collegiate model that have been the subject of litigation and much national debate. Nonetheless, when contrasted with current NCAA rules, as drafted the bill threatens to alter materially the principles of intercollegiate athletics and create local differences that would make it impossible to host fair national championships. As a result, it likely would have a negative impact on the exact student-athletes it intends to assist.</blockquote>
Jeffrey Kessler, who is aiding athletes suing the NCAA over compensation rules, dismissed the NCAA&#8217;s warnings, saying, &#8220;One, I think it&#8217;s very unlikely that the NCAA would want to exclude some of its most prominent members from competing. Two, if it did, I am sure those conferences and schools would file an antitrust challenge … based on the fact that the NCAA would be organizing a group boycott.&#8221; He added, &#8220;If I had to predict the future, I think that the California legislation will become a standard that probably all the Power Five conferences will be allowed to adopt before 2023.&#8221;
On Wednesday, NCAA Chief Legal Officer Donald Remy said the bill was unconstitutional, pointing out that courts have heretofore sided with the NCAA over the issue.
Interestingly, the California legislature said that California State University, Stanford University, the University of California and the University of Southern California have opposed the bill. The Journal explained:
<blockquote>Stanford’s statement said that its athletic programs, like others, had agreed to the NCAA bylaws, with which the bill directly conflicted. USC said the bill would &#8220;encourage students to violate the NCAA bylaws, becoming athletically ineligible and putting athletic teams and athletic departments at risk.&#8221; The school cited penalties levied against its athletic program in 2010 after an investigation into rules violations in football, men&#8217;s basketball and women&#8217;s tennis.</blockquote>
Newsom gave a clue as to whether he will sign the bill, commenting on Tuesday, &#8220;LeBron James supports it for a reason; let&#8217;s leave it at that.&#8221;

Handing over money

CA Challenges NCAA: Let College Athletes Earn Money From Endorsements

How&#8217;d you like to have been a Nike PR guru on Wednesday night? You&#8217;re sitting on the couch, munching away, watching No. 8 North Carolina play No. 1 Duke, when Zion Williamson makes a hard cut on the basketball floor and his Nike-brand shoe explodes.
The disaster happened just 33 seconds into the big game, and Williamson, who injured his knee, left the court, never to return.
Worse, how&#8217;d you like to be the Nike guy who thought up the ad campaign slogan &#8220;It&#8217;s gotta be the shoes!&#8221; Oh, it&#8217;s the shoes, all right.
And one more, even worse, almost unimaginable, thing: Let&#8217;s drop former president Barack Obama into the mix, put him courtside, and then have the TV cameras &#8212; somehow &#8212; capture him saying, &#8220;His shoe broke.&#8221;
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Barack Obama pointing out the fact that Zion&#8217;s &#8220;shoe broke&#8221; will forever go down in history <a href="https://t.co/pVFqEBgbFo">pic.twitter.com/pVFqEBgbFo</a>
&#8212; ment nelson (@mentnelson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mentnelson/status/1098415238028902401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Williamson, a 6 &#8216;7&#8243;, 285-pound foward who is widely considered the top college basketball player in the country and one of the top NBA prospects in the past decade, suffered a twisted knee after he broke through his Nike PG 2.5 PE. Luckily, the injury was just a mild knee sprain.
Here&#8217;s the blowout in slo-mo:
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Zion&#8217;s Nike shoe rip in slo-mo <a href="https://t.co/UYQuoDMxq5">pic.twitter.com/UYQuoDMxq5</a>
&#8212; Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1098405500767686656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
But the news that Zion will soon be OK didn&#8217;t help Nike Inc., not one bit. Even before the U.S. stock markets opened, Nike shares slid more than 2%.
The company quickly put out a statement. &#8220;We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery,&#8221; Nike said, per Bleacher Report. &#8220;The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.&#8221;
Social media was merciless.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Nike rep is cringing after that hi-top blowout that nearly injured Zion.
&#8212; David O&#8217;Brien (@DOBrienATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1098404043267993605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
That the shoe blew out on National TV. That the shoe blew out for Duke-UNC. That the shoe blew out on Zion Williamson. Awful look for Nike.
&#8212; Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1098404367412150272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Puma, Adidas, and Under Armour reacting to Zion&#8217;s shoe explosion <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DukeUNC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DukeUNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/zznmuvWD9a">pic.twitter.com/zznmuvWD9a</a>
&#8212; Nick Pastura (@SenorNickyP) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenorNickyP/status/1098432062498000897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Everybody at Nike when Zion Williamson&#8217;s shoe blew out&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/g6suXnnRrn">pic.twitter.com/g6suXnnRrn</a>
&#8212; Melissa D&#8217;Amico (@WakeCoachD) <a href="https://twitter.com/WakeCoachD/status/1098405095442649088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Me returning my Nikes tomorrow after seeing Zion&#8217;s shoe explode. <a href="https://t.co/EnNqjV32Ks">pic.twitter.com/EnNqjV32Ks</a>
&#8212; Juan Calderon (@juancalderon) <a href="https://twitter.com/juancalderon/status/1098461965758984192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Some wag even created &#8220;Zion&#8217;s Shoe&#8221; on Twitter.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Everyone is tweeting at me that I&#8217;m &#8220;too quick&#8221; to make this account. Well, I also exploded 30 seconds into the game. Call me &#8220;The Flash&#8221;.
&#8212; Zion&#8217;s Shoe (@ZionWShoes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZionWShoes/status/1098412487236636673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski didn&#8217;t help matters, especially after his team was routed by nemesis North Carolina 88-72.
&#8220;We&#8217;re very concerned about Zion,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a mild knee sprain. We will know about length of time tomorrow. It&#8217;s stable. Obviously it has an impact. You lose the National Player of the Year on the first play.&#8221;
And Obama chimed in, tweeting:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Zion Williamson seems like an outstanding young man as well as an outstanding basketball player. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
&#8212; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1098442623239573505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
So, get to work, Nike PR team. While it&#8217;s still February for all of us, your March Madness has come a week early.

THE SHOE HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD: Nike Stocks Skid After Star Blows Through Sneaker In Big College Game

Barack Obama

Nike

North Carolina

Kalin Bennett made history when he signed his letter of intent to Kent State University to play basketball on a scholarship. Though medical professionals told Bennett&#8217;s family he would likely never speak or walk, the 6&#8217;10, 300-pound center is set to become the first player with autism to compete on a Division 1 team in the NCAA&#8217;s history.
Bennett, who starts at KSU this coming summer semester, says he wants to inspire others with and without autism, on and off the court.
&#8220;I want to make an impact not just on the court, but with kids that are struggling with the same things I am,&#8221; Bennett <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/erry-2018/11/548b2471446488/kent-state-basketball-recruit.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=cleve_sf">told</a> Cleveland.com. &#8220;I want to use this platform to inspire other kids with autism and non-autism. I want to let them know, hey, if I can do this, you can do it, too. A lot of times they feel alone and by themselves, and I felt that same way growing up.&#8221;
Bennett grew up in a small community in Little Rock, Arkansas, surrounded by a vital support system, including his Christian mother Sonja Bennett, whom the basketball standout profusely praised for her love and encouragement.
&#8220;I have a great support system,&#8221; said Bennett, noting that not all other kids are so fortunate. &#8220;I have a real strong, Christian faith-believing mother. I didn&#8217;t talk until I was seven years old, but she just kept pushing and pushing. She just kept bringing me closer to other people, and made me a better person &#8212; her and my dad, very hard working people, still &#8217;till this day.&#8221;
According to Cleveland.com, &#8220;Bennett did not sit up until he was 2. He did not walk until he was 4. He did not talk until he was 7 and did not hold a conversation until he was 8.&#8221;
In the future, Bennett said he&#8217;d like to start an inclusive camp-like charity for children with autism.
&#8220;I want to be able to make a place where (autistic) kids can just come by, have fun, don&#8217;t feel no fear being around other people; be able to express themselves, be able to be who they are without worrying about what people think about them, or how they process stuff,&#8221; said the athlete.
&#8220;We are all human, we all feel love, we all feel compassion, and this is just another step forward with it,&#8221; he added.
Sonja relayed a telling story to Cleaveland.com about her son and a former therapist of his who once believed Bennett would never be able to speak, sit up, or walk:
<blockquote>
&#8220;Kalin told me, &#8216;Momma, I want to talk to her,'&#8221; Sonja Bennett recalled. 
Kalin had read his medical file and knew what medical professionals had predicted for him. 
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if you have ever been around an autistic child, but they are brutally honest. They want to know,&#8217;&#8221; Sonja Bennett said. &#8220;They are not being defiant. They are not trying to be nasty. But they can have hard questions that they want you to answer. I showed him his (medical) file. I wanted him to read this book of files so he would know how he needs to always keep fighting.&#8221;
&#8220;So, when he read it, and then met the therapist, he said; &#8216;Are you the one who said I would never do this and never do that?&#8217; She said, &#8216;Yes Kalin, I am.&#8217; He said, &#8216;My question is, I hope you haven&#8217;t told anybody else that because you could ruin their lives.&#8217; She sat right there and took it from Kalin. She did.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Now Bennett is off to live in Ohio, where he can be closer to his teammates. And his mother will be joining him &#8212; Bennett told his coaches that condition was a deal-breaker.
&#8220;I talked to (Kent State) coach (Rob Senderoff), and I was like, unless my mom comes, I ain&#8217;t comin&#8217;,&#8221; said the 18-year-old. &#8220;The separation anxiety really doesn&#8217;t upset me no more. But at the same time, I still like that support. Even when I have the best day of my life, I still want to make sure I see my mom&#8217;s face.&#8221;
WATCH:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="418" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DqYs_TwdhXA" width="742"></iframe></div>
To read the full interview, <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/erry-2018/11/548b2471446488/kent-state-basketball-recruit.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=cleve_sf">click here</a>.

WATCH: Kent State Recruit Becomes First Player With Autism To Accept D1 Scholarship. Here’s His Spectacular Response.

Kent State

He&#8217;s only in 8th grade but he already has verbal offers from multiple Division I football teams to help add some size to their lines in a few years &#8212; and at 6&#8217;7&#8243; and 370 pounds, and growing, he&#8217;s already got that covered.
College scouts say that Kiyaunta Goodwin, an 8th grader at <a href="https://schools.jefferson.kyschools.us/middle/olmstednorth/index.html">Olmstead Academy North</a> in Louisville, Kentucky, doesn&#8217;t just have the height and weight to merit the early offers, he&#8217;s showing signs of having the athleticism to compete at the highest level.
So far, Georgia, Louisville, Kentucky, and Western Kentucky have verbally offered the 14-year-old scholarships, and why wouldn&#8217;t they? As <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771625-hes-a-growing-67-370-pound-marvel-who-can-moveand-hes-in-8th-grade">Bleacher Report </a>points out, he&#8217;s &#8220;already larger than most NFL linemen.&#8221;
&#8220;He&#8217;s a real college lineman right now,&#8221; Goodwin&#8217;s middle school coach Raesean Bruce says.
Aspirations Fitness CEO Chris Vaughn, a former captain on Louisville&#8217;s football team, suggests that if Goodwin does end up on a D-I team, he&#8217;s poised to dominate. Goodwin, says Vaughn, is a once in a lifetime athlete. BR reports:
<blockquote>
In the past six years, more than 100 Division I athletes have worked out at Aspirations under Vaughn. In Kentucky, this is where many of the best football players come to train. But in all his years around the sport, he&#8217;s never been around anyone quite like Goodwin.
Vaughn has taken Goodwin on visits to Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and others. The visits are simply to give him a taste of what&#8217;s out there&#8212;to show him parts of the country and places that could become his home.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been blessed to work with a lot of kids who are genetically blessed, but he&#8217;s different,&#8221; Vaughn says. &#8220;He&#8217;s the 1 percent of the 1 percent. I&#8217;ve talked with coaches who have told me he&#8217;s going to be the No. 1 player in the country and the No. 1 draft pick.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Despite his increased focus on football over the last few years, Goodwin&#8217;s passion for the arts and engineering remain among his priorities. Of particular interest to the young man is robotics, programs for which he hopes to enroll in both high school and college.
&#8220;Football is something I love doing, but it&#8217;s also something I want to use to get more out of life,&#8221; says the young man. &#8220;I could be one of the first people in my family to graduate. I want to go to college and get a degree.&#8221;
Below is a report on Goodwin by Spectrum News:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5lx04n8_Us4" width="650"></iframe></div>
<a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771625-hes-a-growing-67-370-pound-marvel-who-can-moveand-hes-in-8th-grade">Read Bleacher Report&#8217;s full profile on Goodwin here</a>.

Biggest Middle Schooler Ever? Meet The GIANT 8th Grader Who Already Has D-I Football Offers.

Sports

If you&#8217;ve watched any of the NCAA men&#8217;s collegiate basketball championship, then you know about Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt.
The 98-year-old nun is a spiritual leader for the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, who have been the Cinderella story of the annual basketball tournament. Sister Jean is the team&#8217;s chaplain, leading prayers before each game. And so far, it&#8217;s working.
On Saturday, No. 11 seed Loyola blew out No. 9 Kansas State, 78-62 &#8212; and the game wasn&#8217;t even that close, as the Ramblers often had a 20-plus point lead throughout the game. The Ramblers have also beaten a 6 seed, a 3 seed and a 7 seed, but now faces a tough 3 seed in Michigan, which is a 6-point favorite.
But does Michigan have something to counter Sister Jean?
&#8220;I mean, that&#8217;s about it. I just know you see her all over social media. But I don&#8217;t know too much,&#8221; Michigan senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman told <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2018/03/25/michigan-players-know-they-face-loyola-chicago-but-do-they-know-sister-jean/456731002/">USA Today</a>.
The wheelchair-bound nun &#8220;has became one the most recognizable figures in US sports following the team&#8217;s back-to-back upset wins in the NCAA Tournament, college basketball&#8217;s end-of-season showdown that has Americans glued to their screens for most of March,&#8217; the Guardian reports.
<blockquote>
Dolores-Schmidt, who has fond memories of celebrating Loyola&#8217;s last championship win in 1963, was a cult figure in Chicago sports even before she became the team&#8217;s chaplain in 1994. But she&#8217;s no mere mascot and she offers more than just thoughts and prayers. The former player and coach provides scouting reports, pregame speeches and postgame analysis by email, along with more spiritual guidance.

&#8220;She&#8217;s like another coach,&#8221; guard Donte Ingram told the Chicago Tribune. &#8220;[In my first ever game], it caught me off guard. I thought she was just going to pray. She prayed, but then she starts saying, &#8216;You&#8217;ve got to box out and watch out for 23.&#8217;&#8221;
Sister Jean&#8217;s fame blew up after an interview following Loyola&#8217;s buzzer beating win over the higher-ranked Miami on Thursday. Sister Jean made an immediate impression on TV audiences, as she celebrated in her wheelchair draped in the team&#8217;s Gryffindor-esque scarf. Once she was interviewed, her obvious love for the team and her basketball smarts won viewers&#8217; hearts.
</blockquote>
She even gives the coach tips on how to play different opponents, and asked God to make sure the referees called a good game.
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlgliO8oYSA" width="854"></iframe></div>

Nun, 98, Carries Cinderella Team To NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four

On Monday night, one college basketball star and his coach <a href="https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/05/fairfield-stags-sydney-johnson-tyler-nelson-video">gave the nation an illustration</a> of why college basketball is so emotionally appealing to Americans, as they realized that they had shared their last game together.
Tyler Nelson, the star guard from Fairfield University, left the court late in Fairfield&#8217;s loss to Iona College in the MAAC championship game. The winner of the game would get an invitation to the NCAA tournament; with Fairfield&#8217;s regular season 17-16 record, the NCAA tournament was likely the last chance they had of extending their season.
Nelson, a senior who scored 25 points in the 83-71 loss, walked off the court and straight into the arms of his coach, Sydney Johnson, where they embraced as Johnson was overcome with tears.
Nelson led the MAAC with 22.1 points per game; he became Fairfield&#8217;s all-time leading scorer on February 17, superseding Tony George&#8217;s career total of 2,006 points set in 1986. He wound up his career one of the <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/fairfield-tyler-nelson-sydney-johnson-college-basketball-march-madness/2/">top ten players in scoring</a> in the history of the MAAC.
The <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/watch-fairfield-coach-player-share-tearful-embrace-in-maac-title-game-loss/">last time</a> Fairfield went to the NCAA tournament was in 1997.
Video below:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
College basketball is still awesome. <a href="https://t.co/NxJXCIjqG0">pic.twitter.com/NxJXCIjqG0</a>
&#8212; Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) <a href="https://twitter.com/CardChronicle/status/970842383184203778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
Highlights of Nelson&#8217;s career below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pb1hxmk_uiQ" width="560"></iframe></div>

WATCH: This Moment Is What Sports Is All About

Without a doubt, the University of Tennessee&#8217;s head coach hiring process has made far more news than the school would have preferred &#8212; and the university&#8217;s response to the almost-hiring of Greg Schiano has only made things worse.
In a series of statements on Monday, school officials addressed the controversy surrounding the &#8220;memorandum of understanding&#8221; initially signed by athletic director John Currie and Schiano but rescinded on Sunday <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23967/tennessee-rescinds-coaching-offer-amid-protests-james-barrett">amid strong backlash</a> over Schiano&#8217;s alleged role in the heinous Jerry Sandusky child rape case.
The statement that caused the most stir was Currie&#8217;s defense of the university&#8217;s initial decision to hire Schiano. In the <a href="http://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2017/11/27/ut-vols-football-john-currie-greg-schiano-statement-carefully-interviewed/897793001/">statement</a>, Currie praised Schiano as one of the &#8220;most respected professional and college football coaches&#8221; and stressed that the university &#8220;carefully interviewed and vetted him.&#8221;
Noting that Schiano worked for Penn State from 1990-95, Currie said the university &#8220;of course&#8221; looked closely at the Sandusky case:
<blockquote>
Consequently, we, of course, carefully reviewed the 2012 investigation report by Louis Freeh. Coach Schiano is not mentioned in the Freeh report and was not one of the more than 400 people interviewed in the investigation. We also confirmed that Coach Schiano was never deposed and never asked to testify in any criminal or civil matter. And, we conferred with our colleagues at The Ohio State University, who had conducted a similar inquiry after the 2016 release of testimony.
</blockquote>
Currie&#8217;s defense of the search committee&#8217;s vetting process and initial decision to hire Schiano prompted more backlash from critics, who accused the university of essentially admitting that they had given into public pressure and rescinded the offer to placate the masses rather than out of a sense of integrity.
Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport issued her own <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2017-11-27/vols-ad-currie-defends-coaching-search-vetting-of-schiano">statement </a>on the debacle, which she said she &#8220;deeply regret[s],&#8221; and expressed confidence in Currie, who had suddenly found himself on the heat seat. &#8220;I deeply regret the events of yesterday for everyone involved,&#8221; said Davenport, adding that &#8220;the university remains steadfast in its commitment to excellence, and I look forward to John Currie continuing the search.&#8221;
After initial reports that both parties had signed the memorandum of understanding that Schiano would be the next head football coach of the Volunteers, the school now says that only Currie signed the memorandum, not Chancellor Davenport, thus it was non-binding. <a href="http://wate.com/2017/11/27/university-of-tennessee-chancellor-didnt-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-with-schiano/">ABC 6</a> reports:
<blockquote>
Chancellor&#8217;s office spokesman Ryan Robinson told WATE 6 On Your Side Davenport did not sign the memorandum, a day after Tennessee<a href="http://wate.com/2017/11/26/deal-between-schiano-vols-off/"> backed out of a deal </a>to make Schiano the next head football coach.
Yahoo Sports reported that Athletic Director John Currie and Schiano had signed the memorandum, which as a legally binding interim contract could mean a payout to Schiano if all parties had signed, according to WATE 6 On Your Side legal analyst Greg Isaacs.
</blockquote>
The claim that Schiano &#8220;covered up child rape at Penn State&#8221; stems from a statement by former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary in a deposition for the Sandusky serial child rape case in which McQueary claimed that Schiano and former Penn State assistant Coach Tom Bradley both had some knowledge about Sandusky&#8217;s behavior with young boys. <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23994/heres-statement-cost-coach-greg-schiano-tennessee-james-barrett">Read the full deposition statement here</a>.

Tennessee’s Response To Schiano Debacle Just Made Things Even Worse

Rape

Tennessee

According to reports, Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and the University of Tennessee had reached a deal on Sunday for Schiano to take over as the new head coach of the Volunteers football team. But when word spread that Schiano was offered the job, a disputed claim about the coach from a deposition statement released in 2016 sparked outrage from fans and pushback from state political leaders. Amid the backlash, <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23967/tennessee-rescinds-coaching-offer-amid-protests-james-barrett">Tennessee withdrew its offer</a> to Schiano.
In a case that shook college football to its core, former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was accused in 2011 of serial rape of young boys he approached through his children&#8217;s charity, The Second Mile, a series of crimes that took place over 15 years. In 2012, Sandusky was convicted of <a href="http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/06/jerry_sandusky_verdict_complet.html">45 counts</a> of child sexual abuse. The shocking case ended the over four decades-long coaching career of Joe Paterno, who <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight">died shortly after</a> being fired, and left many asking who knew what when.
In his deposition for the Sandusky case released to the public in 2016, former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary claimed that Schiano and former Penn State assistant coach Tom Bradley were aware on some level of Sandusky&#8217;s behavior. McQueary said that in the early 1990s, Bradley told him that Schiano &#8220;had come into his office white as a ghost and said he just saw Jerry doing something to a boy in the shower.&#8221;
Both Schiano and Bradley <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21579125/tennessee-volunteers-no-longer-hire-greg-schiano-head-coach">deny</a> McQueary&#8217;s account.
Below is an excerpt of the <a href="http://deadspin.com/mike-mcqueary-claims-greg-schiano-and-tom-bradley-knew-1783514641">passage from McQueary&#8217;s deposition</a> that appears to have cost Schiano the Volunteers head coaching job:
<blockquote>
Q: Did [Bradley] tell you that he had had information concerning Gerald Sandusky and children?
A: He said he knew of some things.
Q: And did he tell you what he knew of?
A: Yeah.
Q: What did he tell you?
A: He said another assistant coach had come to him in the early &#8216;90s about a very similar situation to mine, and he said that he had&#8212;someone had come to him as far back as early as the &#8216;80s about seeing Jerry Sandusky doing something with a boy.
Q: Did he identify who the other coaches were that had given him this information?
A: The one in the early &#8216;90s, yes.
Q: And who was that?
A: Greg Schiano.
Q: Greg Schiano?
A: Yes.
Q: And did he give you any details about what Coach Schiano had reported to him?
A: No, only that he had&#8212;I can&#8217;t remember if it was one night or one morning, but that Greg had come into his office white as a ghost and said he just saw Jerry doing something to a boy in the shower. And that&#8217;s it. That&#8217;s all he ever told me.
Q: Did he tell you what, if anything, he had done about that?
A: No, he didn&#8217;t share with me.
</blockquote>
<div>
<a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21579125/tennessee-volunteers-no-longer-hire-greg-schiano-head-coach">ESPN</a> reported Sunday that sources say Tennessee and Schiano had both signed a memorandum of understanding that Schiano would be the next head football coach, but the university &#8220;backed out&#8221; on Sunday amid mounting backlash over reports of his hiring, which included about 100 protesters gathering on the campus declaring &#8220;Schia-NO!&#8221; and accusing him of having &#8220;covered up child rape at Penn State.&#8221;
Schiano and his current and former employers at Ohio State and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pushed back on the claim. Bradley has also denied McQueary&#8217;s accusation.
UPDATE: Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie issued a statement on Monday defending the university&#8217;s initial decision to hire Schiano.
&#8220;We carefully interviewed and vetted him, as we do candidates for all positions,&#8221; said Currie. &#8220;He received the highest recommendations for character, family values and commitment to academic achievement and student-athlete welfare from his current and former athletics directors, players, coaching colleagues and experienced media figures.&#8221;
Currie said the school &#8220;carefully reviewed&#8221; Louis Freeh&#8217;s 2012 investigation and noted that it did not mention Schiano. Schiano was also &#8220;never deposed and never asked to testify in any criminal or civil matter.&#8221; Curried noted that Ohio State conducted their own review and likewise concluded that Schiano did not appear to be culpable. 
<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23967/tennessee-rescinds-coaching-offer-amid-protests-james-barrett">Read more about the Schiano-Tennessee situation here</a>.
</div>

Here’s The Statement That Cost Coach Greg Schiano The Tennessee Job

Sexual Abuse

According to <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21579125/tennessee-volunteers-no-longer-hire-greg-schiano-head-coach">ESPN</a>, the University of Tennessee had signed a memorandum of understanding with Greg Schiano to be its next football head coach but rescinded the offer on Sunday amid protests that &#8220;Schia-NO&#8221; had &#8220;covered up child rape at Penn State&#8221; &#8212; an accusation the coach adamantly denies.
The ugly situation traces back to the heinous actions of Penn State&#8217;s former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted in 2012 of <a href="http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/06/jerry_sandusky_verdict_complet.html">45 counts of sexual abuse against young boys</a> he met through his children&#8217;s charity, The Second Mile. The revelations of Sandusky&#8217;s serial rape of children over a 15-year period ended the storied, decades-long career of head coach Joe Paterno, who <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight">died of lung cancer</a> two months after he was fired by the university.
During a <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23994/heres-statement-cost-coach-greg-schiano-tennessee-james-barrett">deposition</a> for the case which was released last year, former Penn State football assistant Mike McQueary said that assistant coach Tom Bradley told him that Schiano, who was an assistant coach at Penn State at the time, approached him in the early 1990s, &#8220;white as a ghost&#8221; and told Bradley that &#8220;he just saw Jerry doing something to a boy in the shower.'&#8221;
Schiano, who is currently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, denies the claim. Bradley, the defensive coordinator at UCLA this season, also denies McQueary&#8217;s account.
Nonetheless, amid strong backlash over reports that the university was poised to hire him as their new head coach, Tennessee reportedly reversed its decision to hire Schiano to replace the recently fired Butch Jones. ESPN reports that sources say the Volunteers &#8220;backed out of a memorandum of understanding&#8221; with Schiano &#8220;signed by both parties&#8221; that he would be the team&#8217;s new head coach.
&#8220;About 100 people gathered on Tennessee&#8217;s campus to protest a potential Schiano hire, with many of them holding signs with various messages such as &#8216;Schia-NO,'&#8221; <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21579125/tennessee-volunteers-no-longer-hire-greg-schiano-head-coach">ESPN</a> reports. &#8220;At a rock on campus where students often paint various messages, the words &#8216;Schiano covered up child rape at Penn State&#8217; appeared Sunday.&#8221;
Some political voices also weighed in, including four Republican Tennessee gubernatorial candidates and State Rep. Jeremy Faison, who said a man facing &#8220;that type of potential reproach&#8221; could not be &#8220;the face of our state.&#8221;
ESPN notes that Tampa Bay&#8217;s former general manager, Mark Dominik, defended Schiano, whom he hired back during his tenure. &#8220;We spent hours &amp; hours interviewing &amp; background checks on Greg Schiano. Yes we didn&#8217;t win. Fact-he&#8217;s honest, awesome father/husband, &amp; an excellent football coach. This shouldn&#8217;t be whether YOU think you like him or not, you don&#8217;t even know him.#Meyer #Belichick ask them,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkdominikNFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fcollege-football%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F21579125%2Ftennessee-volunteers-no-longer-hire-greg-schiano-head-coach">tweeted</a> Dominik.
<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23994/heres-statement-cost-coach-greg-schiano-tennessee-james-barrett">Read the full passage from McQueary&#8217;s deposition statement here</a>.

Tennessee Withdraws Coaching Offer Amid Protests Claiming Coach ‘Covered Up Child Rape At Penn State’

President Trump&#8217;s public feud with LaVar Ball ratcheted up a level on Wednesday when Trump unloaded on the &#8220;ungrateful fool&#8221; in one of his trademark twitterstorms after Ball went on CNN and yet again denied the president&#8217;s role in freeing his son from a potential multi-year prison term in China.
LaVar Ball, father of Lakers star Lonzo Ball and LiAngelo Ball, one of the three UCLA basketball players arrested in China for shoplifting, has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the pivotal role Trump played in getting his son released from China last week after being accused of stealing from a Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou. Though LiAngelo Ball and his teammates were <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23539/trump-gets-china-free-ucla-basketball-players-james-barrett">released</a> within 24 hours after Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the issue, LaVar Ball has refused to thank him, including in a bizarre interview on CNN Monday night in which CNN&#8217;s Chris Cuomo actually ended up <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23849/watch-cnn-defends-trump-lavar-ball-gives-insane-ryan-saavedra">defending Trump</a> (video below).&#8203;
In a series of tweets Wednesday morning, Trump slammed Ball for failing to understand the significance of the consequences his son was facing in China, and who ultimately got him released. Trump also worked in a few of his famous epithets, describing &#8220;ungrateful fool&#8221; LaVar as &#8220;the poor man&#8217;s version of Don King, but without the hair.&#8221;
&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t the White House, it wasn&#8217;t the State Department, it wasn&#8217;t father LaVar&#8217;s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence &#8211; IT WAS ME,&#8221; wrote Trump. &#8220;Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man&#8217;s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It&#8217;s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It wasn&#8217;t the White House, it wasn&#8217;t the State Department, it wasn&#8217;t father LaVar&#8217;s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence &#8211; IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man&#8217;s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think..
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/933280234220134401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&#8230;LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It&#8217;s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/933282274937733126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
Trump&#8217;s mini-tweetstorm followed a <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23765/trump-lashes-out-ucla-basketball-players-dad-emily-zanotti">similar one</a> he posted on Sunday. After Ball first refused to acknowledge the role Trump played in getting his son and his teammates released, Trump tweeted that maybe he should have just &#8220;left them in jail.&#8221;
&#8220;Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!&#8221; tweeted Trump. &#8220;Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!&#8221;
That tweet prompted racial activist Shaun King to declare that &#8220;<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23811/shaun-king-trumps-feud-lavar-ball-ungrateful-new-n-frank-camp">ungrateful is the new n***er</a>,&#8221; despite Trump having used the racially neutral term to describe other people, including <a href="https://twitter.com/JerylBier/status/932603390323982336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F23811%2Fshaun-king-trumps-feud-lavar-ball-ungrateful-new-n-frank-camp">Chelsea Manning</a>.
Below is CNN&#8217;s <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/23849/watch-cnn-defends-trump-lavar-ball-gives-insane-ryan-saavedra">interview with LaVar Ball</a> on Monday in which he doubles down on his view that Trump didn&#8217;t play much of a role in getting his son released:
<div class="embed video fluid-video">
<blockquote data-lang="en">
Lavar Ball says he did not say thank you to President Trump because he did not fly his son home on Air Force One. <a href="https://t.co/oELTuU2SGr">pic.twitter.com/oELTuU2SGr</a>
&#8212; Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/932836885168189440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>

Trump’s Feud With LaVar Ball Escalates

China

Donald Trump

LiAngelo Ball, brother of the Lakers&#8217; Lonzo Ball and son of the inimitable LaVar Ball, is the most widely known of the three UCLA basketball players arrested last week on charges of shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou, China. Ball and his teammates have finally been released by authorities &#8212; and, whether ESPN likes it or not, they&#8217;ve got President Trump to thank for it.
The players &#8212; Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill &#8212;&#8203; were arrested last Tuesday for allegedly attempting to steal sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store, authorities initially threatening the three young men with the possibility of ten years in prison.
Early Tuesday morning, the players were released from Chinese custody and safely boarded a 9 a.m. Delta flight to come home, according to the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/three-ucla-basketball-players-set-to-leave-china-1510663619?mod=e2tw">Wall Street Journal</a>. Their release came less than 24 hours after Trump personally intervened on their behalf in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump spoke with the Chinese president on Monday while on a two-day trip to Beijing. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/11/13/trump-personally-asked-xi-jinping-to-help-resolve-case-of-ucla-basketball-players-arrested-in-china/?utm_term=.5cc090230140">The Washington Post</a> reports that President Trump revealed that he had brought up the players&#8217; release amid a discussion of other topics, including a bilateral trade deal and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
&#8220;They&#8217;re working on it right now,&#8221; Trump told the press Monday. &#8220;Hopefully everything is going to work out,&#8221; he added.
A report by ESPN over the weekend indicated that the players would at least have to stay for another &#8220;week or two&#8221; and that authorities say they have surveillance footage showing the players shoplifting not just from Louis Vuitton, but two other stores.
&#8220;A source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation said the players could be in Hangzhou for a &#8216;week or two,'&#8221; <a href="http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/21370055/three-ucla-players-arrested-shoplifting-charges-fly-home-team">ESPN </a>reported. &#8220;The source noted that there is surveillance footage of the players shoplifting from three stores inside of a high-end shopping center, which houses Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Salvatore Ferragamo stores.&#8221;
H/T <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/14/ucla-basketball-players-freed-from-china-after-trump-intervenes/">Daily Caller</a>

Making UCLA Great Again: Trump Gets China To Free Basketball Players Arrested For Shoplifting

Legendary NCAA basketball coach Rich Pitino has been suspended from his head coaching position at the University of Louisville over a <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/college-basketball-coaches-allegedly-took-bribes-agents-deliver-athletes-n804781">federal investigation into bribery</a>. The school&#8217;s athletic director has been placed on leave as well.
Deemed the &#8220;dark underbelly&#8221; of college basketball, feds caught wind of the bribery scandal back in 2015 when an NBA financial advisor agreed to wear a wire &#8220;after being caught siphoning money from the accounts of pro athletes,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisville-s-rick-pitino-put-leave-wake-bribe-scandal-n805071">NBC News</a>.
The probe would eventually expose a corrupt scheme where &#8220;college coaches allegedly took bribes to steer top players to certain advisors, managers and even a suit-maker who stood to make a fortune if those players signed with the NBA.&#8221; Adidas executive Jim Gatto was also fingered for allegedly bankrolling bribes to entice high school star athletes into attending colleges the company sponsored.
One such school sponsored by Adidas was Louisville, which the federal probe confirmed paid more than $100,000 to a young recruit&#8217;s family in exchange for him playing for the school.
&#8220;Basically we just need to take care of his dad with two grand monthly,&#8221; a recruiter was recorded telling an undercover agent.
The criminal complaints filed by the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s office in Manhattan were filed against assistant coaches of Louisville who were under the leadership of Pitino and the school&#8217;s athletic director. Pitino has been placed on unpaid administrative leave; an interim coach is being sought as a replacement.
&#8220;If the allegations in the court documents are true, they oversaw assistant coaches who conspired with an executive at Adidas and a group of athletic middlemen to lure high schoolers to Louisville by funneling payoffs to their parents,&#8221; reports NBC News.
Pitino&#8217;s attorney told the <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2017/09/27/rick-pitino-fired-louisville-basketball/705193001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Louisville Courier-Journal</a> that the school&#8217;s decision means he has been &#8220;effectively fired&#8221; while Louisville maintains that his &#8220;employment will be reviewed at a different date.&#8221;
&#8220;Doing nothing would be a tacit endorsement of ethical and criminal behaviors,&#8221; Louisville interim president Greg Postel said at a press conference. &#8220;While this may be a dark day, better days are ahead.&#8221;
Pitino doesn&#8217;t exactly have a clean record; he has seen his fair share of scandals over the years. From NBC News:
<blockquote>
The bribery case isn&#8217;t the first scandal to put a cloud over Pitino, who has been head coach of the men&#8217;s team since 2001 and led it to a championship title in 2013.
In June, the NCAA hit him with a five-game suspension after investigating allegations that a former staffer <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ncaa-suspends-louisville-basketball-coach-rick-pitino-escort-scandal-n773031">supplied escorts to recruits and players</a>.
In 2010, the married father of five admitted in court that he had sex in a restaurant with a former model who later went to prison for trying to extort him.
He has eight years left on a 10-year contract. He also earned more than $2 million from Adidas.
</blockquote>
Pitino maintained in <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rick-pitino-blames-bribery-scandal-few-bad-actors-n805106" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a statement</a> that the scandal comes from &#8220;a few bad actors.&#8221;
&#8220;Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable,&#8221; the statement said.

Legendary NCAA Coach Rick Pitino Suspended Over Bribe Scandal

Unsurprisingly, Geno Auriemma, head coach of the Women&#8217;s University of Connecticut basketball team, was recently ridiculed by feminists for having the audacity to voice a fairly obvious statement about the number of female coaches in women&#8217;s athletics. (He&#8217;s a white guy, so his opinion on essentially anything is &#8220;problematic&#8221; to feminists.) In a surprising twist, it was his own daughter leading the pack, because True Feminism means ridiculing your own father in public over a nothingburger. 
On Thursday, the <a href="http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2017-03-27/womens-basketball-uconns-geno-auriemma-becomes-all-time">all-time winningest NCAA tournament coach</a> explained that there are fewer female than male coaches in women&#8217;s sports because women simply choose not to coach, thus highlighting how much opportunity women have now within any career field. Heat Street <a href="https://heatst.com/life/uconns-geno-auriemma-get-reamed-for-saying-what-plenty-of-women-coaches-have-said/">reports</a>:
<blockquote>
&#8220;Not as many women want to coach. It&#8217;s quite simple.&#8221; He pointed out that women today have many more opportunities in other fields where they won&#8217;t have to spend a lot of time sitting in a gym and trying to recruit &#8220;17-year-old spoiled brats&#8221; and where they can have more of a &#8220;normal life.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Clearly, this Feminist Heretic who happens to spend his life empowering and pushing female athletes to incredible heights had to be called out. I mean, he&#8217;s a white guy, remember? But, no worries, his daughter was on the case!
 &#8220;DAD. WALK THIS BACK,&#8221; wrote freelance writer and UConn adjunct professor Ally Auriemma via Twitter. 
Ally then explained why her dad&#8217;s sin was committed in the first place: He&#8217;s a straight white guy. 
&#8220;That being said he is speaking from an obvious limited perspective as a white cisgendered man so I am head-desking hard,&#8221; she wrote. 
For good measure, Ally retweeted musician Deborah Grabien, who said that the coach needs to change his &#8220;Privilege diaper.&#8221;
&#8220;Time to change your Privilege diaper, you made a verbal poo,&#8221; wrote Grabien. 
And people say feminists aren&#8217;t clever. 
Auriemma&#8217;s supposed sin against Feminism is a simple truth which has been echoed by many other females coaches before him, as <a href="https://heatst.com/life/uconns-geno-auriemma-get-reamed-for-saying-what-plenty-of-women-coaches-have-said/">pointed out</a> by Heat Street. Additionally, female coaches have actually acknowledged that the overwhelming desire for men to want to coach women&#8217;s sports is a product of gender equality. &#8220;I&#8217;m one that thinks basketball is a place of utopia and fairness,&#8221; said South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley. 
So, how exactly is it not sexist for jumping all over Auriemma and not those past female coaches? Perhaps their &#8220;female privilege&#8221; plays a role. 
Those tricky rules of feminism will get you every time.

UConn’s Geno Auriemma Gets Attacked On Twitter By Own Daughter For His White Male Privilege

Connecticut

Feminism

Last week, the NCAA <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/14881/ncaa-issues-ultimatum-north-carolina-you-have-48-hank-berrien">issued</a> an ultimatum to North Carolina: repeal HB2, a law which mandates that people should use the public bathroom in accordance with the sex reflected on his or her birth certificate, or championship games will be banned from being hosted in the state until 2022. 
Giving into the threats backed by a lot of coin, just hours before the NCAA&#8217;s imposed deadline, Republican lawmakers and Democratic Governor Roy Cooper reached an agreement to repeal HB2 and replace it with the more &#8220;transgender friendly&#8221; HB142. In response, the NCAA announced that it would permit the 2017-18 games already alloted to the state to take place. 
Gov. Cooper called HB2 &#8220;a dark cloud hanging over our great state.&#8221;
&#8220;It has stained our reputation, it has discriminated against our people and it has caused great economic harm in many of our communities,&#8221; he added.
Facing criticism from unsatisfied LGBT advocates, the governor said HB142 was &#8220;not a perfect deal and it&#8217;s not my preferred solution. It stops short of many things we need to do as a state.&#8221;
&#8220;The compromise bill weaves in several provisions, including repealing HB2, leaving state legislators in charge of policy over multi-stall bathrooms, and puts a temporary halt on local governments passing nondiscrimination ordinances until 2020 &#8212; which lawmakers say would allot time for ongoing court cases on transgender issues to play out,&#8221; <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hb2-repeal-north-carolina-legislature-votes-overturn-controversial-bathroom-bill-n740546">reports</a> NCB News. 
Subsequently, the NCAA announced on Tuesday morning that they would bring back already assigned games to the state for 2017-18: 
<blockquote>
&#8220;[A] majority on the NCAA Board of Governors reluctantly voted to allow considerations of championships bids in North Carolina by our committees that are presently meeting. The NCAA championships previously awarded to North Carolina for 2017-18 will remain in the state. The board, however, directs that any site awarded a championship event in North Carolina or elsewhere be required to submit additional documentation demonstrating how student-athletes and fans will be protected from discrimination.&#8221; 
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BREAKING: The NCAA will bring championship games back to North Carolina because the state repealed part of anti-LGBT law.
Full statement: <a href="https://t.co/3bnWfWKP7n">pic.twitter.com/3bnWfWKP7n</a>
&#8212; Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) <a href="https://twitter.com/dominicholden/status/849248676132384768">April 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
HB2 was smeared as a &#8220;discriminatory&#8221; bill, although it only codified the age-old sex-segregated public bathrooms and locker-rooms policy into law; private companies and buildings were still free to set their own policies. Additionally, HB2 allowed trans folks to use the facility designated for the sex with which they identify if they had the appropriate change made to their birth certificate.

NCAA To Bring Games Back To North Carolina For Repealing Transgender Bathroom Bill

Gender

Transgender

The NCAA has reportedly given the state of North Carolina <a href="http://www.13newsnow.com/news/local/north-carolina/group-says-nc-has-48-hours-to-repeal-hb2-or-lose-ncaa-events/426182436">48 hours to repeal HB2</a>, the bill that prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms that correspond with the gender they choose, or the state will lose NCAA championship events through 2022.
On Tuesday, Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, stated:
<blockquote>
I have confirmed with a contact very close to the NCAA that its deadline for HB2 is 48 hours from now. If HB2 has not been resolved by that time, the NCAA will have no choice but to move forward without the North Carolina bids. The NCAA has already delayed the bid review process once and has waited as long as it possibly can, and now it must finalize all championship site selections through spring of 2022.
</blockquote>
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) issued the following statement:
<blockquote>
We are encouraged by the bipartisan efforts underway in the state legislature to find a solution. That being said, we will not endorse any one bill; we simply seek a swift compromise that will allow us to begin to repair the reputation of our region and state and get back to selling and marketing Raleigh as the thriving Southern capital city that it is, one shaped by the passionate minds of its inclusive and welcoming residents. We don&#8217;t know how the NCAA or other organizations will view specific proposed legislation to repeal and/or replace HB2. Therefore we will not attempt to speak on their behalf or on behalf of any other clients/groups that have expressed concern over holding events in Raleigh and Wake County.
</blockquote>
On Monday,<a href="http://www.13newsnow.com/news/ap-hb2-to-cost-north-carolina-376b/425848592"> AP released an analysis</a> showing North Carolina could lose $3.76 billion over a dozen years because of HB2.

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NCAA

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Tennessee Withdraws Coaching Offer Amid Protests Claiming Coach ‘Covered Up Child Rape At Penn State’

Trump’s Feud With LaVar Ball Escalates

Making UCLA Great Again: Trump Gets China To Free Basketball Players Arrested For Shoplifting

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UConn’s Geno Auriemma Gets Attacked On Twitter By Own Daughter For His White Male Privilege

NCAA To Bring Games Back To North Carolina For Repealing Transgender Bathroom Bill

NCAA Issues Ultimatum To North Carolina: You Have 48 Hours To Repeal Transgender Bathroom Bill

Menu

NCAA

SHOCK: Big Ten Cancels Tournament Games Over Coronavirus Fears, ‘March Madness’ Now In Doubt

NCAA Tournament Will Not Be Open To Public Amid Coronavirus Fears

Arrest Warrant Issued On Odell Beckham For Slapping Officer’s Butt During LSU Post-Game Celebration

NCAA Shifts: Votes Unanimously To Permit College Athletes To Make Money From Their Fame

Tim Tebow Slams CA Bill Allowing Student-Athletes To Obtain Endorsements. Then He’s Called A Racist.

CA Challenges NCAA: Let College Athletes Earn Money From Endorsements

THE SHOE HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD: Nike Stocks Skid After Star Blows Through Sneaker In Big College Game

WATCH: Kent State Recruit Becomes First Player With Autism To Accept D1 Scholarship. Here’s His Spectacular Response.

Biggest Middle Schooler Ever? Meet The GIANT 8th Grader Who Already Has D-I Football Offers.

Nun, 98, Carries Cinderella Team To NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four

WATCH: This Moment Is What Sports Is All About

Tennessee’s Response To Schiano Debacle Just Made Things Even Worse

Here’s The Statement That Cost Coach Greg Schiano The Tennessee Job

Tennessee Withdraws Coaching Offer Amid Protests Claiming Coach ‘Covered Up Child Rape At Penn State’

Trump’s Feud With LaVar Ball Escalates

Making UCLA Great Again: Trump Gets China To Free Basketball Players Arrested For Shoplifting

Legendary NCAA Coach Rick Pitino Suspended Over Bribe Scandal

UConn’s Geno Auriemma Gets Attacked On Twitter By Own Daughter For His White Male Privilege

NCAA To Bring Games Back To North Carolina For Repealing Transgender Bathroom Bill

NCAA Issues Ultimatum To North Carolina: You Have 48 Hours To Repeal Transgender Bathroom Bill

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