News — NFL player

Retired NFL player Brett Favre recently weighed in on the circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd, saying he finds it “hard to believe” former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin meant to kill Floyd.

Floyd, 46, passed away after Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes despite repeatedly telling him he couldn’t breathe. The incident also happened in the full glare of bystanders who could be heard pleading with Chauvin to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck and also offer him some medical assistance. However, Chauvin and his other colleague officers did not budge.

“I find it hard to believe, and I’m not defending Derek Chauvin in any way, I find it hard to believe, first of all, that he intentionally meant to kill George Floyd,” Favre said on the Bolling with Favre podcast on Wednesday, according to New York Post.

“That being said, his actions were uncalled for. I don’t care what color the person is on the street. I don’t know what led to that video that we saw where his knee is on his neck, but the man had thrown in the towel.”

On Tuesday, a jury found Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of the African-American father. Favre’s recent comment comes after he was criticized last week for saying athletes who kneel during the national anthem to protest against racial injustice have “created more turmoil than good.”

“It’s really a shame that we’ve come to this,” the retired quarterback said on The Andrew Klavan Show on April 11, USA Today reported. “Something has to unify us, and I felt like the flag, standing patriotically — because Blacks and whites and Hispanics have fought for this country and died for this country. It’s too bad.”

The 51-year-old doubled down on his sentiments and responded to the criticism on Wednesday’s podcast, saying: “I just gave my opinion. I’m certainly not a racist in spite of what some people might think, and you know, I’m for unity and I just feel like there’s a better way to unify our country. That being said, there’s a lot of things that need to stop.”

Offensive lineman Justin Herron, who just finished his rookie season with New England Patriots, is being hailed a hero after saving a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher from being sexually assaulted in a public park last Saturday.

Herron, 25, who is training for the offseason in Arizona, and Phoenix resident Murry Rogers, who was also at the park for his daughter’s 15th birthday party, heard screams from the victim and rushed to the scene of the assault.

“At that moment, I was in shock,” Herron said at a press conference Wednesday, according to reports. “I wish I could tell you what I was thinking, but I could just tell someone needed help. All I could do was rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and I could comfort her and be the best person I can be.”

The retired teacher was going for her daily walk in Kiwanis Park in Tempe when the assailant, identified as Kevin Caballero, 30, jumped her to the ground and attempted to take off her pants, per a police report.

Herron, who is 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, intervened, not wanting to be “too aggressive” when he pulled the assailant from the victim.

“I’m a football player, I’m kind of big,” he said at the news conference. “I try not to be too aggressive with people knowing I could potentially hurt somebody. I do have a loud voice. I yelled, told him to get off of her, and then yanked him off and I told him to sit down, and I told him to wait until the cops come.”

Herron said he always thought these sorts of things happen in movies and he never expected to experience this. Both he and Rogers were presented with Outstanding Service Awards by the Tempe Police Department.

“If not for the swift actions of Mr. Justin Herron and Mr. Murry Rogers, this vicious attack could’ve been much worse,” Tempe Police Detective Natalie Barela said.

The two got the chance to meet up with the woman briefly before their press conference. She was grateful they came to her aid when she was most vulnerable. “She thanked us. She called us her angels,” said Rogers. “I’m a little bit of a crier, so it was very emotional.”

According to the police, the victim suffered “minor injuries” and was immediately treated by the crisis unit for any emotional trauma from the attack.

“My parents always talked to me about it, if there’s someone in need, make sure you can help them and be the best you can be,” Herron said. “I don’t want this to happen again, I don’t want to have to save someone else’s life again, but I’m glad I was able to save someone’s life on Saturday.”

Caballero has been taken into police custody and faces charges of attempted assault and kidnapping, according to the police.

Former Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Chad Wheeler is facing a first-degree assault domestic violence charge after prosecutors in King County – Washington alleged he assaulted and strangled his girlfriend till she lost consciousness at their apartment on Friday, January 22.

The 27-year-old was also charged with unlawful imprisonment domestic violence and resisting arrest, The Seattle Times reported. He was taken into custody and booked into the King County jail on Saturday. He was, however, released on Tuesday after posting a $400,000 bail.

Per the police report of the incident, officers responded to a 911 call by the victim who said she was being “killed” and had locked herself in a bathroom after she got involved in a “physical fight” with her boyfriend. Upon arrival, the officers said they heard screams from the couple’s home, and they eventually found the two of them in the bathroom after having to break into the home and the bathroom as well.

Wheeler was uncooperative when the officers tried detaining him, with the charging documents revealing three Kent police officers had to resort to using hand strikes and Tasers before they were able to restrain him. The victim suffered a broken arm, dislocated elbow, and facial, eye, throat and lung injuries.

Wheeler weighs 350 pounds and is 6’ 7” while the victim weighs 145 pounds is 5’9”, according to the report.

The documents also stated the victim told the police Wheeler suffered from a bi-polar disorder and was not taking his medication, causing him to relapse on the day of the incident. She said Wheeler, who she described as being in a “dark place” that night, confronted her and asked her to bow to him. When she asked him what he was implying, Wheeler grabbed her neck and threw her on the bed before proceeding to strangle her until she lost consciousness, The Seattle Times reported. When she tried crawling away, he forcefully pulled her by the arm and strangled her the second time. She fled to the bathroom when she regained consciousness and got in touch with her friends to call for help.

The police report also stated Wheeler said, “Wow you’re alive?” when he realized the victim had regained consciousness. After authorities criminally charged Wheeler, the Seattle Seahawks released a statement on Wednesday announcing he had officially been waived from the team.

“The Seahawks are saddened by the details emerging against Chad Wheeler and strongly condemn this act of domestic violence,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and support are with the victim. Chad is a free agent and no longer with the team.” They also encouraged him to “get the help he needs.”

Wheeler also took to his Twitter to apologize for the “pain and suffering” he caused to the victim and her family, saying the incident happened as a result of a “manic episode.”

“I apologize profusely for the turmoil that I have caused to my family, teammates, fans and those closest to me. The most important thing right now is that [the victim] gets the care she needs and I get help.  Both are happening,” he said, adding: “It is time for me to walk away from football and get the help I need to never again pose a threat to another. I cannot express my sorrow or remorse enough. I am truly ashamed.”

Following the incident, some social media users shared photos of the supposed injured victim who is reportedly Black. Sports journalist Jemele Hill also questioned why the incident wasn’t being considered as a hate crime as well as attempted murder.

“I am not going to repost the pictures of Chad Wheeler’s victim, but if this horrible situation isn’t seen in the context of hate crime, journalists are being irresponsible. I’m also wondering why this isn’t considered attempted murder,” she tweeted.

In another tweet, she wrote: “My prayer is that this deserved and necessary outrage for Chad Wheeler is here all of the time for black women who have been abused.”

In 2019, National Football League player Russell Okung tweeted that he wanted to be paid in bitcoin. “Pay me in Bitcoin,” he tweeted. He claims to now have what he wished for. The Carolina Panther player retweeted himself on Tuesday saying that he has been paid in Bitcoin, thereby making him the first player in NFL history to be paid in digital currency, he said.

An announcement said this was made possible through a partnership with Zap, a bitcoin startup founded by Jack Mallers. Under the partnership, Zap’s Strike product, which allows people to receive bitcoin as dollars via direct bank deposits, enables the NFL player to convert his salary into cryptocurrency.

Per the arrangement, Okung’s annual salary of $13 million will be divided equally between bitcoin and fiat. But an anonymous source told TheVerge that the claim that Okung was being paid in bitcoin was misleading and that the player was still being paid in dollars. The source further explained that the 32-year-old player was merely converting his salary into cryptocurrency after he has been paid by fiat.

“Money is more than currency; it’s power,” Okung said in a statement. “The way money is handled from creation to dissemination is part of that power. Getting paid in Bitcoin is the 1st step of opting out of the corrupt, manipulated economy we all inhabit.”

On his part, Mallers praised Okung as a leader adding that he is setting a good example on a big stage. “Getting #Bitcoin in exchange for your labor is much more than meets the eye. He is setting that example on a big stage,” he tweeted.

Okung is not the first professional athlete to be involved in the bitcoin trade. According to Yahoo Finance, “unnamed members of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team and baseball’s New York Yankees, have also begun onboarding to the program.” The global cryptocurrency market is valued at $575 billion. It is therefore no surprise that more and more sportsmen are getting involved in the sector.

In an Op-Ed in 2019, Okung described bitcoin as “sustainable solutions that can demonstrate that our economic power is not only real but vastly undervalued and overlooked.”

He continued: “Bitcoin is one of the few financial assets that offers sanctuary from a global recession, when it arrives. Financial advisor isn’t recommending bitcoin because they don’t make money by selling it to clients.

“The mainstream talking heads don’t mention it because it threatens their cushy industry. But we are on the precipice of something truly unique with the invention and success of bitcoin. I’m playing my role in raising awareness, shamelessly encouraging professional athletes to embrace bitcoin, and evangelizing to a mainstream audience about the opportunity we have to capture undeniable economic power.”

For him, bitcoin is a digital gold which is not under the control of one entity and allows him to seamlessly send money to relatives in Nigeria. “Bitcoin offers a way to protect that hard earned capital from the whims of central bankers who keep printing more money to bail out their friends on Wall Street. It is time for us to embrace our economic sovereignty by allocating at least 5% of our wealth into bitcoin,” he added.