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NFL

Panthers release safety Coleman, DE Johnson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers on Monday got younger and cleared nearly $6 million in salary-cap space by releasing starting free safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson.

Coleman, who will turn 30 in July, was scheduled to count $5,150,000 against the 2018 salary cap. Releasing him cleared $2.65 million in cap space.

Safety Kurt Coleman was released by the Panthers on Monday, saving the team $2.65 million against the salary cap. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Releasing the 31-year-old Johnson, who signed a two-year extension last year worth $9.5 million, cleared another $3.25 million in space.

Coleman in 2016 signed a three-year extension worth $17 million with $7 million guaranteed. He originally joined the Panthers as a free agent in 2015, leading the team with seven interceptions. He had only four interceptions in 2016 and none this past season when he was named a team captain for the first time.

Johnson was suspended four games this past season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He was inactive for the playoff game against New Orleans for an unspecified reason.

Johnson’s 67.5 sacks rank second on the team’s all-time list behind defensive end Julius Peppers, 38, who has yet to announce he is coming back for another season but reportedly is leaning toward a return.

Johnson didn’t have a sack this past season, the first time that has happened since his rookie year of 2007, when he played in only two games as a third-round pick out of Georgia. He’s had five sacks the past three seasons after having 8.5 in 2014 and 11.0 in 2013.

Carolina had just shy of $20 million in salary-cap space before the releases.

Soccer

Ceferin: VAR won't be used in Champions League next season

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will not be implemented for the 2018-19 Champions League campaign, but said he isn’t opposed to using the technology in the future.

Speaking to reporters following a UEFA meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia on Monday, Ceferin also revealed his doubts that VAR will be rolled out globally without many more tests being conducted beforehand.

“I think that (VAR) will be probably used at the World Cup,” Ceferin said, as quoted by Ben Rumsby of the Telegraph. “We will not use it from the next season in the Champions League. I can tell you that. But I’m absolutely not against it. I think there’s no way back anymore. But we have to educate the referees properly.

“Nobody exactly knows how it works, which might be a big problem. So, let’s see what happens at the World Cup and then we will decide.”

Ceferin previously pondered blocking the use of VAR in the Champions League while the technology is in its formative days, telling the Telegraph in January: “You have referees that do not understand it correctly; the fans don’t understand it correctly. So, in my opinion, it’s too early to make it a rule.”

He reaffirmed that position Monday, stating: “We shouldn’t rush into decisions that are not clear. For me, I see a lot of confusion from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that I’m against it or that I don’t think it will happen.”

The use of VAR was particularly controversial during Manchester United’s FA Cup tilt with Huddersfield Town two weeks ago. The replay showed uneven lines that seemed to wrongly place Juan Mata in an offside position for his goal, which was ruled out.

Hawk-Eye, the company behind VAR, later issued an apology for the incident.

VAR is currently being used and trialed in Major League Soccer, the German Bundesliga, and Italy’s Serie A, among other competitions across Europe.

“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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