Manchester City can stage their Champions League second-leg meeting with Real Madrid in England after the government’s culture secretary declared “the British summer of sport is back on.”
“I am grateful to the sports governing bodies who have worked closely with us to put in place stringent protocols to ensure these events can go ahead safely,” Oliver Dowden said while announcing new lockdown measures Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
“It will mean that fans of the British Grand Prix, international cricket, and Champions League football can look forward to yet more sporting action on home soil – a further boost to our national recovery.”
As part of the revised coronavirus protocols, selected sports stars competing in the country will be exempt from the mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival. They will instead live in “bubbled” environments behind closed doors to minimize the risk of them contracting and spreading COVID-19, The Associated Press explains.
That should allow Real Madrid players to travel to the Etihad Stadium for the reverse fixture of their last-16 scuffle with Manchester City. The English club holds a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Anthony Harris wrestled with the consequences of what he wanted to do versus the potential outcome.
The Minnesota Vikings safety was on his way to the grocery store one evening in early June when he noticed a police car driving through his neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, his offseason home. He thought about pulling over and putting on his flashers to get the officer’s attention.
Harris wanted to talk. Human to human — Black man to white police officer — about the events taking place across the nation. The unrest and activism began after George Floyd was killed while in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25.
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Harris’ intentions came from a place of hurt, wanting to bring forth healing. He saw an opportunity to use his voice and platform as a prominent Black athlete to create change and understanding.
After weighing the risks, Harris decided it was worth it.
“It crossed my mind that I could be potentially shot or viewed as a threat just for what I was trying to do,” said Harris, who talked to the officer for 25 minutes, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I made sure I proceeded with extra caution so I didn’t surprise them or, with everything going on in the world, that I tried to make them feel comfortable. It kind of just kept things in perspective of, no matter where you go or no matter what you’re really doing as an African American man, that’s something that you can’t shake.”
Harris and his Vikings teammates watched the video of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for seven minutes and 48 seconds, according to Minnesota prosecutors. It happened in the community where so many Vikings had donated their time and resources.
In 2018, the Vikings launched a social justice committee in which players can discuss racial matters openly and support organizations battling systemic issues in the Twin Cities. According to a survey by ESPN’s NFL Nation, Minnesota is one of 17 teams with a social justice committee. Three other franchises have similar programs in the works.
Now, the Vikings are at the epicenter of a social justice movement that has gone international. The team’s presence in the Twin Cities community should help give them a platform to foster a dialogue about racism and remove barriers that hinder the vulnerable and underserved.
TAMPA, Fla. — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers team president and senior executive Gay Culverhouse, who devoted her life to helping former NFL players dealing with health issues including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has died at the age of 73, a family spokesperson told the New York Times.
Culverhouse, the daughter of late Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse, died Wednesday at her home in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Culverhouse suffered from complications from myelofibrosis, a form of chronic leukemia inhibiting the production of red blood cells. She had battled the condition, which left her severely anemic, since 2003.
She was originally given just five years to live and survived 17 years with the illness.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Gay Culverhouse earlier this week,” Buccaneers owner and co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “During her family’s ownership of the Buccaneers, Gay was a leading figure in and around the Tampa Bay community who was defined by her compassion for helping others. Her tireless work as an advocate for retired NFL players is also an important part of her personal legacy. We send our heartfelt condolences to her children, Leigh and Chris, and the entire Culverhouse family.”
Culverhouse joined the Buccaneers in 1986, years after her father was awarded the expansion Buccaneers in 1974. Before joining the Buccaneers, she worked as an instructor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine from 1982-1986, specializing in child psychiatry after earning her doctorate from Columbia University.
She remained with the organization until 1994, resurfacing 15 years later to serve as an advocate for retired players, testifying in a House Judiciary hearing on head injuries among NFL players in 2009.
Gay Culverhouse testified before the House Judiciary Committee about football brain injuries in 2009 . Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“One of the things you, as a committee, need to understand very clearly is the fact that the team doctor is hired by the coach and paid by the front office,” Culverhouse said. “This team doctor is not a medical advocate for the players. This team doctor’s role is to get that player back on the field, even if that means injecting the player on the field.”
“My men have headaches that never stop. They cannot remember where they are going or what they want to say without writing it down. Some are on government welfare. Some are addicted to pain medication. Some are dead.”
She called for mandatory benching of players suffering from concussions and for independent neurologists not affiliated with teams to be on the field for every game evaluating players. Thanks to her efforts, the league implemented this policy in 2013, which includes fines and even forfeiture of draft picks should teams fail to follow concussion guidelines.
It was the death of former Buccaneers lineman Tom McHale of an accidental drug overdose in 2008 that prompted Culverhouse to take up the cause of helping former players. McHale was just 45, but his brain, researchers found, was marked by signs of the neurological disease CTE.
“I became very concerned and started looking more thoroughly into concussions,” she said. “And I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something. I can’t let this fester.’ “
She formed the nonprofit Gay Culverhouse Players’ Outreach Program, paying for medical exams for dozens of retired players while assisting them with the necessary paperwork to receive medical benefits.
When asked why she chose to adopt the cause of retired NFL players, Culverhouse said in 2010, “Because it needs to be done. If not me, then who?”
Culverhouse didn’t shy away from her father’s unpopular and often controversial decisions, which included a low-ball salary offer to then-Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams, who would later become Super Bowl MVP as a member of the
Lionel Messi is so angry with Barcelona that he could leave when his contract expires next summer.
The 33-year-old is upset that recent reports make him look responsible for the club’s troubles, and he’s frustrated about the squad’s lack of quality, sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens.
As a result, Messi has refused to enter negotiations over a new contract, according to Cadena Ser’s Manu Carreno, and he could depart after his 17th season with the Blaugrana.
If Barcelona can’t repair their relationship with Messi, they could lose the six-time Ballon d’Or winner on a free transfer when his deal runs out in June 2021.
Messi had the opportunity to move on from the club this summer, but a clause allowing him to terminate his contract reportedly expired last month. The Argentine was given until May to decide, according to Llorens.
Problems began in January when Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal suggested the players are to blame for the firing of manager Ernesto Valverde. In an uncharacteristic rebuke, Messi snapped back at Abidal, saying he was “encouraging” rumors and avoiding responsibility.
In April, Messi said he was surprised club officials would question whether the players would accept pay cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu is looking to reach a new deal with Messi before leaving his post in 2021. Bartomeu was reportedly hoping to sign one of Lautaro Martinez or Neymar to convince Messi the team is still competitive.
The pandemic may have changed all that. Barcelona had already lost around €120 million in matchday revenue and TV and commercial income by the start of May, vice president Jordi Cardoner told ESPN.
Messi scored his 700th goal in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid. Barcelona are currently four points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga standings with five matches remaining.
