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NFL

UCF's Griffin to go to draft: 'Nation behind me'

ORLANDO, Fla. — Not even three months ago, Shaquem Griffin, the University of Central Florida linebacker with one hand, was practically begging for an invite to the NFL scouting combine.

Now he’s been invited to the NFL draft later this month, and said he will be attending.

“I was a guy who was under the radar who they didn’t believe in at first but I feel like they’re starting to believe now,” Griffin said after his pro day Thursday. “I have the entire nation behind me now.”

At the combine, Griffin catapulted himself from a mere feel-good story into a national sensation and a player teams covet. He used a prosthetic hand to help put up 20 reps in the bench press and then clocked a time of 4.38 seconds in the 40 — the fastest of any linebacker in the history of the combine.

When: April 26-28
Where: Arlington, Texas
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Wearing custom cleats that read “Against All Odds” and “Trust the Process” at Thursday’s pro day, Griffin put up a 37.5-inch vertical jump, which would have been sixth overall at the combine among linebackers, and performed the three-cone drill. When it came to catching the ball in defensive backs drills, he did have some drops, but the idea was to show his versatility since he doesn’t have a clearly defined position at the next level.

“I think I jumped pretty high today, so they say. I feel pretty good about that,” Griffin said. “I wasn’t worried about [the drops]. As long as I was getting out of my breaks good and showing good hips — shoot, it’ll give them a reason to sit down and think, ‘Well this guy can play everything.'”

From the feedback he’s received so far, a lot of teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, see him as a weakside linebacker because he can have his nose to the ball and still cover. A total of 31 NFL teams — all but the San Francisco 49ers — were in attendance Thursday.

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen led Griffin in defensive backs drills, while assistant general manager Jeff Ireland looked on. Griffin recently met with the Saints and Tennessee Titans, meetings that included X’s and O’s work on the dry-erase board.

Regardless of when his name gets called or where he ends up, it will be the culmination of a lifelong dream for Griffin, who had always been overshadowed by his brother, Shaquill, now a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks.

“I’ll be very emotional,” Griffin said. ‘I’ll cry a lot. My mom will cry even more, so there’s gonna be a lot of crying going on.”

After his workout, Griffin met up with teenagers Annika Emmert and Wyatt Falardeau, who both suffered from amniotic band syndrome. Like Griffin, they both had portions of their arms amputated and now have bionic arms.

Griffin asked them if they wanted to go out for ice cream, doughnuts and strawberry sodas.

“His motto is ‘Against All Odds.’ Everything he does is an inspiration to anyone like me,” said Emmert, 13, who dreams of becoming a pediatric oncologist and is an accomplished soccer player. “It’s just amazing what he’s done, what he can do — I’ve always always wanted to do something like that, especially in the future.”

The 15-year-old Falardeau, who also has autism and plans to write a book, has been equally moved by Griffin’s success.

“He could teach all of us that even though we are born different, that we can overcome and achieve bigger challenges like football,” Falardeau said. “He has not given up at all. He never quits. … I’m not kidding you — I’m motivated every single day by Shaquem.”

Soccer

PAOK owner appears to carry gun while disputing disallowed goal

The owner of Greek title challenger PAOK Thessaloniki appeared to be carrying a pistol when he led a pitch invasion during Sunday’s visit from league-leading AEK Athens.

Fernando Varela scored a 90th-minute winner for PAOK which would’ve put the club within one point of the Superleague’s summit, but the referee overturned his decision and disallowed the strike for offside after consultation with his linesman, reports AP’s Demetris Nellas.

This prompted PAOK chief Ivan Savvidis’ first march onto the pitch with a group of bodyguards. He attempted to confront match officials for disallowing Varela’s goal, and AEK officials also claim he threatened their operations manager Vassilis Dimitriadis.

On the second foray, Savvidis was no longer wearing an overcoat, exposing what looked like a gun in a holder attached to his hip. Nellas understands Savvidis didn’t reach for the weapon, but his encroachment forced the game to be suspended. European football writer Charles Ducksbury believes the referee suspended the match at 1-0 to PAOK, meaning he eventually decided the goal would stand.

AEK is expected to appeal the decision, with the case likely to be taken to the Greek courts. The capital club has also vowed to file a complaint with FIFA and UEFA.

PAOK was embroiled in controversy around its previous home game, when the match wasn’t able to start due to Olympiacos coach Oscar Garcia apparently being hit in the face by a cash register roll. PAOK was subsequently punished with a three-point deduction and a supporter ban from Sunday’s meeting with AEK – putting the northern Greek outfit seven points behind the table topper – but this decision was reversed in the hours leading up to the heated title showdown.

“After what happened today, PAOK chairman Ivan Savvidis is preparing all necessary procedures to protect the team and all his collaborators from the threats and attacks they have been subjected to,” PAOK said in a statement, as translated by AP. “There will be relevant announcements on the issue soon.”

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

NFL

NFL road show to explain helmet contact rule
3:26 PM ET

  • Kevin SeifertNFL Nation

    Close

    • ESPN.com national NFL writer
    • ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013
    • Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL executives will fan out to all 32 teams during the next three months to explain an unexpected new rule that will at least penalize — and potentially eject — players who lower their helmets to initiate contact with an opponent.

Speaking Wednesday at the conclusion of an eventful owners meetings, commissioner Roger Goodell said the meetings would be “all hands on deck” to convey the gravity of efforts to reduce brain, neck and spinal injuries.

“Our focus is on how to take the head out of the game,” Goodell said, “and make sure we’re using the helmet as protection, and [that] it’s not being used as a weapon. And I think we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress on that this week.”

The rule is part of the league’s answer to a “call to action” from chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills, a response to a season that included 291 concussions — the most on record — and a serious spinal injury to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier. In addition, the NFL’s competition committee is preparing a stark mandate for coaches: Kickoffs will be eliminated in the near future if concussion rates don’t decrease dramatically.

Players have reacted with confusion and dismay to initial reports of the helmet rule change, which owners mandated Tuesday after the competition committee first planned to make it a simpler point of emphasis. Goodell said he hopes players will have different opinions once they are taught the rule.

“You’re jumping ahead to the players that have not had the opportunity to hear the discussion that we’ve had,” Goodell said. “So you’re reacting to players who have not yet heard that dialogue or heard the basis of why we came to where we came. And I understand that, but that’s why I mentioned early on that our intent is to make sure we go in, we go to each team, and we have tape and all of the analysis and work that was done in great coordination with our various teams to be able to communicate that to them. I’d give them an opportunity first to understand what the play is before we make a lot of adjustments about the ramifications.”

In fact, enforcement of the rule is still under development. Over the next two months, the NFL’s competition committee will work to determine how to administrate ejections — considered a necessary hammer to enforce the rule — and whether they will be subject to replay. The league hopes to finalize the wording during its May 21-23 meetings in Atlanta.

But Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy, a member of the competition committee, downplayed concerns about the frequency of ejections and perhaps even the penalty itself. He waved off examples such as quarterback sneaks, where a quarterback technically lowers his head and initiates contact.

“We watched a lot of film this year,” Murphy said. “I would say there were probably five hits where you’d say, ‘These are ones where we would want ejections.’ Now, whether there will be more penalties than that? Probably. But the focus, I think, should be on are you using the helmet as a weapon.”

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, another member of the competition committee, said the rule was a “necessary step” and also stopped short of suggesting it represented a transformational moment for the game.

“I think we’ll see it have a great effect on one element of the helmet and how we want the game to be played,” Payton said. “I think you still see the physicality. This is the one posture that we’re removing.”

In other news as the meetings wrapped up:

• Goodell said there was “some” discussion about the league’s national anthem policy during the meetings. Owners arrived in Orlando starkly divided on whether the current policy — which says players “should” stand but does not require it — should be changed. “That’s something that the ownership and I will continue to discuss and focus on as it is needed,” Goodell said.

• Senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron said no NFL rules were changed prior to Super Bowl LII, in which he reviewed but declined to overturn a touchdown reception by Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement. “In order for us to overturn a call,” Riveron said, “we have to see clearly indisputable evidence. There was some movement, but we did not see loss of control. We didn’t see indisputable evidence that he did not have possession of the football.”

Soccer

Manchester United dropped from Champions League by plucky Sevilla

Manchester – Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League as Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four second-half minutes to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals for the first time in 60 years with a stunning 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The Spaniards progressed by the same score on aggregate after a goalless first-leg draw.

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout but had to wait for Ben Yedder’s introduction as a substitute to add a clinical finish.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front 16 minutes from time when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced United’s arrears, but it was too little, too late with United boss Jose Mourinho’s decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick-off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Jesse Lingard also returned in place of Juan Mata in Mourinho’s only other change from the side that beat Liverpool 2-1 at the weekend.

And Lingard nearly had an instant impact as he teed up Lukaku on the edge of the box, but the Belgian’s effort drifted high and wide.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish number one that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendancy for most of the match.

Joaquin Correa headed just over from a corner before Luis Muriel and Franco Vazquez fired off target when well-positioned on the edge of the area.

Indeed, of Sevilla’s 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Fellaini gamble backfires

Mourinho’s gamble on Fellaini appeared to have largely backfired as he failed to impose his physical presence on Sevilla’s ball players in midfield.

Yet, the Belgian nearly made the breakthrough with United’s best move of the opening period when he latched onto Alexis Sanchez’s layoff and his powerful effort was turned behind by Sergio Rico.

The second period began in the same vein as the first with Sevilla on the front foot, and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle by Eric Bailly denied Correa a clear sight of goal.

Chances kept coming for Sevilla as Muriel then turned a dangerous Pablo Sarabia cross inches wide.

Pogba, who cost United a then-world record £89 million ($116 million) in 2016, was eventually introduced just after the hour mark with Fellaini sacrificed.

However, even the Frenchman couldn’t kickstart the hosts and they were eventually made to pay.

Ben Yedder had only been on the pitch for two minutes after replacing Muriel, when he finally broke the deadlock in the tie with brilliant finish low into De Gea’s bottom left-hand corner.

Mourinho responded by throwing on Anthony Martial and Juan Mata, but their attacking edge was needed far earlier as Ben Yedder soon put the outcome beyond any doubt when he forced home a corner at the far post despite a despairing effort by De Gea.

Sevilla should even had added to their lead as Clement Lenglet and Correa came close.

Lukaku finally got United on the board six minutes from time when he swept home a corner.

But it was to little avail as United have now failed to reach the quarter-finals for five straight years.

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Soccer