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NFL

Jenkins: McNair's comment won't stop progress

PHILADELPHIA — Houston Texans owner Bob McNair’s comment will not stop players from trying to work jointly with the NFL to bring about social change, Eagles safety and player coalition leader Malcolm Jenkins said Friday.

McNair issued a public apology Friday following an ESPN The Magazine report that quoted McNair as saying: “We can’t have the inmates running the prison” during last week’s owners meeting in reference to ongoing player demonstrations during the national anthem.

“From a player’s perspective, I think we’ve done a great job of trying to work in a collaborative manner with the league to really come up with solutions, to move forward and create some real change, and I don’t see that changing,” said Jenkins. “Obviously his comments will represent him, but from a player’s standpoint, we’re focused on our goals, we feel like we still have an opportunity to move forward with whoever is interested in doing that, and so hopefully we can get that same type of commitment from those in league leadership.

“That’s our goal. It’s not to appease one another, it’s not to change someone’s personal opinion, it’s just to get some actual work done and change done. That’s what our focus is going to be. Obviously you have quite a few different comments come from different owners, but I feel like players have been very, very diligent in making sure that our message has been one that we want to continue to push forward, that we want to continue to collaborate and move forward. So hopefully we can get to that point.”

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ absence from Texans practice Friday was directly related to McNair’s comment, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Other players considered staging a walkout, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop.

Players around the league reacted strongly to McNair’s comment.

The ESPN The Magazine report shed light on the differing opinions within the ownership group. For example, Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie spoke in support the players’ right to kneel during the anthem, while Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared to be “trying to build momentum for an anthem mandate resolution.” According to the report, McNair and Jones say they have been “fielding an avalanche of complaints from outraged fans” in Texas over the protests.

“You have the same issue with players. I mean, we’ve got players from all over with different opinions, but we’ve been able to keep that message the same on our end. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been reciprocated,” said Jenkins. “For us, we’ll stay the course. We understand that there’s a lot of personalities, a lot of different opinions in this, but that’s the nature of what we’re trying to get accomplished, is to try to work together and bring people together from different backgrounds and different mindsets to actually move forward to some change in our communities. Hopefully, all those who are interested in being involved get involved and move forward.”

NFL owners and players met in New York last week to discuss ways they might be able to work together on these issues. While no resolution came out of it, some left feeling optimistic that collaboration was possible. The players are hoping to hold another meeting with the owners next week.

“We’re waiting for some information from the league. We’re waiting for a couple things. But we’d like to have a meeting next week,” said Jenkins. “But that’s kind of depending on the league.”

Soccer

5 players primed to spoil Ronaldo- Messi reign for best player award

When Neymar awaited the winner of the 2017 Best FIFA Men’s Player award on the London Palladium stage on Monday, did he really think he had a chance?

Since AC Milan’s Kaka collected the player of the year hardware in 2007, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have shared the distinction of being named the world’s best with five gongs apiece.

But with both players aged 30 or above, could their monopoly be challenged next year? Here are the current frontrunners to succeed the decorated pair:

Neymar

The strong favourite.

Neymar’s world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was engineered to give him a better chance of winning individual honours. At Barcelona he operated in the shadow of Messi and, to a lesser extent, Luis Suarez, and when you’re not the leading light at your club you’re not going to be named the best player on the globe.

He’s phenomenally talented and already proved he can single-handedly drag his team over the line when he inspired Brazil to glory at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The 25-year-old will have some big-name sidekicks in the French capital to help him – Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani are his current strike partners – and he’s started strongly in Ligue 1 with seven goals and five assists over eight appearances.

Kevin De Bruyne

The last time there was Premier League representation in the team of the year was in 2014, when Paris Saint-Germain’s David Luiz was selected shortly after leaving Chelsea, and Manchester United new boy Angel Di Maria was picked after a sterling season with Real Madrid.

Judging from performances early on in the 2017-18 campaign, Kevin De Bruyne is ready to introduce himself to the upper reaches of the world’s game.

The perfect weight and forensic accuracy of his passes has helped Manchester City net an incredible 32 goals over nine Premier League matches, and his knack of pressing out of possession and finding space when a teammate has the ball is especially pleasing for boss Pep Guardiola.

De Bruyne should be the favourite to challenge Andres Iniesta’s nine-year stranglehold on the FIFPro World XI, but he should put most focus on toppling Messi or Ronaldo before Neymar does.

Marco Asensio

Isco isn’t the only player to condemn Gareth Bale to bench-warming duties when the Welshman manages five minutes away from the treatment room.

Marco Asensio’s masterful dribbling has left the Bernabeu faithful doe-eyed since he was regularly deployed by Zinedine Zidane. He’s never overawed by the big stage, scoring on his debuts in La Liga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, and the Supercopa.

And not only has he contributed to Bale’s limited minutes, but he’s also blocked Bale’s path to being the natural successor of Ronaldo. Asensio’s currently pocketed more league goals than any of his teammates, and doesn’t lose possession as regularly as Isco.

Harry Kane

For those who have been unfortunate enough to watch an England match in, say, the last 25 or so years, it will come as no surprise that a native hasn’t been named in the world team of the year since Wayne Rooney snuck into the 2011 lineup.

Walthamstow lad Harry Kane seems a cut above.

His blood-thirsty hunger for etching his name on the scoresheet, coupled with an unerring accuracy, has proffered the strongest candidate for not only trumping Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record of 260, but potentially battering it.

Right now there’s no better climate for Kane to play his football: the Tottenham Hotspur game plan is built around his unbelievable scoring talents. In 2017, he’s scored 45 goals in 40 games for club and country.

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe exploded onto the football scene last season with goals that helped inspire AS Monaco to the Ligue 1 title. He’s already established himself as one of the most recognisable footballers around, and his ability to contribute in various facets of play despite his starting position in the frontline is en vogue with football viewers right now.

His professionalism at such a young age – he doesn’t turn 18 until December – is also another quality that can help him become a mainstay in The Best FIFA Men’s Player final three for years to come – perhaps before Ronaldo and Messi’s powers noticeably dwindle.

To pursue individual silverware, maybe Mbappe will eventually have to step from under the shadow of Neymar in the future to secure a lucrative switch to Real Madrid or another giant. But rest assured: when Ronaldo and Messi decline or retire, the competitiveness of the race for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award could rise exponentially.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

NFL

Vikings' Diggs confident he'll play vs. Browns

LONDON — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who has missed two games with a groin injury, is confident he’ll be able to return to action Sunday.

The Vikings, who lead the NFC North at 5-2 and are looking for their fourth consecutive win, arrived early Thursday in London ahead of their clash with the Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium for the NFL’s fourth and final game in the UK this season.

“It’s exciting to come back [to the UK],” said Diggs, who visited the country over the summer. “It’s going to be a busy trip, but I can’t wait to play some football out here.

“I feel good. We’ve got a little bit of time left, so I’ll be ready to go.”

Diggs was listed as a full practice participant Thursday after limited participation on Wednesday.

Stefon Diggs didn’t mind the unusual practice conditions that the Vikings encountered Thursday at Syon House in Hyde Park. Said Diggs: “All we need is the grass and a couple of lines.” AP Photo/Matt Dunham

The 23-year-old Diggs, who has a team-leading four touchdown receptions this season, missed the Vikings’ victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers.

When asked whether he had received any indication whether he would be ready to face the Browns, Diggs replied: “I’m the indication — we’ll see [Friday].

“At the end of the day you’ll have to ask [coach Mike] Zimmer — I was confident [of playing] last week, so I guess we’ll see.”

With the historic Syon House on one side and a herd of cows on the other, the former fifth-round draft pick out of Maryland seemed unfazed by his surroundings as he spoke beside the crudely marked patch of grass on which the Vikings had been doing walk-through practices.

“I try not to pay too much attention to the surroundings when you’ve got plays to worry about,” Diggs said. “It doesn’t really matter. All we need is the grass and a couple of lines. We’ll make it work and execute no matter what. At the end of the day, that’s football.”

Diggs also expressed his happiness to see quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who also practiced Thursday after recovering from a horrific knee injury that has kept him out for 14 months.

“It’s good,” Diggs said. “I haven’t thrown with him yet, so it’s a little different. But his aura and what he brings to the game as a person and a teammate is definitely huge.

“Teddy’s going to be Teddy. He’s always going to be the same person no matter what.”

Soccer

ITUC: Qatari government to end kafala system ahead of 2022 World Cup

In the war against modern slavery, the International Trade Union Confederation won a battle.

On Wednesday, the ITUC welcomed a breakthrough to end the kafala system, announcing that new guidance and commitments made by Qatar’s government will dismantle the system, which requires migrant workers to have an in-country sponsor and has led to millions becoming trapped in Qatar. Further meetings are planned with the country’s labour minister on implementing labour rights for two million migrant workers.

The ITUC has constantly called on Qatar to “make the 2022 World Cup a World Cup with rights for all workers,” demanding that the system is abolished and replaced with a minimum wage, workers representation, and a grievance procedure to settle disputes while also eliminating contract substitution.

“The new guidance from Qatar signals the start of real reforms in Qatar which will bring to an end the use of modern slavery and puts the country on the pathway to meeting its international legal obligations on workers’ rights,” Sharan Burrow, ITUC’s general secretary, said. “Following discussions in Doha there is a clear government commitment to normalise industrial protections for migrant workers.

“These initiatives have the support of the ITUC, and we hope that implementation will be also supposed by the ILO with its technical expertise. Much remains to be done, but these steps open the way for workers to be treated with dignity and for their lives and livelihoods to be protected.”

Six steps are included in the government’s guidance and commitments. They include:

  • Employment contracts will be lodged with a government authority to prevent contract substitution, ending the practice of workers arriving in the country only to have their contract torn up and replaced with a different job, often on a lower wage
  • Employers will no longer be able to stop their employees from leaving the country
  • A minimum wage will be prescribed as a base rate covering all workers, ending the race-based system of wages
  • Identification papers will be issued directly by the State of Qatar, and workers will no longer rely on their employer to provide their ID card without which workers can be denied medical treatment
  • Workers’ committees will be established in each workplace, with workers electing their own representatives
  • A special disputes resolution committee with a timeframe for dealing with grievances will be a centerpiece for ensuring rapid remedy of complaints

As the Guardian’s David Conn writes, the kafala system is an abuse of human rights which ties workers to “a single employer, low pay, poor accommodation, and labouring in dangerous heat,” resulting in hundreds of unexplained deaths.

In September, Human Rights Watch said: “Qatari authorities should adopt and enforce adequate restrictions on outdoor work to protect the lives of migrant workers who are at risk from working in the country’s intense heat and humidity.” Heat protection regulations for the majority of workers do not prohibit outdoor work during hours where weather conditions reach levels that result in potentially fatal heat-related illnesses.

FIFA voted Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup in 2010.

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Soccer