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Dungy, Tampa teams help pay to move statue

Tony Dungy challenged Tampa’s professional sports teams to help pay to move a Confederate statue from in front of a local courthouse, and they have responded.

Confederate statues, and there are hundreds, are being taken down across the country in the wake of Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. White nationalists marched there, in part, to protest the impending removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the key Confederate military figure in the Civil War.

Money is being raised to move the Confederate statue Memoria In Aeterna from in front of a Tampa public building. The statue, which was unveiled in 1911, portrays a Confederate soldier marching into battle during the Civil War and another returning. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

A woman, Heather Heyer, was killed in Charlottesville when a car driven by a man from Ohio plowed into a crowd that was protesting the white nationalists.

Since then, Baltimore has removed a number of Confederate statues, and many around Tampa rallied to have the statue Memoria In Aeterna removed from in front of the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The statue was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910 and installed in 1911.

On Wednesday, Hillsborough County commissioners voted 4-2 to block public spending to move the monument. The county said that the $140,000 required to move the statue would have to come from private funding, and that if it didn’t in 30 days, the statue would likely stay.

Tony Dungy, the former Buccaneers and Colts coach who lives in Tampa, tweeted an appeal to his 754,000 followers.

The Buccaneers, Rays and Lightning responded.

But those teams weren’t the only ones. According to the Tampa Bay Times, former Tampa Bay Storm owner Bob Gries pledged $50,000, and even Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn offered $1,000.

In about 24 hours, enough money appears to have been raised to move the statue to a small cemetery in nearby Brandon.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.

Soccer

Zidane leads 12-candidate list for top managers' prize

Winning seven trophies in 18 months on the job has earned Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane a spot among the 12 managers up for this year’s Best FIFA Men’s Coach award.

World football’s governing body released the list Thursday, which was put together by a panel of legends including World Cup winners Cafu, Diego Maradona, and Carles Puyol.

Along with Zidane, Bayern Munich’s Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri, and AS Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim are nominees who won their respective league titles last season.

Here’s the full 12-man shortlist:

  • Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus)
  • Carlo Ancelotti (Bayern Munich)
  • Antonio Conte (Chelsea)
  • Luis Enrique (Barcelona)
  • Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
  • Leonardo Jardim (AS Monaco)
  • Joachim Low (Germany)
  • Jose Mourinho (Manchester United)
  • Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham)
  • Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
  • Tite (Brazil)
  • Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)

Pep Guardiola earned the nod despite enduring the first trophyless season of his managerial career with Manchester City.

A combination of votes from national team captains and coaches, media representatives, and the public will determine the winner.

Claudio Ranieri was named the Best FIFA Men’s Coach of 2016 after guiding Leicester City to an odds-defying Premier League triumph.

NFL

GM: Bell part of Steelers plan, but he's behind

LATROBE, Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers do not know when running back Le’Veon Bell will show up, but they are still counting on him to have a big year, general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday.

Asked whether the Steelers have considered rescinding Bell’s $12.1 million franchise tender, Colbert told ESPN the Steelers will work with who’s available. Still, he said, “I fully expect Le’Veon Bell to be a significant contributor for the 2017 Steelers. That’s as simple as I can state it.”

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Both sides couldn’t reach a long-term contract before the deadline to do so passed, and because Bell isn’t under contract, he’s training in South Florida instead of at Saint Vincent College for training camp. All signs point to a late August return for Bell, whose Steelers will play the first-string offense Aug. 26 against the Indianapolis Colts.

When asked about the belief that Bell can stay fresh and injury free away from the team, Colbert stressed, “It’s beneficial for everybody to be in camp.

“I’ll argue that consistently,” Colbert said. “Training camp is important for the growth and preparedness to be ready to play this game opening week. We can argue about camp and preseason, how many games and all that, but I do know you need to practice this game to play it at the highest level. Someone once said it would be like boxing without sparring. You can’t just show up and play.”

Bell can’t be fined for his absence from training camp because he doesn’t have a signed contract. He isn’t permitted to receive a long-term contract this season because the deadline to do so for tagged players passed on July 17.

Bell is one of the game’s best playmakers but plays in a positional market that appears tapped out at around $8 million per year. Colbert said the Steelers don’t “box anybody” when it comes to positional marketplaces and place values on players based on what they do for the team. But the Steelers can’t revisit that process with Bell until after the season.

“Right now we’re worried about 2017; that’s all we can focus on,” Colbert said. “We’ve said it in the past — we want Le’Veon to have a great NFL career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. That hasn’t changed. In reality, all we’re dealing with is 2017.”

Soccer

Champions League play-offs: Napoli beats Nice; Sevilla victorious in Istanbul

Ten clubs took the pitch on Wednesday looking to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, and, following five first legs across Europe, a picture is emerging of who will be involved in the draw.

Napoli 2-0 Nice

In one of the two play-offs boasting two clubs from European football’s top five leagues, SSC Napoli defeated OGC Nice, who ended with nine players, 2-0 at Stadio San Paolo. Away supporters weren’t allowed to attend the game, which may have been for the best as it spared them from witnessing red cards to Vincent Koziello and Alassane Plea, both of whom were sent off following a dangerous tackle by the former. Dries Mertens continued his phenomenal form in the Champions League by opening the scoring, while Jorginho converted a penalty kick.

Istanbul Basaksehir 1-2 Sevilla

Jesus Navas’ first competitive touch since returning to Sevilla was an assist. It was that type of night for the Andalusian club, which left Turkey’s capital with a 2-1 win at Istanbul Basaksehir, making its debut in the Champions League. A cold-blooded shot by Sergio Escudero produced the match’s first goal, and the lead was restored by Wissam Ben Yedder just one minute after Navas took the pitch.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2-1 Maribor

Hapoel Be’er Sheva turned things around in Israel, scoring two goals after NK Maribor drew first blood in the 10th minute. Anthony Nwakaeme manufactured a world-class volley to equalise, and Shir Tzedek blasted a penalty into the top corner just before the interval.

Celtic 5-0 Astana

Celtic qualified for the Champions League’s group stage with a game to spare, thrashing Astana 5-0 in Scotland. Its result was a tad flattering, as two own goals were scored while the third came after a nasty clash of heads between Tom Rogic and Yuri Logvinenko. Nonetheless, the Bhoys will be happy about the second leg being merely a formality.

Olympiacos 2-1 Rijeka

Olympiacos BC came from behind and scored in second-half stoppage time to claim a 2-1 victory versus HNK Rijeka at Karaiskaki Stadium. After the Croatian club was put at a disadvantage when Leonard Zuta was shown a red card, the Thrylos sent its supporters into a frenzy in the 93rd minute, as Alaixys Romao headed home a scramble in the penalty area.

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Soccer