NFL=
The 49ers made a blockbuster trade to acquire seven-time Pro Bowl
left tackle Trent Williams from the Redskins, bolstering an
offensive line that helped plow the way to a Super Bowl appearance
last season. The catalyst for the trade was the announced
retirement of Joe Staley, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and member
of the All-Decade Team. The Niners sent a fifth-round pick in this
year’s draft and a 2021 third-rounder to acquire Williams, who
still must pass a physical for the trade to be finalized. Williams,
the fourth overall pick in 2010, sat out all last year due to a
dispute with management that was worsened when he received a cancer
diagnosis in November and revealed his distrust for Washington’s
medical staff. Williams’ agent says that the 31-year-old tackle is
healthy and ready to play in 2020.
The 49ers also dealt two veteran players for draft capital. San
Francisco sent running back Matt Breida to the Dolphins for a
fifth-round pick and unloaded the salary of oft-injured wide
receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Eagles, who were badly deficient
at receiver last season.
A pair of quarterbacks that weren’t selected on the second day of
the draft found homes on Day 3. The Colts used their fourth-round
pick on Washington quarterback Jacob Eason. The 6-foot-6
signal-caller began his career at Georgia but transferred to his
home state of Washington and may be Indianapolis’ quarterback of
the future. The player who replaced Eason at Georgia, Jake Fromm,
had to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called by the
Bills. The Jets selected Florida International’s James Morgan in
the fourth round, and Oregon State’s Jake Luton fell to the sixth
round and the Jaguars. Perhaps more notable, however, was the
Patriots not selecting a quarterback all weekend after Tom Brady
left to sign with the Buccaneers.
The SEC dominated the draft with 63 players selected in the seven
rounds. LSU led the way with 14 players, tying the most in a
seven-round draft, followed by Alabama with nine. The 63 players
taken were one shy of the record the SEC set last season.
The Patriots did replace franchise legend Stephen Gostkowski in the
fifth round by drafting Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser. The
pick, however, raised some eyebrows as one of Rohrwasser’s several
tattoos is the emblem of a right-wing militia group. The new kicker
explained on a conference call that he got the design tattooed as a
teenager and meant only to support his family members in the
military. Rohrwasser described his tattoos, which include phrases
like “Liberty or death” and “Don’t tread on me” as well as an
American flag and one for the Dave Matthews Band, as “all random.”
Tampa mayor Jane Castor issued an apology to new Buccaneers
quarterback Tom Brady for him being kicked out of a park during a
workout earlier this week, saying it was “not the best first
impression.” Brady was working out at a city park and was spotted
by a patrol, who ordered him to leave because the park was closed
during the coronavirus outbreak.
NBA=
Players will be allowed to return to team training facilities
starting Friday, as long as their local governments do not have a
stay-at-home order prohibiting such movement still in place as part
of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Any workouts that take
place would be voluntary and be limited to individual sessions
only. Group practices would not be allowed, and teams will not yet
be permitted to organize in-person workouts.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL=
Wake Forest has fired head coach Danny Manning after enduring
losing seasons in five of the six with him at the helm. The
decision came after the Demon Deacons finished the 2019-20 season
by losing to Pittsburgh in the opening game of the ACC Tournament,
capping a third straight losing campaign. A former No. 1 overall
NBA draft pick, Manning went 78-111 at Wake Forest with a 30-80
mark in ACC regular-season games, including a 6-49 mark in league
road games.
Gonzaga sophomore Joel Ayayi has declared for the NBA draft but
will not hire an agent, allowing him to return to campus if he
receives unfavorable reviews from scouts. Ayayi, a 6-foot-5 guard
born in Bordeaux, France, averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and
3.2 assists last season.
SOCCER=
After the Dutch Eredivisie became the first major, top-flight
soccer league in Europe to cancel the rest of its season due to the
coronavirus pandemic, club FC Utrecht is preparing for legal
action. The cancellation did not crown a champion for the season
and will not promote or relegate teams between the top leagues,
essentially nullifying the standings. Utrecht is expected to be
joined by several other teams in the lawsuit, notably the
second-division teams that thought they had played their way into a
promotion to the top tier.
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