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Ball in their court: Justices take on NCAA restrictions starexponent.com
The Titans released Malcolm Butler earlier this month, with the veteran cornerback set to account for a $14.2 million cap hit in 2021.
Now Butler is with the Cardinals on a one-year deal and has a chance to elevate their secondary.
Butler — who made the game-saving interception off Russell Wilson for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX — just turned 31 at the beginning of the month. But he feels like he has plenty left in the tank.
“I’ll ball harder this year,” Butler said in his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “I had my best year at the age of 30, my best year. So age ain’t nothin’ but a number over here.”
Some might disagree with Butler’s assertion, as the Titans finished No. 29 in passing yards allowed, No. 31 in passing touchdowns allowed, and last in allowing a 52 percent third down conversion rate. But Butler did tie a career high with four interceptions, recorded 14 passes defensed, and had 100 total tackles.
Given his cap number, Butler said he wasn’t entirely surprised that the Titans let him go.
“This is the NFL. It’s about business, the cap space, they had some trouble with that,” Butler said. “I was going to make a ton of money this year if I’d have stayed with the Tennessee Titans. And I’m pretty sure they needed help in other positions, so I wasn’t that surprised. But I was. But it’s business. No bad blood with that. They’re just doing what’s best for the team.”
In 100 career games, Butler has 17 interceptions, 82 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and 3.0 sacks.
Marcus Smart has a high basketball IQ, but even the smartest players make mistakes.
This one was legendary.
To set the scene: New Orleans had the ball when Payton Pritchard had made a nice defensive hustle play and forced a jump ball with Brandon Ingram with .03 left on the shot clock — the Pelicans did not have time to win the mid-court tip and get off a shot. Boston was going to get the ball one way or another… then this happened.
That was… something pic.twitter.com/Cr7mNtyIHc
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 30, 2021
Just to be clear what Kemba Walker was telling Smart, the shot clock reset when Boston got the ball, they had a full :24.
Boston fell to New Orleans 115-109, and Evan Fournier struggled in his Celtics debut, going 0-of-10 from the floor.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Five Thai activists were indicted on Wednesday on charges of attempted violence against the queen during a pro-democracy demonstration last year, when a royal motorcade encountered dozens of protesters.
Their lawyer Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen said prosecutors indicted the five under a section of the law that carries a minimum sentence of 16 years in prison for violence or attempted violence against the queen, heir-apparent or regent.
“I did not have such intentions, nor was I trying to do so. I’ve reaffirmed these facts over the past few months,” said one of the accused, Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong, 21.
More serious breaches of the same law can result in life imprisonment, or a death sentence if an act is likely to endanger their life.
Others include Suranat Panprasert, 35, a coordinator for a youth group, Ekachai Hongkangwan, 45, and two others. All have denied the charges and are seeking bail.
The case centres on an encounter at the height of anti-government demonstrations last year when Queen Suthida’s convoy passed through a group of protesters on Oct. 14.
Video from the incident showed police pushing protesters away from the queen’s car.
“We are just hoping for bail because we did not do anything wrong. We had no idea the royal convoy was coming,” Ekachai said.
Anti-government protesters that emerged last year demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and broke longstanding taboos by openly calling for reforms of the powerful monarchy.
The Royal Palace has not commented directly on the protests since they began last year.
There are currently 19 Thai youth activists in jail having been denied bail. They face a litany of charges, including sedition, while 12 of them are also charged with lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Poonsuk on Wednesday told reporters her clients were not protest leaders and would not repeat offences.
“We hope the court will see that the five defendants are not a flight risk,” she said.
Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty
Five current and former Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting employees are facing federal charges for allegedly accepting bribes, the Hawaii U.S. Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday.
A local architect has also been indicted in connection with the alleged scheme in the department, which has long been suspected of hosting a pay-to-play culture.
“Our citizens entrust their go
“The FBI will bring all its resources to bear and vigorously pursue criminals who attempt to defraud the American people our institutions.”
The indicted employees are:
William Wong, 71, of
Based on the federal indictments, DPP has placed the three current employees named on immediate leave with pay, pending the outcome of their cases, according to Tim Sakahara, Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s communications director.
“The department is disappointed by today’s events and we certainly do not condone the activities alleged in the indictments,” he said in an emailed statement.
“These alleged activities should not reflect on the more than 200 dedicated DPP employees who work hard every day to ensure the health and safety of the citizens of Honolulu. We will decline further comment because of the ongoing investigation.”
Defense attorney Megan Kau told HNN that she is representing a client who is cooperating with the feds. The unnamed builder paid more than $100,000 over two or three years, she said. The practice has been an open secret, according to Kau.
“It’s common knowledge,” she said. “I can talk to any contractor and architect and say, ‘Hey do you know this is going on?’ They all know it’s going on. It’s common knowledge.”
She added: “They say ‘hey if you want to get your permit passed through, you’re going to have to pay.’ And if they refuse to pay, they get kicked to the bottom of the list and their projects don’t get approved.”
The alleged corruption has been going on for years, according to the indictments.
Inouye allegedly solicited and accepted gifts, payments and other things of value several times in the last decade: approximately $90,000 from an architect and third-party reviewer in 2016 and 2017; about $3,400 from a signage contractor from 2012 to 2017, about $9,600 from a building contractor from 2012 to 2016; and about $1,800 from another signage contractor in 2012.
In exchange, Inouye rewarded those paying the bribes with favorable treatment including expediting permit approvals, according to the indictment. Those individuals were not named in his indictment.
Inouye took steps to hide his criminal activity including by using a sole proprietorship named SKI and Associates, the indictment states.
The other indictments follow the same pattern.
Prosecutors said Padeken solicited and accepted bribes totaling at least $28,400 from Wong, including a $1,600 check she deposited in October 2018. She then acted in his favor as opportunities arose, including approving Wong’s building projects ahead of projects previously submitted by others.
Godoy solicited and accepted unidentified gifts from an architect and third-party reviewer from around September 2019 through November 2020, her indictment said. She allegedly tried to conceal the activity by taking bribes in cash.
In a text message to an architect in September 2019, Godoy said that a payment could go on the person’s “long tab,” according to the indictment. And in November 2020, she allegedly wrote: “That’s It? Ugh (emoji) I thought it would be around $200.00 Lol (emojis).”
Dadez solicited and accepted a bribe of at least $1,000 from an architect and third-party reviewer and that person’s client who owned a multi-family residence on Ala Wai Boulevard, according to his indictment. In exchange, Dadez allegedly helped the architect and property owner by nullifying a building code violation that had been issued for the Ala Wai residence.
He also took gifts totaling $2,000 from the owners of a Waipahu restaurant and gave them favorable treatment, including processing two applications associated with a wall sign for the eatery, the indictment states.
In addition, Dadez accepted bribes from a solar contractor from 2012 through August 2020, prosecutors said. In turn, he allegedly helped the company by processing its permit applications. Like others, Dadez is accused of attempting to conceal his wrongdoing by operating in cash and use a personal cell phone and email account to arrange the transactions.
In her indictment, Javonillo is alleged to have solicited and accepted bribes going back as far as 2009 from an architect and third-party reviewer, two architectural draftsmen, an engineer and third-party reviewer, and a builder. In exchange, she allegedly expedited approvals and logging preferred projects ahead of those previously submitted by others.
Other than Wong, none of the companies who allegedly paid bribes are named in the indictments.
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WASHINGTON – The NCAA and former college athletes are getting ready to play ball at the Supreme Court.
With the March Madness basketball tournament ongoing, the high court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case about how colleges can reward athletes who play Division I basketball and football. The NCAA says if the former college students who brought the case win, it could erase the distinction between professional and college sports.
Under current NCAA rules, students can't be paid, and the scholarship money colleges can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school. The NCAA defends its rules as necessary to preserving the amateur nature of college sports.
But if the Supreme Court sides with the former students, those caps on educational benefits could go away. If individual athletic conferences agree, schools could offer tens of thousands of dollars in education benefits for things such as postgraduate scholarships, tutoring, study abroad opportunities, vocational school payments. That could create a bidding war for the best players.
The former athletes who brought the case, including former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, say the NCAA’s current rules deprive students of the ability to be rewarded for their athletic talents and hard work because most of them will never play professional sports. So far, the former players have won every round of the case. Lower courts agreed that the NCAA’s rules capping the education-related benefits schools can offer violate a federal antitrust law.
Whatever happens at the high court, how college athletes are compensated is already likely changing. The NCAA is in the process of trying to amend its longstanding rules to allow athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses. That would allow athletes to earn money for things like sponsorship deals, online endorsement and personal appearances. For the top athletes, those amounts could dwarf any education-related benefits.
The former college athletes have some big-time supporters. The players associations of the NFL, NBA and WNBA are all urging the justices to side with the former athletes, as is the Biden administration.
The justices are hearing arguments by phone in the case as they have been doing for almost a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. They will almost certainly issue a decision in the case before they leave for their summer break at the end of June.
The NCAA wasn’t happy with the outcome the last time its rules were before the Supreme Court. In 1984, the high court rejected NCAA rules restricting the broadcast of college football. The justices’ ruling transformed college sports, helping it become the multibillion-dollar business it is today.
Entering the 2020-21 season, there was little doubt that every LaMelo Ball Rookie Card, autograph, insert and everywhere in between was going to get a lot of attention.
Although he was taken third in the draft behind Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman, there was more collector intrigue behind Ball. And through the first half of his rookie campaign, the point guard proved to be not only a great playmaker but an almost nightly highlight reel. Ball is clearly a player to watch and is creating some buzz for the Charlotte Hornets, a franchise that hasn’t had some major hobby sting in a long time.
This should remain true even with the extended time Ball will miss with a significant wrist injury. For some, this will slow the guard’s hobby momentum. Looking big picture, though, the point guard is still young and there’s plenty of time ahead of him.
LaMelo Ball Rookie Cards are in 2020-21 basketball sets, but they’re not his first cards. Leaf released several cards of him as far back as 2018 — including autographs.
They create a unique situation seldom seen in basketball. Pre-dating his first NBA cards by a couple of years adds a level of intrigue. And for many, especially the autographs, they’ve continued to draw strong prices even as NBA signatures start to hit the market.
This list only includes base cards with the RC tag in the Beckett database. Inserts and parallels are not. A full checklist of LaMelo Ball cards is available here. More cards will be added in the months ahead as new sets release. Cards are listed alphabetically.
A lot of the focus in 2020-21 Absolute Memorabilia is autographs and, obviously, memorabilia. Ball has both of those on the checklist, but there’s also this foil base card. Although not numbered, don’t expect to find it in too much bulk as the product doesn’t have a lot of base cards per box.
Parallels: Dollar Tree, Red (/199), Blue (/99), Orange (/75), Teal (/49), Purple (/25), Gold (/10), Green (/5), Black (1/1)
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2020-21 Certified Basketball offers a foil take on Ball. It’s not an extremely high-end card, but the shiny stock gives it a little flair. It’s among the Mirror parallels where things really start to pop.
Parallels: Mirror Blue, Mirror Red, Mirror Orange (/99), Mirror Camo (/25), Mirror Gold (/10), Mirror Green (/5), Mirror Black (1/1)
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Boasting the Rated Rookie seal of approval and coming from a well known flagship-style line, this is one of the key LaMelo Ball Rookie Cards among the year’s early releases. Similar to Hoops and Prizm, print run doesn’t matter too much as Donruss has a fairly wide appeal and notoriety.
Parallels: Choice, Green Flood, Holo Green Laser, Holo Green and Yellow Laser, Holo Light Blue Laser, Holo Orange Laser, Holo Red and Gold Laser, Yellow Flood, Press Proof Silver (/349), Press Proof Purple (/199), Choice Red (/99), Holo Purple Laser (/99), Choice Blue (/49), Holo Blue Laser (/49), Holo Yellow Laser (/25), Holo Red and Blue Laser (/15), Choice Gold (/10), Holo Gold Laser (/10), Choice Black Gold (/8), Choice Black (1/1), Holo Black Laser (1/1)
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2020-21 Hoops has the distinction of delivering the first LaMelo Ball Rookie Card to the masses. Although the set arrived later than usual after the season’s was pushed back, it still helped kick off a new collecting year. Hoops has plenty of history. Its wide availability also helps its recognition — not to mention brings several exclusive parallels for those chasing the rainbow.
Parallels: Blue, Hyper Blue, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Explosion, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Premium Box Set (/199), Silver (/199), Green (/99), Hyper Red (/99), Green Explosion (/89), Red (/75), Teal (/70), Blue Explosion (/59), Artist Proof (/25), Hyper Green (/25), Orange (/25), Orange Explosion (/25), Red Explosion (/15), Artist Proof Gold (/10), Hyper Gold (/10), Artist Proof Black (1/1)
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In many regards, this is the marquee LaMelo Ball Rookie Card. It will be far from the rarest and, by the time the final sets of the season are out, it won’t be the most valuable. But given the immense popularity of Prizm, it will be a barometer against which all of Ball’s RCs will be measured.
As usual for Prizm, the parallel chase adds another layer. 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball has a rainbow of more than 40 colors and patterns.
Prizms Parallels: Blue Wave, Choice Blue/Yellow/Green, Choice Tiger Stripe, Fast Break, Gold Wave, Green, Green Ice, Hyper, Orange Ice, Pink Ice, Purple Wave, Red Ice, Red/White/Blue, Ruby Wave, Silver, Red (/299), Blue (/199), Fast Break Blue (/175), Purple Ice (/175), Blue Ice (/125), Fast Break Red (/125), Purple (/99), Choice Red (/88), Fast Break Purple (/75), Orange Wave (/60), Fast Break Pink (/50), Choice Blue (/49), Orange (/49), Pink Pulsar (/42), Blue Shimmer (/35), Purple Pulsar (/35), Green Pulsar (/25), Mojo (/25), Fast Break Bronze (/20), Gold (/10), Gold Shimmer (/10), Choice Green (/8), Lucky Envelopes (/8), Black Gold (/5), Fast Break Neon Green (/5), Green Shimmer (/5), Black (1/1), Black Shimmer (1/1), Choice Nebula (1/1)
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The 2020-21 Revolution LaMelo Ball Rookie Card is for collectors who are looking for a bold look over an autograph or something rare. The patterned backgrounds are the cornerstones of the brand. For Ball’s parallels, things incorporate a variety of shapes and effects rather than the typical colors.
Parallels: Astro, Chinese New Year, Fractal, Galactic, Groove, Holo Silver Asia, Red Asia, Impact (/149), Cosmic (/100), Emerald Chinese New Year (/88), Sunburst (/75), Cubic (/50), Lava (/10), Holo Gold Chinese New Year (/8), Holo Gold Asia (1/1)
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