What do the number one ranked NBA draft prospect and his NFL counterpart now have in common, other than the fact they’re both obviously very athletically talented?
They are both involved in very unsavory stories that resulted in deaths. While Alabama forward Brandon Miller has not been charged with a crime and reportedly has been cooperating with investigators, he transported a gun that was then used by others in the January fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Tuscaloosa.
On Wednesday, the top-rated NFL draft prospect, former Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, was charged with reckless driving in what Athens-Clarke County Police say was a racing incident that resulted in the deaths of one of Carter’s Bulldog teammates and a 24-year-old female Georgia recruiting staff member. The deaths occurred just hours after a parade that celebrated Georgia’s repeat national championship. The crash was not a single-vehicle accident as had been earlier reported. Carter has issued a statement that he is confident he will be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
This will of course have a major impact on April’s draft, but we’ll save that discussion for another day.
To quote Boz Scaggs, looks to me that there’s an inevitable breakdown dead ahead for the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson. No, I don’t think that marriage can be saved. Jackson, who foolishly serves as his own agent, has unrealistic expectations based on the ridiculous contract the Browns gave DeShaun Watson. The Ravens have until Tuesday to decide whether they will tag Jackson for 2023, which would thrown them into Cap Hades.
The Colts have the fourth pick in the draft. Indy has been a mess at quarterback ever since Andrew Luck unexpectedly retired in 2019. This is their best opportunity to get right at QB since then. Bryce Young? The Colts would probably have to trade up to get him. But Indy g.m. Chris Ballard told reporters Wednesday at the Combine that he won’t be pressured by the press and fans to take a quarterback just “to get you guys off our asses.”
I was in attendance at the old Stanford Stadium in January of 1985 when the 49ers beat the Dolphins 38-16 in SB 19. The Niners wore red jerseys. Four years later, Joe Montana again wore that very same red jersey when SF squeaked out an unforgettable last second 20-16 win over the Bengals in SB 23. On Wednesday, that jersey was auctioned off for $1.212 million. If you think that’s a record bid for a football jersey, you’re right.
This is interesting. The NFL Players Association recently conducted a survey asking players to rate their teams on things like how their families are treated, what the food and nutrition programs are like, weight room facilities, strength coaches, training staff, locker rooms and team travel. The idea here was to provide free agent players with information that could factor into where they want to go. Survey says? The three best organizations in those areas are the Vikings, Dolphins and Raiders, while the three worst are the Chargers, Cardinals and Commanders.
It’s a small sample size, but so far spring training batting averages and runs scored are up compared to the same period last year. Makes sense. Banning infield shifts will lead to more offense and, after all, that was the idea.
