‘He ain’t SWAC:’ Robinson snubs Deion ‘bro hug’
When Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders and Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr. met at midfield after Saturday’s game, the exchange ended with Robinson pushing away the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Turns out, they were just getting started.
Robinson took Sanders’ hand following Alabama State’s 26-12 homecoming loss to Jackson State, but wanted no part of an embrace with Sanders, instead shoving him with his left hand as he walked away. A surprised Sanders raised his hands in disbelief before walking away alongside his security detail.
Robinson later explained that Sanders had made disrespectful comments in the week leading up to the game. Robinson also alleged that Sanders walked through Alabama State’s offensive warm-ups in one of the end zones, rather than taking a more direct route to Jackson State’s sideline. He added that Jackson State should have taken a knee in the final minute of the game rather than trying to score more points with its backup quarterback.
Robinson said he would always shake an opposing coach’s hand, but saw “no need for an embrace” with Sanders.
“I’m going to always be respectful and respect the game,” Robinson said. “You’ve got the great [coaches], W.C. Gorden, Eddie Robinson, those guys, Marino Casem, I’m living on the shoulders of the SWAC.”
Robinson, who isn’t related to Grambling coach and Hall of Famer Eddie Robinson, then added of Sanders: “He ain’t SWAC. I’m SWAC, he ain’t SWAC. He’s in the conference, doing a great job, can’t knock that, got a great team, his son should be up for the Heisman Trophy, I love Shedeur, great player, I love what he’s doing for the conference. … But you’re not going to come here and disrespect me and my team and my school and then want a bro hug. Shake my hand and get the hell off.”
Sanders has led Jackson State to 12 consecutive SWAC wins and a league title in 2021, while bringing increased attention to the league and HBCU football. He defended his pregame routine, saying he always ran around the field before NFL games and arrived too late to greet Robinson at midfield before kickoff.
Last week, Sanders said Alabama State inviting Jackson State as its homecoming opponent was a “money game,” because of the large crowds and attention that follow him and his program.
“I heard him also spew out comments about what did I say leading up to the week,” Sanders said after Saturday’s game. “I was a darn good salesman leading up to the week. Did we sell the game out? Did we sell the game out, yes or no? Had they ever been sold out here? So I thought I did my job. I thought I should be applauded, really.”
Sanders took issue with Robinson’s comment that he didn’t reflect the SWAC.
“I’m not one to come back the next day and you going to pick up the phone and you going to apologize and we straight,” he said. “No, not whatsoever. You meant that mess. And one of the comments that kind of disturbed me out of all the comments, that I’m not SWAC. Who is? I got time today. Who is SWAC if I ain’t SWAC? Who is SWAC if I ain’t SWAC?”
Sanders added that he doesn’t need extra motivation but noted the “audacity” of Robinson to question his intentions as a coach.
Robinson isn’t likely to back down. He said he respects Sanders, noting that “Everybody wanted to be ‘Prime Time’ when they were a little kid.” Robinson also praised Sanders’ coaching ability, just not his actions.
“I hope he comes back next year, I pray he don’t get a Power 5 job, so we can play them next year in Jackson,” Robinson said. “And I pray they put us for their damn homecoming.”
BALTIMORE — Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit for the cycle in Sunday night’s 11-2 win against the Orioles, completing the feat with a three-run homer down the left-field line in the eighth inning.
It was the first career four-hit game for Langford, who was drafted last year by the Rangers with the No. 4 overall pick and made a swift rise to the majors to make Texas’ Opening Day roster this season.
It was the first cycle in the major leagues in 2024.
Langford tripled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth and singled in the sixth.
At 22 years, 229 days old, Langford is the youngest player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle. He’s the 15th rookie to hit for the cycle since Major League Baseball established an official definition of rookie status in 1958.
The only other rookie in Rangers history to hit for the cycle was Oddibe McDowell, in 1985 against Cleveland. He recorded his in his 59th career game; Langford had his in his 60th career game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
BALTIMORE — The rules for the 2024 Home Run Derby have been altered significantly, with some of the changes designed to reduce the frantic pace that has concerned past participants.
Within each player’s timed round, the hitter will see a maximum of 40 pitches — similar to how there is a maximum number of basketballs shot in the NBA 3-point contest. This will place a greater premium on efficiency between the batting practice pitchers and the hitters.
Since the Derby moved to a timed format in 2015, the rounds of swings have often shifted into a race of the hitter and pitcher trying to get through as many swings as possible. In last year’s Derby, all of the participants averaged more than 43 swings per round.
Some past participants have spoken about how exhausting the event has become, and have privately fretted about what they perceive to be a heightened risk for injury because of the accelerated pace, which is not typical for hitters taking batting practice.
The hitters will have three minutes in each of the first two rounds, and two minutes in the championship round.
Also, the bonus time for each hitter will no longer be clocked. Instead, the hitter will continue until he’s made three outs — a swing that generates a result other than a home run. A fourth out can be earned with a 425-foot home run in the bonus time. This change will allow for an unlimited number of home runs in the bonus period, meaning that a hitter who is behind will always have a chance to make up a deficit.
Additionally, the first round will no longer be a head-to-head bracket. Instead, the top four first-round scores from the eight hitters will advance to the semifinal bracket, with ties broken by the longest home run in the first round.
Toronto‘s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle. He and his father are the first father-son duo to win the Derby, which is typically among the highest-rated MLB events every year.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson became the first player to publicly commit to participating in the 2024 Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 15, making the announcement himself during Sunday Night Baseball. Henderson is among the MLB home run leaders with 26.
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Rachel Doerrie, ESPN
The 2024 NHL draft was a spectacle in every sense of the word. Count me among those who wouldn’t mind seeing the event held at Sphere going forward. I understand wanting to spread league events around, but when you hit a grand slam like the NHL did here, don’t mess with what works.
In terms of the selection process itself, some teams had fantastic drafts, extracting value with each selection, while other teams left value on the table with the talent available.
When considering a grade for each team, the totality of their work was considered: quality of players drafted, selection value and value derived from trades. Here’s our grade for every front office, with insights on particular high-value picks and trades (as well as questionable ones).
Jump to a team:
ANA | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBJ
DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH
NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT
PHI | PIT | SJ | SEA
STL | TB | TOR | UTA
VAN | VGK | WSH | WPG
ATLANTIC DIVISION
When you have only four draft selections and three are in the 100s, it is difficult to come away with much.
Dean Letourneau was a quintessential Boston pick, even if it was a bit of a reach. The potential for Tage Thompson 2.0 has to be enticing for a franchise that needs help down the middle. He’s going to take a few years, but there is a real chance Letourneau is a unicorn, and Boston took that swing.
Elliott Groenewold, Jonathan Morello and Loke Johansson don’t have NHL projections, but you don’t expect that from midround picks. It’s a long shot for those three to make it, but they are fine bets.
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