Day 406

Couple of clarifications on the rule stuff:

• Two forward passes IS illegal -- but the penalty for a particular play which came up last year did not include the loss of down for a second forward pass.  This rule change gets rid of that distinction.
• The "spot and choose" change to overtime (where one team gets to spot the ball and the other team chooses who gets it there) will continue to be considered (but was, for now, considered an "if it (overtime) isn't broken, don't try to fix it"), as that will probably be something ruminated for at least a couple of years to try to figure out what kind of unintended consequences may come as a result of the change before they get the owners to agree to it.

Other stuff:

• Brett, shut the fuck up, old man, before you have a gun pointed to your face by an angry Black man.  Do NOT think you're immune, especially if this situation with police abuse continues to fester.
• The IOC has said athlete protests will not be allowed in Tokyo, but those who do have been promised legal support by a worldwide activist group.  BLM is one of the disallowed protests.
• Mark Davis, owner of the Raiders, has taken heat from many activists for a tweet reading "I Can Breathe" after the Chauvin convictions.  The brother of George Floyd, however, got the apparent message and says it should not be confused with a similar message made in support of the police by the NYPD last year.
• In the "Oh gee, what a fucking shock" Department:  The Los Angeles Times has an expose on body-shaming within the USC dance team. In one of my schools where I got in trouble, one of the leggy dance team members was a bit curvy.  She was also hot as a pistol, and a goddamn sweetheart to boot!!   
• New Jersey sportsbook auditors have fined MGM $500 for a prop bet error in the Cleveland-Kansas City NFL playoff game.  The error would allow the bet to pay off if either quarterback threw a single pass for positive yardage.  Nine took up on it before the error was noticed, MGM paid off $10,500.  As ESPN Chalk notes, it is ironic -- one of the enticements to get people to sign up is a $1 bet on a prop which would pay $100 (I assume in non-cashable money for bets in this case!) if some absurdly-beyond-easy metric was met -- like the first basket in a game or whatever...   
• Mickie James, one of the 11 talents released by WWE last week, was sent a "care package" of we're not sure what.  She released photos of it on her social media, and it was clear it was VERY DISRESPECTFUL.  Apparently, it was a number of belongings, etc., simply stuffed into a trash bag and stuffed into a box.  HHH has said the situation is being rectified -- the person responsible, fired.  Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano has been terminated.  This is not the first time this has been done to "future-endeavored" talents.

Soccer stories:

• Irate Manchester United fans have broken into the practice ground, trying to force the Glasers out as owners of the club, as, more and more, the Super League boondoggle appears to be owner-led on an exclusive level.
• The first female official at the men's European championships will be on the pitch for Euro 2021.
• After a German Bundesliga club was forced to postpone three matches, the league will quarantine to ensure it's season finishes on time.
• At least two clubs (Real Madrid and Juventus) are being put forward for UEFA sanctions regarding their leadership of the Super League debacle.
• An update:  After nine long months, Wigan Athletic have a new Middle Eastern owner.  Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi now owns the team (as of March 31st), with a five man board of directors.  
• For the first time in ages, 12 points (out of 15 possible) in their last five matches has Wigan Athletic above the cut line to stay in League One for next season.  With three matches to go, Wigan stand at 47 points, four clear of the cutline, however Rochdale has a match in hand at 42, and they are on 10 points out of their last 15 possible to get there.  However, they have only one home match remaining on their last four.

Three sad stories to report:

• Liver complications have left Geno Hayes gravely ill in hospice care.
• Kentucky's Terrence Clarke was a prospect who well could've been drafted in this year's NBA Draft -- he was killed in a car crash.  He was 19.
• And, before he went gangsta, he was known for "The Humpty Dance" in clubs across the nation in the early 90's and a pioneer in psychodelic rap.  Humpty Hump/Shock G passed away today.