data-mm-id=”_xsmhbao3d”>Three players ejected, a commentariat up in arms, lengthy – seriously lengthy – bans incoming. Just another Thursday night in the NFL. In case you missed it, Myles Garrett sacked Mason Rudolph in the dying seconds of the Browns' 21-7 win over the Steelers, and after a little confrontation on the floor tried to hit the QB with his own helmet, landing one solid hit and sparking an almighty brawl. Here's the question: so freaking what? Garrett, the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and on a Browns team which is having their 17th consecutive season from hell, got too hyped up on a dead play and did something stupid. Nobody's arguing that there's a Nobel Prize coming for this play. But could we stop with the hand-wringing for half a second?Garrett? Stupid, emotional move. But the Steelers who laid into him immediately afterwards, particularly Maurkice Pouncey with his overarm punches and kicks to a prone body, are culpable of the exact same thing. That's a ban of a game or two as well, fair's fair. The problem comes where commentators and fans of a sport which (allegedly) blackballs people for speaking out on issues of racial violence, and which dishes out concussions left, right and centre as a matter of course, treats this as an egregious violation of the code. This is a league in which the majority of players accept crushing head injuries as a matter of course, in which a quarterback – in the same season he'd been suspended in relation to sexual assault allegations – played in the Super Bowl. A league in which Vontaze Burfict could play despite being fined for more than a dozen incidents of dirty, dangerous play. Burfict has finally picked up a season-long ban on the Raiders, the correct punishment for a flagrant hit, but the fact that he'd been allowed to accumulate a baker's dozen of fines and suspensions in seven years on the Bengals speaks to the values of the league when it comes to violence. Endanger your fellow player – within certain parameters. Here's the full play. Myles Garrett hit Rudolph with his own helmet. Maurkice Pouncey (#53) threw punches and a kick. pic.twitter.com/kzJDd4Hj53— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) November 15, 2019The hand-wringing over Garrett's moment of hot-blooded idiocy is sensible…removed from the context of the National Football League. But in the context of a league in which concussed or severely injured players are just "shaken up on the play," the hand-wringing becomes absurd. This is a league which lives and dies on violence. Someone breaks the code on exactly which kind of violence is acceptable, and now he's a pariah? He's going to be out for the rest of the season? Be serious. What he did wasn't football. It wasn't a football move, it was unacceptable, and he should be banned for a (small) number of games – not least because this isn't his first moment of unpleasantness this season (see: Walker, Delanie). But the fact that optics of the situation were so shocking shouldn't dictate the punishment.Fans haven't seen anything like it. Commentators and columnists haven't seen anything like it. But what they have seen is helmet-to-helmet hits, late hits, cheap shots on the sideline and the line, each and every week. The NFL has desensitised its audience to the outlandish violence inherent in the game, which – to be fair – it has to in order to be a watchable product. But this this wasn't an unusual amount of violence, it was just an unusual delivery of it. Just because it's new, doesn't mean it's worse.Suspensions for breaking 'the code' of violent, punishing games are miles out of proportion. Get ready for another Myles out of proportion reaction soon.
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The Northern Irishman has led his side to within touching distance of a first league title in 24 years, sitting five points clear at the top.
Rodgers signed a three-year deal in June 2012, but – having seen his team definitely into next season s UEFA Champions League at the very least – he is expected to earn a new contract.
There is nothing really until the end of the season, but there is no doubt that at some point we will agree another deal, the 41-year-old said.
I am sure of that.
While several clubs are expected to be interested in Rodgers, the former Swansea manager said he still had a lot to achieve at Liverpool.
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The Galicia-based club are safe from the relegation mire, 10 points clear of the drop zone with three games to play, and occupy a spot in the top half of the La Liga table.
Enrique s ability to steer Celta to 12 wins and seven draws in 35 matches has seen him linked to replace Gerardo Martino, who is under increasing pressure to keep his job after what could be a trophy-less season at Camp Nou.
But Yoel said Enrique still has three games to go before he can consider any job offers.
First he has to finish the season here and then later, the boss will take whatever decision he needs to take, the shot-stopper said.
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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has praised his influential midfielder Yaya Toure, describing him as being like Ruud Gullit .
The Ivorian was instrumental in his side s potentially title-clinching win over Newcastle on Sunday, scoring twice late on to further loosen United’s grip on the Premier League trophy.
Although Mancini insists the midfielder is not carrying the team on his own, he is well aware of the attributes the 28-year-old brings to the team and has compared him to the Netherlands’ Euro 1988-winning captain Gullit.
Yaya is fantastic because he has everything he is strong, quick, has good technique, and can play in different positions, Mancini told reporters.
He is like (Ruud) Gullit for me a player of that kind. But he can t pla…
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Wanderers became the first Australian side to lift the trophy when they defeated Al Hilal 1-0 on aggregate in the final last month.
Having defeated 2013 champions Evergrande on away goals at the quarter-final stage, the A-League outfit were paired with the CSL side in Thursday s draw.
The two clubs will compete in Group H, along with the third-placed side in Japan s J.League and whe winner of play-off one (east).
Wanderers representative Christian Layland is expecting another closely fought encounter when the two sides meet again, after their last-eight clash back in August ended 2-2 on aggregate.
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Betis travel to Old Trafford four days after United suffered the joint-heaviest competitive defeat in the club s history at Anfield.
Only a week on from their EFL Cup triumph, Erik ten Hag s men were ruthlessly dismantled by Jurgen Klopp s hosts to hand them just their second loss of the calendar year.
But with a Europa League last-16 first leg next on the agenda, Haro says Betis must be ready to battle against a fiery response from the Red Devils.
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Meredith clumsily pulled back Marco Urena with 15 minutes of regulation remaining and referee Shaun Evans assertion that it amounted to a professional foul was upheld by the VAR.
Macarthur managed to see things through until the whistle and then hit the front three minutes into the first additional period via an own goal.
COMETH THE MAN, COMETH THE M MOMBWA
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Competition: Serie A
Market: Inter Milan to beat Crotone
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Inter Milan had been in fine form this season, but in recent weeks they have stalled massively, with the wins drying up. After 22 games they have won 12, drawn eight and lost twice, while they have scored 37 goals and conceded 17 times. In their last five they have not won a single game, losing once and drawing four times. This has seen Inter onto 44 po…
Diego Simeone isn t surprised by Valencia s lofty LaLiga position this season but hopes his Atletico Madrid side can put a dent in their Champions League dreams.
The Wanda Metropolitano stages the battle between second and third in the table on Sunday, with Atleti holding a six-point cushion over their opponents heading into a crucial fixture for both clubs.
Valencia endured a turbulent 2016/17 campaign, eventually finishing in 12th position for a second successive season after interim manager Voro Gonzalez steered them away from the relegation zone.
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According to a report on Sky Sports, Hertha Berlin have secured Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin on a one year loan deal.
The 29-year old Ukranian international joined the Kop for the 2007-2008 season from Bayer Leverkusen but never became a fixture in the First XI making just 19 appearances for the club.
He has now decided to return to Germany in hopes of more regular first team football.
[Source: Sky Sports]
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FranceÂ’s national coach Raymond Domenech is under extreme pressure at present to keep his job.
After a poor Euro 2008 and his early 1 – 3 loss on Saturday to Austria in Group Seven, a team ranked just beyond 100 in the world rankings, time must be running out for the coach.
Prior to the match against Austria the French Federation had given the fifty six year old Domenech a target of five points in the first three matches. With the loss on Saturday this becomes two victories in two matches, the first of which will be on Wednesday against Serbia.
Domenech has been in charge of the French national side since 2004 and was himself a French international who played as a defender.
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