Los Angeles Times - 16.11.2019

D8 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

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They were selected eight
picks apart in the 2014 NFL
draft, last year signed record-
setting extensions within 24
hours of each other and com-
bined to win the last three de-
fensive player of the year
awards.
On Sunday, Rams defen-
sive lineman Aaron Donald
and Chicago Bears linebacker
Khalil Mack are expected to
enjoy starring roles at the Col-
iseum.
The Rams’ injury-de-
pleted offensive line and the
Bears’ unproductive offense
could make the matchup be-
tween the 5-4 Rams and the
4-5 Bears a defensive struggle.
That puts the spotlight on
Mack and Donald. Mack has
51 ⁄ 2 sacks for a Bears defense
that ranks ninth in the NFL.
“He dominates,” Donald
said. “If you don’t got a game
plan for him, he can take over
a game.”
The same is true of Don-
ald, who has six sacks for a
Rams team ranked 11th in to-
tal defense.
“If you don’t know where
he is at on the field on every
single play,” Bears coach
Matt Nagy said during a tele-
conference, “you’re going to be
in trouble.”
Five years ago, the Oak-
land Raiders chose Mack fifth

in the draft. The 6-foot-3, 269-

pound Mack — a rare combi-

nation of size, speed and

power — won defensive player

of the year in 2016.

“Not many guys are freak-

ishly explosive, strong, quick,

those types of things,” Rams

safety Eric Weddle said, add-

ing that while teams employ

blocking schemes and other

tricks to neutralize Mack, “it

doesn’t matter.”

The Rams selected Don-

ald with the 13th pick in the

same draft. The 6-1, 280-

pound Donald, thought by

some to be undersized for an

interior lineman, utilized his

leverage, power and speed to

become a star and the 2017 de-

fensive player of the year.

In 2018, Donald and Mack

sat out training camp await-

ing new deals that were in line

with their exceptional pro-

duction.

O n A u g. 31, 2 018 t h e R a m s

signed Donald to a six-year,

$135-million extension with

about $87 million guaranteed.

After seeing that price tag, the

Raiders traded Mack to the

Bears, who gave him a six-

year, $141-million deal with $90

million guaranteed.

Donald responded by

amassing 20^1 ⁄ 2 sacks, the most

in history by an interior line-

man. He helped lead the

Rams to the Super Bowl and

joined Lawrence Taylor and

J.J. Watt as the only players to

win consecutive defensive

player of the year awards.

Mack had 12^1 ⁄ 2 sacks, forced

six fumbles and intercepted a

pass for a Bears team that ad-

vanced to the playoffs for the

first time since 2010. He was

selected to the Pro Bowl for

the fourth year in a row.

Last season, the Bears de-

feated the Rams, 15-6, at Sol-

dier Field. Mack had three

tackles, including a sack, and

forced a fumble. Donald made

two tackles.

Donald has 65^1 ⁄ 2 career

sacks, Mack 58^1 ⁄ 2. Both totals

are expected to grow Sunday.

Etc.

Rams receiver Cooper

Kupp and center Austin

Blythewere told to stay home

rather than attend Friday’s

workout because of illness,

coach Sean McVay said.

“They just both got the little

stomach bug — it is conta-

gious — so kept those guys at

home,” McVay said. “But we

are hopeful that it will just be a

24-hour thing and get them up

to speed” Saturday for Sun-

day’s game. Tight ends Tyler

Higbee (knee), Gerald Ever-

ett (wrist) and Johnny

Mundt(groin) were limited

and are listed as questionable,

per the injury report. ... Bears

linebacker Danny Tre-

vathan (elbow) and tight

ends Trey Burton (calf) and

Adam Shaheen (foot) were

ruled out.

AARON DONALDcould wreak havoc for the Rams

on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.

Wally SkalijLos Angeles Times

RAMS REPORT

Their defense

wins awards —

and games too

By Gary Klein

COLORADO SPRINGS,
Colo. — He will proudly carry
his Mexican heritage onto the
field Monday night.
And that might not be all
Michael Davisis carrying
while running out of the tun-
nel at Aztec Stadium. The
Chargers cornerback hinted
Friday that he also could be
holding aloft a Mexican flag.
“I’ve always dreamed of
playing there,” Davis said.
“Now, I guess it’s a dream
come true. It will be quite a
ride.”
Unlike his teammates,
Davis is intimately familiar
with Mexico City, having
spent summers and various
vacations there growing up.
His mother, Ana Mar-
tinez, is Mexican, her parents
still living about 45 minutes
from the stadium where the
Chargers and Kansas City
Chiefs will meet.
Davis said he’ll have 15
family members in attend-
ance. With the Chargers’ week
off coming next on their
schedule, he said he might
stay for a few days to visit rela-
tives rather than return to Los
Angeles with the rest of the
team.
“It’s an honor,” Davis said
of the occasion. “It’s an honor
to represent Mexico’s culture

and represent my family’s

name, the Martinez name. I

just gotta go out there and ball

out, play my hardest.”

He speaks Spanish and

displayed the ability during

the NFL draft in April.

When the time arrived for

the Chargers to pick in the

fourth round, the television

coverage cut to Mexico City,

where Davis was standing

with his family.

He announced the team’s

selection of linebacker Drue

Tranquillin Spanish as ev-

eryone around him cheered.

“Bienvenido a L.A.,” he

said, ending the segment.

As this game has ap-

proached, Davis has become

an increasingly popular inter-

view subject among media

members. He spoke to report-

ers en masse Friday from be-

hind a lectern.

The moment marked a de-

parture for the soft-spoken

Davis, who for stretches this

season kindly declined several

interview requests. Asked

how many people were aware

of his background, Davis

smiled and said, “Before now?

Probably nobody knew. I

guess a lot of people now know

that I’m half-Mexican.”

On his father’s side, Davis

is African American, with

some Native American mixed

in.

He wears several tattoos

honoring his heritage, includ-

ing an Aztec warrior on his

right arm. Beneath that im-

age appears the phrase “Por

siempre de la familia

Martínez” — Forever a part of

the Martínez family.

“I think it’s going to be

rowdy,” Davis said of the an-

ticipated atmosphere Mon-

day. “I know Mexicans come

out and get rowdy.”

Out of line

Against the Chiefs, the

Chargers are preparing to

start an offensive line that fea-

tures tackles with a combined

nine NFL starts. All nine be-

long to Trent Scott, with

eight coming this season.

Rookie Trey Pipkinsis ex-

pected to make his first career

start Monday, at left tackle.

Regular starters Russell

Okung(groin) and Sam Tevi

(knee) have been unable to

practice this week, the Char-

gers unsure when either will

return. Okung was injured

early in a loss on Nov. 7 at Oak-

land. Tevi had surgery to re-

pair his meniscus after being

hurt in a Week 9 victory over

Green Bay.

Following Okung’s injury,

Pipkins played 68 of the Char-

gers’ 75 offensive snaps

against the Raiders.

“I thought he battled his

butt off,” offensive coordina-

tor Shane Steichensaid. “I

thought he did a heck of a job.

He’s going to continue to get

better.”

The Chiefs are tied for fifth

in the league with 30 sacks

and have 13 players who have

at least one sack this season.

Phillips back?

Safety Adrian Phillips

practiced for the second con-

secutive day and remains a

possibility to return Monday.

He has been on injured re-

serve since breaking his right

arm in Week 2.

“He’s very experienced

and always brings a sense of

calm as far as trust and know-

ing where he’s going to be, how

he’s going to play things,”

defensive coordinator Gus

Bradley said. “When he’s

capable of playing, it’ll be

good.”

Rookie safety Roderic

Teamer, working his way

back from a groin injury that

has cost him consecutive

games, was a full participant

in practice Friday and figures

to be available against Kansas

City.

Long snapping

With long snapperCole

Mazzastill bothered by an ill-

ness, the Chargers signed vet-

eran Matt Overtonas insur-

ance. Overton has appeared

in 100 NFL games in eight sea-

sons.

CHARGERS REPORT

Feeling right at home in Mexico

By Jeff Miller

pay for the rest of the season
and perhaps longer, Cleve-
land police announced they
will not investigate the matter
unless Rudolph files a com-
plaint. The quarterback does
not wish to pursue legal ac-
tion, according to a person
close to him who did not wish
to be identified.
Regardless, the incident
has taken its place in a history
of sports violence that in-
cludes boxer Mike Tyson bit-
ing off the tip of Evander
Holyfield’s ear and San Fran-
cisco Giants pitcher Juan
Marichal attacking Dodgers
catcher Johnny Roseboro
with a bat.
Some of these assaults
were prosecuted; others wer-
en’t. At issue is the notion
that athletes consent to a cer-

tain amount of physical con-

tact every time they step onto

the field of play.

“We always have this big

carve-out for sports,” said

Stan Goldman, a Loyola Law

School professor. “People are

horribly injured in boxing and

football but we kind of allow it

because, the theory is, it’s so-

cially acceptable.”

Thursday’s incident be-

gan with Garrett tackling

Rudolph in the final seconds

of a 21-7 victory for the

Browns. The quarterback

took exception and initiated

the sort of pushing and shov-

ing common to such plays,

but also grabbed and pulled

Garrett’s helmet.

Things quickly escalated

when two Steelers linemen

got involved and Garrett tore

Rudolph’s helmet off, taking a

windmill swing with it that

struck Rudolph in the head.

The scuffle continued with

players tumbling to the

ground and one of the Steel-

ers kicking Garrett.

“I made a terrible mis-

take,” Garrett said in a state-

ment Friday. “I lost my cool

and what I did was selfish and

unacceptable.”

While issuing lesser penal-

ties for two other players, the

NFL hit Garrett with the long

suspension and a $250,000

fine for violating “unneces-

sary roughness and un-

sportsmanlike conduct rules,

as well as fighting, removing

the helmet of an opponent

and using the helmet as a

weapon.”

“It was bush league, it was

a total coward move on his

part,” Rudolph said. “I’m not

going to take it from a bully.”

From a legal standpoint,

the law in Ohio — where the

game was played — states

that no person “shall know-

ingly cause or attempt to

cause physical harm to an-

other,” which might seem like

exactly what Garrett did.

The case becomes less

clear, Goldman says, because

of what society expects from

sports.

Fighting, in particular, has

long been considered a part of

football and hockey. Prose-

cutors might take this into

consideration when thinking

about their chances of per-

suading a jury.

There is also the question

of punishment for someone

who gets into a football brawl

as opposed to, say, a barroom

fight.

“Do you lock him away in

prison?” Goldman asked.

Authorities have often

looked the other when it

comes to violent outbursts in

sport.

In the summer of 1965, as

the Dodgers played the Gi-

ants in their heated rivalry,

Marichal came to bat and got

into a confrontation with

Roseboro. Marichal swung at

the catcher, leaving Roseboro

with a bloody, two-inch gash

to the head.

When asked about the

penalty Marichal should re-

ceive, Roseboro told report-

ers: “He and I alone in a

locked room, for about 10 min-

utes.”

The catcher ultimately

filed a civil lawsuit that was

settled for $7,500. There were

no criminal charges.

Lakers forward Kermit

Washington was never ar-

rested for the 1977 sucker

punch that left Rudy Tom-

janovich, then of the Houston

Rockets, with a fractured

skull and broken jaw.

Two decades later, Tyson

was still on parole for a previ-

ous rape conviction when he

fought Holyfield, leaning

close and using his teeth to rip

away. Las Vegas authorities

declined to arrest him.

“There are certain agree-

ments both fighters enter

into,” Mary Kay Moore, an of-

ficial with the Cook County

state’s attorney, told the Chi-

cago Tribune. “If he was con-

victed of biting someone out-

side the ring, he would serve

the rest of his sentence before

serving the new sentence.”

But prosecutors haven’t

always hesitated to intervene.

When hockey player Marty

McSorley smashed an oppo-

nent’s head with his stick in

2000, Canadian authorities

brought assault charges and

ultimately sentenced him to

18 months’ probation.

A fight that broke out be-

tween the Detroit Pistons and

Indiana Pacers, which

quickly spilled into the

stands, resulted in charges

against five players.

“You’re weighing out the

government resources and

deciding whether you’re go-

ing to prosecute,” UCLA law

professor Peter Johnson said.

“There are times when the

prosecutor says there needs

to be some criminal convic-

tion.”

It was less than two weeks

ago that the Browns waived

safety Jermaine Whitehead

for posting threatening, pro-

fanity-laced comments on

Twitter.

Though Garrett has re-

ferred to himself as a pacifist

and a poet, the Browns’ de-

fensive lineman was previ-

ously fined more than $50,000

this season for fighting and

late hits. After he struck

Rudolph on Thursday night,

the quarterback’s agent took

to social media.

“There are many risks an

NFL QB assumes with every

snap taken on the field,” Tim-

othy Younger wrote. “Being

hit on your uncovered head by

a helmet being swung by a

[defensive end] is not one of

them.”

There is a general theory

in law that no one can consent

to great bodily injury, not

even professional athletes,

Goldman said. So stepping

on a football field does not ab-

solve all wrongdoing.

That question is, where to

draw the line?

Prosecutors, who could

pursue an investigation with-

out Rudolph’s involvement,

might face another issue.

Would potential jurors in

Cleveland hesitate to convict

the home team’s star player

and a former No. 1 draft pick?

“It’s tricky,” Goldman

said. “It wouldn’t be as tricky

if football weren’t the No. 1

spectator sport.”

Violence on the field doesn’t usually carry over into the courtroom

[Garrett, from D1]

The NCAA placed the

men’s basketball program at

Seton Hall on probation for

three years, took away a

scholarship for the 2020-21

academic year and limited

recruiting in each of the next

two seasons as part of a ne-

gotiated resolution of a

transfer tampering case

started in 2016.

Under terms of the agree-

ment announced Friday,

Seton Hall coach Kevin

Willard was given a two-

game suspension he has al-

ready served, and his former

assistant and current St. Pe-

ter’s University head coach

Shaheen Halloway received

a four-game suspension that

has two games remaining.

No. 12 Seton Hall remains

eligible for the NCAA tour-

nament. The NCAA also an-

nounced Seton Hall has

been fined $5,000 plus 1% of

the men’s basketball budget

and had its scholarships re-

duced to a maximum of 12 in

2020-21.

FOOTBALL

Callaway hit

with suspension

Former Cleveland

Browns wide receiver Anto-

nio Callaway was sus-

pended 10 games by the NFL

for another violation of the

league’s substance-abuse

policy.

Callaway was suspended

four games this season for a

drug violation. He was re-

leased on Thursday by

Cleveland just hours before

the club played the Pitts-

burgh Steelers.

Jacoby Brissett will start

against the Jacksonville Jag-

uars, coach Indianapolis

Colts coach Frank Reichan-

nounced. ... The Philadel-

phia Eagles signed running

back Jay Ajayi, who re-

places injured Darren Spro-

les.

GOLF

Lee shoots 62 to

lead Mayakoba

Danny Lee was 10-under

par through 13 holes and had

to settle for a nine-under 62

for a one-shot lead in the Ma-

yakoba Classic.

He has a one-shot lead on

Brendon Todd and Adam

Long,among early starters.

Zander Lombard shot a

seven-under-par 65 to over-

take fellow South African

Louis Oosthuizen and take

a two-shot lead after two

rounds at the Nedbank Golf

Challenge.

ETC.

Russell accepts

an overdue ring

Bill Russell, the 11-time

NBA champion, five-time

MVP, Olympic gold medalist

and two-time NCAA cham-

pion, said on Twitter that he

was presented with his Hall

of Fame ring in a private cer-

emony that comes three

decades after he was first se-

lected for the shrine in

Springfield, Mass.

Russell didn’t attend his

induction ceremony in 1975.

He said he didn’t deserve to

be the first black player in-

ducted. He tweeted that “I

felt others before me should

have that honor.”

Defending champion Al-

exander Zverev secured the

last semifinal spot at the

ATP Finals, eliminating

Rafael Nadal in the process.

Zverev beat already

eliminated Daniil Medve-

dev 6-4, 7-6 (4) at the O2

Arena to finish second be-

hind Stefanos Tsitsipas and

set up a semifinal against

Dominic Thiem.

One of China’s biggest

Olympic stars fought to

compete at the 2020 Tokyo

Games during a rare public

hearing that turned combat-

ive at times, as champion

swimmer Sun Yang de-

fended his refusal to com-

plete a doping test last year.

During a 10-hour session

marred at times by trans-

lation problems, Sun main-

tained that inspectors draw-

ing blood and urine samples

failed to have proper identi-

fication papers.

The Angels and the city of

Anaheim met for what the

city called “an initial discus-

sion about the future of

baseball in the city.” The two

sides have yet to set another

meeting date, city spokes-

man Mike Lyster said. The

Angels face a Dec. 31 dead-

line to opt out of their sta-

dium lease or remain bound

to it through 2029.

— Bill Shaikin

The UCLA women’s soc-

cer team defeated visiting

Lamar 4-1 in an NCAA first-

round match. Pepperdine

lost to host Texas Tech on

penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie in

regulation.

Jorge Vergara, the mer-

curial owner of Mexican soc-

cer club Chivas of Guadala-

jara and former owner of

failed MLS club Chivas USA,

died Friday of a heart attack.

He was 64.

— Kevin Baxter

Matt Hagan raced to the

provisional No. 1 spot in

Funny Car during qualifying

at the Auto Club NHRA

Finals in Pomona.

Hagan made a top pass of

3.872-seconds at 333.58 mph.

Leah Pritchett led in Top

Fuel, Jeg Coughlin Jr.in Pro

Stock and Matt Smithin Pro

Stock Motorcycle.

Matt Crafton finished

second in NASCAR’s Truck

Series finale at Homestead-

Miami Speedway — good

enough for his third series ti-

tle.

Sierra Canyon High’s

boys’ basketball team will

appear 15 times on ESPN

networks this season.

—Eric Sondheimer

THE DAY IN SPORTS

No. 12 Seton Hall

put on probation

staff and wire reports