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NATIONAL ANTHEM PROTESTSWASHINGTON -- Tommie Smith and John Carlos voiced their support for Colin Kaepernick and other athletes staging national anthem protests, 48 years after they raised their gloved fists on the medals stand in a symbolic protest at the Olympics.The American sprinters who were sent home from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for what they called a human rights salute say the San Francisco 49ers quarterback and others are right to use their platform to raise awareness about racial inequality and police brutality.Speaking Wednesday at the Team USA Awards, the first U.S. Olympic Committee event theyve been invited to since their protest, Smith says hes backing Kaepernick because his protest is proactive and Carlos says theres no better platform than sports to stand up for something, even if it brings criticism.LINCOLN, Neb. -- Gov. Pete Ricketts has agreed to meet next week with one of the Nebraska football players he criticized for kneeling during the national anthem at the Cornhuskers most recent game.Michael Rose-Ivey and two teammates each took a knee before last Saturdays game at Northwestern as a protest against police brutality and racial injustice.Ricketts spokesman Taylor Gage said a day for the meeting had not been set but that it would be held next week, at Rose-Iveys request, so it doesnt interfere with football game preparation. The Cornhuskers dont have a game on Oct. 8.After Ricketts called the act disgraceful and disrespectful on his radio show Monday, Rose-Ivey tweeted at Ricketts that he would like to discuss the issue with him.Ricketts on Tuesday night responded on Twitter: Thanks for reaching out. Direct message me your information, and we will get something set up right away!Also Tuesday, Rose-Ivey and teammates Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal were criticized by two university regents, but received support from the university president Hank Bounds.PRO FOOTBALLPHILADELPHIA -- A second petition has been filed asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the $1 billion settlement of NFL concussion lawsuits because of how it treats current brain injuries versus future ones.The former players who filed the petition complain that chronic traumatic encephalopathy diagnosed before the April 2015 cutoff can bring $4 million while future CTE diagnoses arent compensated. They say that violates Supreme Court rulings that insist each subgroup in a class action settlement be treated fairly.The petition, filed Monday, echoes earlier complaints that the lead players lawyers signed a quick deal with the NFL in 2013 favoring their clients over thousands of others.Lawyers on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee, who negotiated the deal, reject those arguments and say the appeals are holding up payments that ailing retirees need. The NFL declined to comment.BASEBALLMIAMI -- Somber Marlins players and personnel escorted a hearse carrying the body of star pitcher Jose Fernandez from the teams ballpark, as the farewell for their beloved teammate marched on.As players and fans honored Fernandezs memory, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio sought a safety probe into the rock jetty where a boat crash claimed the lives of the baseball star and two friends.Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, manager Don Mattingly, hitting coach Barry Bonds and the players including Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton wore white T-shirts emblazoned with Fernandezs image and the letters RIP as they slowly walked the hearse away from Marlins Park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. Many in the crowd of about 1,000 chanted Jose! Jose! and some waved Cuban flags in honor of the popular Cuban-American player.CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs announced a five-year contract extension with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, rewarding him for an overhaul that has the long-suffering franchise eyeing its first championship since 1908.The extension comes with the Cubs wrapping up one of the greatest seasons in franchise history and their fans believing that this just might be the team to end the 108-year World Series title drought.They reached 100 wins for the first time since 1935 and were a major league-leading 101-56 heading into Wednesdays game at Pittsburgh. Chicago clinched the best record in the majors with more than a week left in the regular season.Terms were not disclosed. Chairman Tom Ricketts said the contract ensures the baseball operations team assembled by Epstein will continue its remarkable tenure of building a consistent championship contender.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pete Rose has appealed directly to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in an effort to restore his eligibility to be elected.In a seven-page letter to the Halls president, Roses longtime attorney Raymond Genco makes the case that the career hits leaders ban from baseball for gambling in 1989 was not intended to make him ineligible for the Hall of Fame.The Hall of Fame changed its bylaws two years after Roses banishment to make banned players ineligible for the Hall. Rose argues that it wasnt then-Commissioner Bart Giamattis intention to keep him out of the Hall when the two reached a settlement that banned him from baseball.Genco said new commissioner Rob Manfred denying Roses reinstatement last December opened the door for the new argument. Joe Allen Jersey . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Aaron Ramsey Wales Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/joe-ledley-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Gareth Bale Wales Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Ashley Williams Wales Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. MOSCOW -- Russian police are getting ready for Tottenhams game against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday in the Champions League. Its the first visit by an English club to Russia since clashes between the two countries fans marred the European Championship, though a repeat of that mass violence appears unlikely.Russian and English fans clashed repeatedly in Marseille before and after their Euro 2016 group stage game in June. Groups of Russian fans arrived well prepared for trouble, equipped with mouth guards and martial arts gloves, and French police struggled to cope, deploying tear gas and water cannon.Russian fan leaders who were in Marseille for the June violence have been warned against a repeat performance, and Tottenham has urged its fans to keep a low profile in the Group E match.All the Russian fans who were in France, all the supporters, were summoned to police departments and hour-long conversations were had with them. No one wants to take revenge on anyone for anything, Alexander Shprygin, head of the All-Russian Fans Union, told The Associated Press. Everyone wants to live a quiet life and everyone forgot about the English a while ago.Two board members from Shprygins group, which has been accused of far-right links, are currently serving prison sentences in France related to the Marseille violence. However, he said when English fans arrive in Moscow their safety will be at a much higher level than in Marseille this summer, obviously as long as they dont provoke the citizens.While CSKA fans were not prominent in the Marseille violence, with supporters of others Moscow clubs such as Spartak and Lokomotiv playing a central role, CSKA has been repeatedly punished by UEFA in recent years for fan racism and occasional violence at games. When Manchester City visited in 2014 in the Champions League, UEFA ordered the game to be played in an empty stadium.Russian authorities swamp many football games with hundreds, even thousands of police as a matter of course, including for relatively minor league fixtures.ddddddddddddOnly around 300 Tottenham supporters are expected to travel, according to Ivan Ulanov, CSKAs head of fan outreach. In Marseille, English fans made a show of occupying the citys Old Port area, which antagonized Russian fans and French locals, but Spurs fans have been told to hide their allegiance in the Russian capital.For additional personal security, it is suggested that you do not show your football colors until you are inside the stadium, Tottenham said in travel advice to fans. Whilst flags and banners are welcome at the stadium, we recommend that they are not openly shown in the city center.We havent seen much to suggest that what happened over the summer has been a big influence in changing peoples minds about whether or not to travel, said Martin Cloake, co-chair of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust. Instead, the Russian visa procedure, which can cost around 150 pounds ($195) and requires biometric testing, is a bigger deterrent. Its a very expensive trip anyway, and a long journey, added Cloake.If there is trouble at Tuesdays game in Moscow, it wouldnt be the first time Spurs fans have experienced crowd violence in Russia.On Tottenhams last visit in 2013 to play Anzhi Makhachkala in the Europa League, the game was played in the town of Ramenskoye near Moscow because of safety concerns related to an Islamist insurgency in Anzhis home region.The arrival of thousands of Anzhi fans angered Ramenskoye locals. The two groups clashed inside the stadium during the game before the locals charged the Anzhi supporters, prompting a stampede for the exits, all as the small group of travelling Spurs fans looked on. Police eventually restored order and the game finished peacefully, with a 2-0 win for Tottenham. ' ' '