Sports Briefs
Abbi Webb, Editor in Chief
National
From Feb. 23-29, the NFL will host its annual scouting combine, a week long evaluation process held every February at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The best of the best college football athletes are invited to attend and must preform physical and mental tests as well as participate in an intense four-day interview. Executives, coaches, doctors and general managers will be present from each of the NFL’s 32 teams to observe, engage and evaluate the athletes and make decisions on who they want to draft.
Some athletes enter the combine highly confident, like Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, who recently told reporters that he believes he is the “best player in the draft.” Others may experience let downs, such as Ohio States quarterback Cardale Jones who suffered an unforeseen hamstring injury during the 40-yard dash on Saturday.
North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. CREDIT: Darron Cummings/AP Photo
In a day two of combine evaluation, Carson Wentz and Jared Goff have consistently risen above the rest in drill performances and proven to be two very talented quarterbacks.
In other NFL news, the league, along with the Player Association, agreed on the per-team salary cap for all NFL teams in 2016. The third year in row that the salary cap has been increased by at least $10 million, the cap for 2016 will be slightly above $155 million, where as 2015’s was set at $143.28, according to ESPN. A salary cap is an agreement that places a limit on how much teams can spend on player salaries.
International
Newly elected FIFA president, Gianni Infantino. CREDIT: Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP, File
FIFA elected a new president, Gianni Infantino, on Feb. 26 after former president, Sepp Blatter stepped down last year in response to criminal investigation pressures regarding a corruption scandal. Infantino was elected on the second-ballot Friday with promises to rebuild the organization that Blatter left scarred and corrupted into one that is transparent, professional and accountable, according to Voices of America. “I want to work with all of you together, with all of you, in order to restore and rebuild a new era in FIFA, a new era in FIFA where we can put again football in the center of the stage,” said Infantino.
Even with new blood in office, FIFA officials are still under intense criminal investigation from U.S. and Swiss prosecutors and new reforms have been put in place regarding the elected council and the length of term for the presidency. Blatter and the former boss at European football’s governing body (UEFA), Michel Platini, have been banned from soccer for the next six years after there were implications of a $2 million scandal involving the two.
Campus
North Greenville University’s Andrew Frazier. CREDIT: ngcrusaders.com
North Greenville University’s baseball team secured an 18-1 victory over Emmanuel College Friday afternoon, Feb. 26 at Ashmore Field. Andrew Frazier led the team to victory by tying the school record with eight RBI. Frazier also finished the game 3-4 with two runs with a homerun. Using Frazier’s four RBI, the Crusaders had a 8-0 lead after the third inning. Frazier’s biggest hit of the night came in the sixth inning. His grand slam was his first of the season and brought the Crusaders to a 15-1 lead. The Crusaders sealed the deal with three more runs in the eighth inning. The team improved overall to 6-6 and 1-0 in Conference Carolinas.
