The Rock Chalkboard

KU football players talk season outlook with COVID-19 pandemic
There were a couple of words often repeated last Thursday as KU football players spoke to media for the first time since the end of the 2019 season. Those words — "accountable" and "realistic" — came in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and prospects of playing out a 2020 season.

Stephon Robinson Jr. wants to be role model for KU wideouts
Three years ago, Stephon Robinson Jr. was playing football at the junior college level in Torrance, Calif. Now he’s one of the Big 12’s top returning receivers after a career season in 2019, one in which he collected 45 catches for 727 yards and led KU wideouts with eight touchdowns.

Countdown to KU football: 3 breakout candidates (2019 redshirts)
This list is not in any particular order, but if it were, Steven Parker would be No. 1 in terms of having the highest ceiling. The four-star edge rusher — ranked No. 349-overall in his class and No. 23 for weak-side defensive ends — was the crown jewel of Miles’ first recruiting class, as the Jayhawks were able to pull him away from Nebraska.

When to expect kickoff times, TV networks for college football
It's not clear if the networks will select game times for all Power 5 games for the first week of the season or for the first three weeks of the season, which had been customary before the COVID-19 pandemic. ACC, Big 12 and SEC games are selected via draft order 12 days prior to kickoff of each subsequent game during the season. An SEC spokesperson told 247Sports last week "early-season games" are being discussed, which could extend beyond Week 1

2022 QB Adryan Lara talks Kansas offer, desire to play early
First, the 2022 quarterback has put a lot of thought into things. He knows the factors that will surround his college choice, and he's not afraid to think — and talk — through them. Second, he's a competitor. He talks about competition almost the same way as All-American KU basketball point guard Devon Dotson, who is now off to the NBA Draft. That is to say Lara puts winning and dominating the competition at a premium.

Bits o Chalk

Ex-Seahawks rookie CB Kemah Siverand apologizes for hotel guest sneak
Siverand, an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State, posted the apology to Twitter and, according to a source, sent a handwritten letter to the Seahawks. It marked his first public comments since the incident early in training camp. A source confirmed to ESPN that the woman Siverand was trying to sneak into the team hotel was seen on camera wearing Seahawks gear in an attempt to disguise herself as a player.

LeBron James says Black community 'terrified' of police conduct
"I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America," James said following the Lakers' Game 4 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. "Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified."

Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus, self-isolating at home
World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after celebrating his 34th birthday with a mask-free party last week.

Philadelphia 76ers fire coach Brett Brown after seven seasons
Brown's dismissal is expected to be a precursor for more upheaval for the 76ers, whose senior leadership -- including general manager Elton Brand -- will begin exploring changes in the front-office structure, sources said.

Heat's Jimmy Butler perseveres in win despite what coach Erik Spoelstra says is a 'soft-tissue' injury in shoulder
Butler's acknowledgement came after Monday's 99-87 Game 4 win over the Indiana Pacers in which the Heat completed a sweep despite Butler playing through pain and being hesitant to use or raise his left arm throughout the game.

Eraser Dust

Kenosha is the hub of nationwide protests after police shoot Black man in front of his children - CNN
Police responded with force overnight as demonstrators torched cars and set buildings ablaze in Kenosha, Wisconsin, demanding justice in the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Liam Gallagher says Yoko Ono suggested calling son Lennon was 'silly'
Liam Gallagher was on the receiving end of Yoko Ono’s criticism when she heard he had named his son Lennon.

Business partner of Falwells says he had affair with the power couple
Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.

'Dead' woman discovered alive in body bag at funeral home | US news | The Guardian
A young woman who was declared dead at her suburban Detroit home opened her eyes at a funeral home as she was about to be embalmed, a lawyer has said.

Daily Inter Lake
All staff and students over the age of 5 are required to wear masks when they are unable to maintain six feet of distance from others under a directive from the Office of the Governor. The mask mandate applies in counties where there are four or more active cases of COVID-19.

It's Nikki Haley vs. Don Jr. for the soul of the GOP - POLITICO
Political conventions are usually as much about a party’s next nominee as they are about its current flag-bearer. The Republican convention on Monday night featured a glimpse of the coming fight to define the post-Trump world: Will it look and sound more like Donald Trump Jr. or Nikki Haley?