The Rock Chalkboard

KU players comment on 'inhumane' police shooting of Jacob Blake
The KU football Unity Council — made up of team-selected position-group leaders — put out a statement on Thursday evening in response to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, an incident which has been a major focus of both the sports world and country over the last few days.

Countdown to KU football: Add a player to the Kansas defense
To finish off the countdown, we have the supplementary article to our earlier "add a player to the KU football offense" piece.

Report: Two likeliest start dates for college basketball emerge
It’s widely thought that the pandemic will also have an impact on the winter sports season, and that appears to be the case. According to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the two most likely start dates for the 2020-21 college basketball season are Nov. 25 and Dec. 4. That would push the start back roughly three weeks to a month.

Bits o Chalk

Sources -- Michael Jordan voice of reason during NBA owners meeting
As the NBA continues to navigate its next steps after the extraordinary decision of the Milwaukee Bucks not to play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday over social justice issues, prompting the cancellation of games throughout multiple professional sports, a recognizable figure has emerged as a go-between NBA players and owners: Michael Jordan.

Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson dies at 85
Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson, who built Arizona into a national power and guided the Wildcats to the school's only NCAA championship, has died at age 85.

Clippers' Doc Rivers says players 'really looking forward to' resuming playoffs
"Oh, they want to," Rivers said when asked if his team is ready to move forward during an interview Thursday on Fox Prime Ticket. "They are really looking forward to it. Yesterday was a very difficult day though. Like their emotions were all over the place.

The league isn’t boycotting anything; the NBA needs collective bereavement
In labor terms, the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision not to play in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs would qualify as a wildcat strike, which is when members of an organization decide to no longer work under the same confines their union has agreed to. It’s a technical term for a reason. In this case, it also happens to be the most accurate.

What we'll remember most from a historic week in the NBA
NBA players spent the past week publicly and privately grappling with the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before refusing to play in games Wednesday, setting off protests by athletes across American sports.

Eraser Dust

Lars Ulrich on Metallica's cover of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back In Anger: "It was emotional and felt like the right thing to do for Manchester"
When asked if either Noel or Liam Gallagher gave him any feedback, Ulrich said: “Yes. Kirk and Rob [Trujillo, bassist] did ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and I did get a very appreciative text from Noel the next day – it was quite a moment obviously getting all the fans singing along. It was emotional and felt like the right thing to do for Manchester [in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack]”

Californian gets probation for blackmailing Whitefish philanthropist | Crime | missoulian.com
Federal court filings state the blackmail scheme began in 2013 and continued through 2019, a timeline in which Nash sought to extort several million dollars from Goguen. Their dispute began with Nash blaming Goguen for his failed marriage. In the following years, harassment turned to threats to expose the businessman for allegedly salacious conduct, allegations which were investigated and found baseless by the F

Why Does Walmart Want to Buy TikTok? - The New York Times
The app’s Chinese version, Douyin, is trying to become a mobile marketplace where video stars promote products. That could be a model for the U.S. retail giant if it acquires TikTok.

Trump -- defiant and dark as ever -- claims Biden would destroy America - CNNPolitics
In accepting the Republican nomination, Trump turned his back on the crowd and surveyed the executive mansion, stretching out his arms in a gesture that exemplified his vision of ultimate, unaccountable presidential power.

Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed, family says - CNN
"This is an insult to injury," Justin Blake, the uncle of the victim, said. "He is paralyzed and can't walk and they have him cuffed to the bed. Why?"

Poll of the Day