Morning sports update: Bill Russell criticized President Trump’s opposition to voting by mail
"I don't want to risk my life to vote!"
Following the success of ESPN’s 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan (“The Last Dance”), the network announced another expansive project is in the works.
The life of Tom Brady will be chronicled in nine parts in a project that will be released in 2021. Brady made the announcement with a trailer on his social media. The title of the documentary will be “Man in the Arena.”
I have quoted Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech since I saw it painted on our weight room wall at UM in 1995. It’s a constant reminder to ignore the noise, buckle my chinstrap, and battle through whatever comes my way.
Coming 2021 on @espn! pic.twitter.com/nm9SdFYB7D
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 21, 2020
Bill Russell advocated for mail-in voting: Legendary Celtics center Bill Russell has never been shy about expressing his opinions on politics and social justice.
Now 86, Russell remains an active participant in topical political discussion. In a recent tweet, he criticized President Donald Trump’s opposition to proposals for increased usage of vote-by-mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
In his tweet, Russell closed by stating, “I don’t want to risk my life to vote!”
Hello @realDonaldTrump there is a good reason for #VoteByMail not sure if you have heard of #coronavirus #COVIDー19 or better known as a #pandemic bit I don’t want to risk my life to #vote ! @MSNBC @CNN
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) May 21, 2020
Russell lives in Washington state, which offers complete vote by mail coverage. The state switched from in-person voting in 2011 (though in-person voting options are still offered).
In a recent New York Times interview, Washington’s Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman was asked why voting by mail isn’t any more susceptible to fraud than in-person voting.
“My response has always been that actually vote-by-mail has a lot of security measures you can build into it,” said Wyman. “And we have done that here in Washington.”
Russell has opposed Trump on a number of occasions since the 2016 election. In 2017, he “took a knee” while wearing his Presidential Medal of Freedom (awarded by President Barack Obama) in response to Trump’s criticism of NFL player protests to raise awareness for social justice.
Trivia: Can you name the “Brady six” (the six quarterbacks drafted ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL draft)?
(Answer at the bottom) .
Hint: Their initials are MB, GC, TM, CP, CR, SW.
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Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl ring auction raised $1,025,000 for charity
:
A great gesture for a great cause. And the winning bidder was not Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/9eMc7FXMKb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2020
Rob Gronkowski joked about Tom Brady starting too soon with Buccaneers teammates:
“What the heck @TomBrady!? You can’t even wait for me. What the heck. This is ridiculous.”@RobGronkowski jokingly not happy with Tom Brady getting in some work without him.@Buccaneers | @Hassel_Chris#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/Sgf4N5JyxK
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 20, 2020
On this day: In 1988, Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins dueled in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But while Wilkins won the duel (47-34), Bird and Boston won the game, 118-116.
Classic rewind: When they let Kevin McHale and Larry Bird rap in a 1986 Converse commercial.
Trivia answer: Marc Bulger, Giovanni Carmazzi, Tee Martin, Chad Pennington, Chris Redman, Spergon Wynn.
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