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Panthers GM offered an inside view of how the Stephon Gilmore trade came together
"As the morning went on, you heard, 'Hey, teams are getting involved. You may have to trade for him now.'"
Tonight at 8:07 p.m., the Red Sox face the Rays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez squares off against Tampa’s Shane McClanahan.
Also tonight, the United States men’s national team hosts Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier at 7:30 p.m. Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner could potentially start his fourth consecutive qualifier for the U.S. team.
More details on the Stephon Gilmore trade: In a surprising end to what was already a surprising piece of news, the Patriots traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers on Wednesday for a 2023 sixth-round pick hours after it was first reported that New England was set on releasing him.
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During an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Movin’ The Chains” show, Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer offered some background on how the Gilmore deal came together.
“Really, the opportunity kind of came about, we started hearing things about it [Tuesday] night, and then [Wednesday] morning, something came out on the internet that he was being released,” said Fitterer.
“So Pat Stewart, who is our VP of player personnel, called up to [Patriots director of player personnel] Dave Ziegler, and they started conversations, and as the morning went on, you heard, ‘Hey, teams are getting involved. You may have to trade for him now.’”
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Fitterer noted that Carolina — having already lost cornerback (and 2021 first-round pick) Jaycee Horn for multiple months due to a broken foot — didn’t want to delay on a potential deal.
“So instead of just waiting and seeing what happened and waiting for him to be released, we just thought we’d be aggressive and go out and take a shot on him,” Fitterer explained. “We just love what he’s going to bring to our organization.”
Given that Stewart worked for the Patriots from 2007-2017 in the team’s scouting department, he was the natural choice to reach out to Ziegler.
In the end, the two teams got a deal done, and New England was able to recoup a draft pick for the departing cornerback.
Trivia: Stephon Gilmore was the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He wasn’t the first cornerback selected, however. Name the only cornerback drafted ahead of Gilmore that year.
(Answer at the bottom.)
Hint: He was drafted out of LSU by a team in the NFC East.
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The NWSL protest: During three matches across the National Women’s Soccer League on Wednesday night, players paused at the sixth minute of the game to engage in a show of solidarity.
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The moment was chosen at the sixth minute to acknowledge the six years that it took for accusations of sexual coercion made by two players against former NWSL coach Paul Riley to be heard.
In a recent report from Meg Linehan of The Athletic, former players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana Shim described their experiences under Riley, and the abuse they suffered during their time with the Portland Thorns.
Since the story was published a week ago, Riley was fired by the North Carolina Courage (who hired him even after his contract wasn’t renewed by Portland due to the allegations). In addition, his coaching license was revoked. A day later, NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird stepped down.
The NWSLPA has issued a list of demands as the investigations continue, noting that, “We will be relentless in our pursuit of a league that deserves the players in it.”
On this day: In 1975, the Red Sox beat the Athletics 5-3, ending Oakland’s bid for a fourth-consecutive American League pennant (and potential fourth-straight World Series title).
With the win, Boston clinched its first pennant since 1967, and a matchup against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
Daily highlight: Chris Taylor hit a walk-off for the Dodgers in a 3-1 win over the Cardinals in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game.
Trivia answer: Morris Claiborne
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