NFL star Demarcus Robinson banned for three games after violating league's drugs policy
Robinson joined the Niners from the Los Angeles Rams this summer on a two-year, $9.5 million deal.
But his debut is going to have to wait until September 28, when the 49ers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
More to follow.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump to join Washington patrol while feds deploy checkpoints around city
Federal authorities have used checkpoints around the nation's capital to screen vehicles, sometimes asking people for their immigration status after stopping them, as President Donald Trump 's crackdown reaches the two-week mark in Washington. The use of checkpoints, which can be legally controversial, is the latest indication that the White House 's mass deportation agenda is central to its assertion of federal power in Washington. Federal agents and hundreds of National Guard troops have surged into Washington this month, putting some residents on edge and creating tense confrontations in the streets. The city's immigrant population, in particular, is rattled. A daycare was partially closed on Thursday when staff became afraid to go to work because they heard about federal agents nearby. An administrator asked parents to keep their children at home if possible. Other day cares have stopped taking kids on daily walks because of fears about encountering law enforcement. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged Thursday that the proliferation of traffic checkpoints are an inevitable aspect of the federal law enforcement operations. 'The surge of federal officers is allowing for different types of deployments, more frequent types of deployments, like checkpoints,' Bowser said. Since Aug. 7, when Trump began surging federal agents into the city, there have been 630 arrests, including 251 people who are in the country illegally, according to the White House. Trump has been ratcheting up the pressure since then, seizing control of the D.C. police department on Aug. 11 and deploying more National Guard troops, mostly from Republican-led states. Soldiers have been largely stationed in downtown areas, such as monuments on the National Mall and transit stations. However, federal agents are operating more widely through the city — and some may soon get a visit from the president himself. Trump is expected to join a patrol in D.C. on Thursday night. He told his plans to Todd Starnes, a conservative commentator. Not a normal traffic stop On Thursday morning, as Martin Romero rode through Washington's Rock Creek Park on his way to a construction job in Virginia, he saw police on the road up ahead. He figured it was a normal traffic stop, but it wasn't. Romero, 41, said that U.S. Park Police were telling pickup trucks with company logos to pull over, reminding them that commercial vehicles weren't allowed on park roads. They checked for licenses and insurance information, and then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came over. Romero said there were two agents on one side of his truck and three on the other. He started to get nervous as the agents asked where they were from and whether they were in the country illegally. 'We just came here to work,' Romero said afterwards. 'We aren't doing anything bad.' Two people in his truck were detained and the agents didn't give a reason, he said. He also saw three other people taken from other vehicles. 'I feel really worried because they took two of our guys," he said. "They wouldn't say where they're taking them or if they'll be able to come back.' Romero said he called his boss, who told him to just head home. They wouldn't be working today. Enrique Martinez, a supervisor at the construction company, came to the scene afterwards. He pondered whether to call families of the detained men. 'This has never happened to our company before," Martinez said. "I'm not really sure what to do.' Checkpoints are legal, to a point The Supreme Court has upheld the use of law enforcement and government checkpoints for specific purposes, such as for policing the border and for identifying suspected drunk drivers. But there are restrictions on that authority, especially when it comes to general crime control. Jeffrey Bellin, a former prosecutor in Washington and professor at Vanderbilt Law School who specializes in criminal law and procedures, said the Constitution doesn't allow 'the government to be constantly checking us and stopping to see if we're up to any criminal activity.' He said checkpoints for a legally justifiable purpose — like checking for drivers' licenses and registrations — cannot be used as 'subterfuge' or a pretext for stops that would otherwise not be allowed. And though the court has affirmed the use of checkpoints at the border, and even some distance away from it, to ask drivers about immigration status, Bellin said it was unlikely the authority would extend to Washington. Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State College of Law, said the seemingly 'arbitrary' and intrusive nature of the checkpoints in the capital could leave residents feeling aggrieved. 'Some of the things could be entirely constitutional and fine, but at the same time, the way that things are unfolding, people are suspicious — and I think for good reason,' he said. From Los Angeles to D.C. There are few places in the country that have been unaffected by Trump's deportation drive, but his push into D.C. is shaping into something more sustained, similar to what has unfolded in the Los Angeles area since early June. In Los Angeles, immigration officers — working with the Border Patrol and other federal agencies — have been a near-daily presence at Home Depots, car washes and other highly visible locations. In a demonstration of how enforcement has affected routines, the bishop of San Bernardino, California, formally excused parishioners of their weekly obligation to attend Mass after immigration agents detained people on two parish properties. Immigration officials have been an unusually public presence, sending horse patrols to the city's famed MacArthur Park and appearing outside California Gov. Gavin Newsom's news conference last week on congressional redistricting. Authorities said an agent fired at a moving vehicle last week after the driver refused to roll down his window during an immigration stop. The National Guard and Marines were previously in the city for weeks on an assignment to maintain order amid protests. A federal judge blocked the administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops in Southern California but authorities have vowed to keep the pressure on. ____ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed reporting.
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
The danger for Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper in US Open draw
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper will both play qualifiers in the first round of the US Open - then it will get tougher. Raducanu potentially faces ninth seed Elena Rybakina in the third round, while Jack Draper, who arrives as fifth seed, may need to play defending champion Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, a round earlier than last year when the World No 1 triumphed in their semi-final in New York. As usual, the draw for the women's and men's singles has thrown up plenty of talking points ahead of the start of the final grand slam of the season on Sunday. Raducanu can arrive at the US Open with some confidence having pushed World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to a third-set tiebreak in Cincinnati and will start against a qualifier, having been a qualifier herself when she memorably went all the way in New York four years ago. But there are other players in Raducanu's section who also found form in Cincinnati. Her potential round-two opponent, the 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova, reached the semi-finals, where she lost to Jasmine Paolini, while her possible third-round opponent, in former Wimbledon champion Rybakina, defeated Sabalenka in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Draper has been short of matches since Wimbledon so starting against a qualifier of lucky loser is a kind enough start. But he faces an enormous challenge to repeat last year's semi-final run, particularly because he will likely have Sinner in the way in the quarter-finals. Before then, Draper may need to fight through a succession of young guns, with Gabriel Diallo and either Lorenzo Musetti or Flavio Cobolli possible opponents. The other Brits in the draw have it hard from the start. Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal start against seeded opponents in Marta Kostyuk and Beatriz Haddad-Maia respectively. Cameron Norrie, who is out of form since reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, takes on former Australian Open semi-finalist Sebastian Korda while Jacob Fearnley plays the experienced Roberto Bautista Agut and could play third seed Alexander Zverev in round two. Novak Djokovic will begin his US Open campaign and quest for a 25th grand slam title without having played a match since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner. At 38, Djokovic only cares about the grand slams but his opening draw is one of the matches of the first round. He will start against the 19-year-old American Learner Tien, who defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open and also has hard-court wins over Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev in his first season on tour. As seventh seed, Djokovic may need to defeat both Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner if he is to win the US Open. His draw means he is on Alcaraz's side, while he has also landed in the same quarter as top American and fourth seed Taylor Fritz, last year's runner-up. It's a tough draw, while Alcaraz doesn't have it any kinder. The Spaniard starts against big-serving American Reilly Opelka and a fired-up Ben Shelton could pose a problem if he backs up his sixth seed and makes the quarter-finals. Sinner, meanwhile, will need to recover from the illness that forced him to retire from the Cincinnati Open final. A first round against Vit Kopriva shouldn't be an issue even if Sinner isn't 100 per cent by the time of his opening match. But Alexei Popyrin stunned Novak Djokovic in the third round last year and is a possible opponent in round two. Swiatek in tougher side of draw to defending champion Sabalenka Aryna Sabalenka may need to wait if she's out for revenge at this year's US Open. The World No 1's three defeats in grand slams in 2025 have all come against Americans, in Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova, but they have all landed in the bottom half of the draw, joining Iga Swiatek. Of the top seeds, Sabalenka could face Jessica Pegula in a rematch of last year's final in the semi-finals. It's tempting, therefore, to say that Sabalenka's draw is kinder, but the problem is a potential quarter-final clash with Elena Rybakina, should the former Wimbledon champion get through a route that may include Emma Raducanu and Jasmine Paolini. Rybakina is coming back into form after a tough couple of years, and dismantled Sabalenka 6-1 6-4 in their Cincinnati Open quarter-final. For Swiatek, who for many is the favourite for the US Open after backing up her surprise Wimbledon win by claiming the title in Cincinnati, the eyes are drawn to a possible quarter-final rematch with Anisimova, who lost 6-0 6-0 to the Pole in the Wimbledon final. Elina Svitolina is lurking in that section, too, and a semi-final against either Keys or Gauff at the US Open would be a blockbuster. Gauff, though, has been out of form since winning the French Open and fired her coach before the start of the US Open. The third seed also faces a tricky opening opponent in Alja Tomlanjovic, who famously defeated Serena Williams in her final match at the US Open in 2022. Former champion Venus Williams is an eye-catching presence in the draw having taken a wildcard for the US Open at the age of 45 and her match against two-time US Open semi-finalist brings star quality on both sides of the net. Victoria Mboko is also one to watch after her Canadian Open victory, a result that means the teenager comes into the US Open as the 22nd seed. She plays former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in round one, and a potential third-round clash with 10th seed and last year's semi-finalist Emma Navarro would bring intrigue.
.jpg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C50%2C0%2C50%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fox host faceplants when trying to goad ex-NFL player into bashing league's social justice campaign
A three-time Super Bowl champ refused to take the bait when Fox Business anchor David Asman tried to get him to endorse the the right-wing media ecosystem's latest outrage cycle about the NFL continuing to stencil social justice messages in the end zones. 'It doesn't matter,' former New England Patriots fullback James Develin said, shrugging off Asman's indignation about the league 'putting politics into sports.' Last week, the NFL announced that it would continue its social messaging campaign, marking the sixth straight season the league has added inspirational slogans in its stadiums. The initiative kicked off following the 2020 death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests it sparked across the nation. 'All 32 teams will feature an end zone message of their choice at each home game throughout the season, selecting from four options: 'End Racism,' 'Stop Hate,' 'Choose Love' or 'Inspire Change.' Once again, 'It Takes All of Us' will be stenciled in the opposite end zone for all games,' the Associated Press reported. 'The only change from 2024 is that 'Inspire Change' replaces 'Vote.'' Anna Isaacson, the NFL's senior vice president of social responsibility, also told the AP that the league was working with teams to' amplify player voices and underscore what is most important to them,' as they are a 'unifying force in American culture and society.' It didn't take long for MAGA media figures and influencers to fume about the 'woke' campaign from the 'tone-deaf' league, with some insisting they were 'totally done' with the NFL. 'Can't we just escape politics and wokeism for a measly 3 hours and watch football?' one 'anti-woke conservative' social media personality groused. 'Please tell me whose lives have been changed by this?! I wish the NFL could get back to ONE national anthem. I don't need a slogan in the back of the end zone,' Fox News host Brian Kilmeade complained earlier this week. 'But we don't need this. The country has moved on, thankfully.' Meanwhile, during Wednesday night's broadcast of Fox News' 'comedy' show Gutfeld!, host Greg Gutfeld and his panel spent the first 15 minutes of the broadcast raging about the NFL's decision to continue posting the slogans on the field. 'Woke platitudes in the end zone are like middle-aged men wearing skinny jeans to work. All you can do is laugh,' Gutfeld joked while guest Erin Maguire griped that the campaign was 'obscene.' Bringing on Develin to talk about his participation in the Navy SEAL Foundation NYC SEAL Swim, which is held annually to raise funds for the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, Asman first wanted to ask the ex-player what he thought about the league continuing its social messaging initiative. At the same time, the Fox Business host made sure that Develin knew he was very outraged about the whole thing. 'For the sixth straight season, the NFL will continue its on-field social justice messaging. All 32 teams are gonna be displaying an end zone message of their choice, like 'End Racism,' 'Stop Hate,' 'Choose Love,' or 'Inspire Change,'' Asman stated before turning to Develin. 'Does it bother you that the NFL seems intent on putting politics into sports?' Develin, however, didn't take the ragebait. 'No, it doesn't matter,' he responded. 'Any time you can just remind people of those few little sayings, it's all positive.' Asman, meanwhile, seemed a bit disappointed that he couldn't get a soundbite from a former player slamming the league for its wokeness. 'All right, all right,' the host sighed. 'It kinda bugs me when everything seems to have a political edge to it these days. Sometimes those things veer into that territory.' From there, Asman moved the interview on to its original purpose, which was to discuss Develin's participation in the charity event.
