Not everybody was offended at Johnny Manziel's unfriendly gesture during a preseason game Monday night.
Manziel, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback, was caught on camera raising his middle finger behind his back as he walked away from the Washington Redskins' sideline during the Browns' 24-23 loss. The gesture led to critics of Manziel, who operated with a brazen attitude on and off the field during his two years at Texas A&M, criticizing the first-round draft pick competing for a starting spot.
"I felt like I did a good job of holding my composure throughout the night, and you have a lapse of judgment and slip up," Manziel said after the game.
Players who were actively trying to get a reaction out of Manziel weren't all that bothered by it. At least, linebacker Brian Orakpo wasn't.
"It was hilarious," Orakpo told ESPN.com. "We were messing with him a little bit, just saying this ain't college and stuff like that. We were having a little fun.
"Manziel flipped us off. It was something funny. We were all laughing on the sidelines."
Star on stage
Stephon Marbury wasn't a bad NBA player. The former Georgia Tech star played for five different NBA teams during 13 seasons, was named an All-Star twice and led the league in assists in 2004.
He's become a star in China.
Marbury, 37, has played in the Chinese Basketball Association for five seasons and two years ago had a statue of himself dedicated outside the arena in which the Beijing Ducks play. Now, Marbury is getting his own play.
According to SI.com, tickets for "I Was Marbury" went on sale this week. It will cover Marbury's 2011-2012 season with the Ducks, when he averaged 25 points and led them to their first championship.
SI.com reported that Zhou Wenhong, the play's director, told Chinese media that the play's theme will be "never give up" and the play will "incorporate choreographed basketball moves with dance."
Marbury will play himself in the production, but the play will largely focus on other Chinese characters who have been inspired by Marbury and will include guest stars such as former NBA players Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi.
Another venture
Former New York Giants running back David Wilson was forced to retire earlier this month after doctors advised him to do so because of a lingering neck injury.
He isn't finished with athletics, though. Wilson, who was a first-round pick by the Giants in 2012, told For The Win, a sports blog on USAToday.com, that he plans to go back to school and begin training for the U.S. Track and Field team in the triple jump.
Wilson was an All-American in the triple jump at Virginia Tech.
"When I was involved in football, that's all I was thinking about was football," Wilson told the website. "That's not a bad situation, because the person I am, I know I can make track. I'm strong enough to know that there's more to life than that. Some people might have taken it more heavy if they took the same approach I had as just focusing on one thing."
Sports quiz
Q. Stephon Marbury never played in the NBA Finals in his 13-year career. What was the closest he came?
A. Marbury played for the Boston Celtics in 2008-2009, helping them to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Orlando Magic.
Sports on 08/20/2014