Carolina is still on Josh Norman's mind.
The new Washington Redskins cornerback wrote in a column for The Players' Tribune on Monday that there were "sticks and stones" thrown at him after the Carolina Panthers rescinded their franchise tag on him last month.
Norman, who had four interceptions in 2015 for the NFC champion Panthers, signed a five-year, $75-millon contract with the Redskins.
"Thing is, some people will never get over the name on my degree." wrote Norman, who attended Coastal Carolina. "One hit wonder. Greedy. Trash talker. I hear it all. I hear you. What do you want me to say? Did I want to stay in Carolina? I did. One day you're the hero, the next day they're throwing sticks and stones. That's the business. I get it. I got love for you, Carolina. Nothing but love."
Norman cemented himself as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks while helping lead the Panthers to the Super Bowl.
"For four years, I gave everything to the Carolina Panthers. I bled for that jersey. We reached some great heights together, all the way to the Super Bowl," Norman said. "And to be honest with you, I thought my 2014 was better than my 2015. Watch the tape."
The business of the NFL was part of why Norman is no longer a Panther and now a Redskin.
Carolina was on the hook to pay Norman $13.9 million as a franchise player after the two parties couldn't agree on a long-term deal.
"The business sent me to junior college," Norman said. "The business made me a fifth-rounder. The business cuts the average NFL player after three years. The Panthers made a business decision. Was it a good one? We will see."
Relief in Toronto
The Toronto Raptors won their first best-of-7 NBA playoff series Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers.
Columnist Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star said Raptors fans can breathe after seeing their team advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time.
"The relief washed over everything, like an ocean over the sand," Arthur wrote. "The Toronto Raptors had just been through a near-death experience, an emotional storm. They fought through the Indiana Pacers, played with their stars flailing, played with the pressure of a city and a franchise and its failures on their shoulders. They nearly blew it. They knew they came close.
"But they won, damn it, they won. The Toronto Raptors held on for an 89-84 win in a brilliant, flawed, terrifying Game 7 to win their first best-of-seven playoff series in the franchise's 21-year history. This team can break your heart and make it race, and they did both in this long, hard series.
"And they had enough. They finally had enough, and didn't let anybody down."
He said it
From Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times:
• "Jose Altuve, the Astros' mighty-mite second baseman, is getting his own bobblehead night on Aug. 27. Just wondering: Has a guy ever been able to see eye-to-eye with his bobblehead before?"
• "The Lakers have named Luke Walton -- who went 39-4 as the Warriors' interim coach this season -- as their new head coach. So what's the over-under on how many games in L.A. it'll take to bring his career record back to .500?"
• "If Ole Miss has to forfeit a bunch of football wins and scholarships, just think of it as a Tunsilectomy."
Sports on 05/03/2016