With the start to the 2011-2012 season right around the corner, the Washington Redskins are speeding things up at training camp. First round draft pick Ryan Kerrigan returned to practice this week after sitting out with a knee injury. The transition to left outside linebacker is still a work in progress for the college defensive […]
Author Archives: Stephen D. Riley
Special to the AFRO
Posted inColumnists
Redskins Fans, Let the Agony Begin
The Washington Redskins officially kick off their 2011 season this Friday in a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, last year’s Super Bowl runner-ups. Although most preseason games are typically cast aside as nothing more than feelers for rookies and last stringers at most franchises, for this particular franchise, these next four exhibitions are huge. […]
Posted inColumnists
Birds of a Feather: Similar Talents, Similar Endings for Moss and Iverson
Cornrows, amazing talent, bad attitudes, incredible skills, poor professional habits and wacky endings to their careers – what’s the difference between Randy Moss and Allen Iverson at this point? Both tantalized us for years with glimpses of greatness, flashes of finesse and words of the weird. When Moss announced his retirement on Aug. 1, he […]
Posted inSports
AFRO Sports Faceoff: Who’s the Super Bowl Favorite after Week One of NFL Free AgencyPhilly or New England?
In one corner: Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jasin Babin, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins and the Arizona Cardinals’ 2012 second-round draft pick. In the other corner: Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson, two Pro-Bowlers in the twilight of their careers ready for one final championship run. The Philadelphia Eagles went hard and heavy in the first official […]
Posted inSports
Coming to Terms: ‘Skins Sign Entire 2011 Draft Class
The Washington Redskins signed all 12 members from their 2011 draft class, the team announced July 29. Terms of each deal were not disclosed. In addition to securing their own drafted rookies, Washington also came to terms with a trio of undrafted free agents: Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell, North Carolina running back Shaun Draughn and […]
Posted inColumnists
Foiled Again: Redskins’ Trade of Haynesworth Another Botched Deal for D.C.
Two years have brought two seasons of nonstop nonsense for the Washington Redskins. The downtrodden franchise, once among the best in the league, finally rid themselves July 28 of the 6-foot, 6-inch, 335-pound headache that was Albert Haynesworth. Mark the date on your calendar, Redskins Nation—July 28, 2011, the day Washington shipped the former all-pro […]
Posted inHigh School
Local Youth Set to Return to Hometown New Orleans for Junior Olympics
Even the parents of 11-year-old Tyler Badie can’t keep up with the blazingly fast track phenomenon. The rising seventh-grader recently finished as a top five finalist in a regional qualifier track tournament, granting him a trip to New Orleans, La., to participate in this year’s AAU Junior Olympics. The 10-day event will begin July 28 […]
Posted inSports
One-on-One with Former Washington Bullet Harvey Grant
It was Horace Grant that ran with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the early 90s. But to locals around the Washington, D.C. area, it was his identical twin brother; Harvey that Bullets fans remember most after the franchise drafted him in 1988. After a slow start to his career, Harvey would finish as […]
Posted inCollege
Going One-on-One with Gonzaga Head Coach Steve Turner
Only at Gonzaga College High School would a second place finish in the division not be considered enough. Basketball has become a staple for the Gonzaga Eagles, and the ending to their 2010-2011 campaign could have been defined as marvelous—depending upon who you ask. A 26-8 record and the co-regular season championship in the Washington […]
Posted inColumnists
NBA Lockout Equals Summer Stars for Washington, D.C.
With the NBA million-monitoring (What? You can’t call it penny-pinching) and locked out, summer basketball, especially in Washington, D.C., has a chance to draw fans like never before. The District’s longstanding George Goodman League was already a popular beast drawing professional ballers and Georgetown University’s Kenner League has annually been graced with all things NBA […]
Posted inCollege
Freshmen Debut at Georgetown Summer Kenner League
In the waning moments of April’s Capital Classic, future Georgetown Hoya Greg Whittington a 6-foot-9-inch power forward from Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Md., couldn’t hide his expectations for the upcoming season. “I’m looking forward to bringing my talent, Mikael’s talent and the rest of the crew’s talent to Georgetown and hopefully get to […]
Posted inSports
Wizards Still Basking in Afterglow of Successful Draft
NBA analysts have continued to sing the praises of the job the Washington Wizards did in the NBA Draft on June 23. Washington was able to come away with three highly touted prospects, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack, from a draft class that most experts considered “weak.” While the draft’s first two selections, […]