1 » Injured but still active last week, New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow did not step foot on the field as head coach Rex Ryan said he wanted to protect the backup’s fractured ribs. Tebow actually suffered the injury now almost three weeks ago but will not see action for the second-straight game as word leaked Friday that Ryan plays to list him as inactive for the game, as reported by ESPN’s Ed Werder on Twitter. It will be the first time in his NFL career that Tebow is not active for the game; to that end, the fractured ribs are the most serious injury he’s suffered as a professional.
2 » Tebow is not expected to be the only former Florida Gators pro athlete out of action. Joining him is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (ankle), who missed practice on Friday and is listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report. It has been stressed by the team that Harvin does not have the dreaded high-ankle sprain, but he does have a very serious sprain nonetheless and will now be missing his third-straight game. Harvin was on a Pro Bowl pace before getting hurt against Seattle on Nov. 4. Also sidelined right now is Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, who underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed a shoulder strain. He is day-to-day and could return on Saturday but may be held out another game or two.
3 » Gators fans know that the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is in need of a major overhaul. According to The Gainesville Sun’s Nathan Crabbe, UF trustees are currently in talks about giving the O’Dome a $50 million makeover with the school fronting one-fifth ($10 million) of the bill. “The arena’s renovation is expected to include all new seating, club space, a new entrance, and more concessions and shops,” reports Crabbe. “Ideas for the renovation include replacing retractable bleachers on the floor with permanent seating and adding club seating and boxes. The building’s infrastructure would be upgraded and audio-visual systems added.” The school just completed a $900,000 renovation on the structure in the summer of 2011 that included brand new seats in the lower bowl, wider aisles, handrails and more. UF also recently remodeled the gymnastics studio on site at the O’Dome. Read more | Pictures
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4 » Could Florida football be on the receiving end of another top commitment in the very near future? According to
The Times-Picqyune, that may very well be the case as far as three-star fullback
Kennard Swanson (Lakeland, FL) is concerned. Swanson decommitted from LSU on Thursday and is now reportedly favoring his home team. “He recently received an offer from the Florida Gators, which he is widely expected to accept,”
writes the paper’s James Smith. Swanson,
Rivals.com’s highest-rated 2013 fullback, would serve as a reserve and heir apparent to sophomore
Hunter Joyer should he commit to the Gators.
5 » Florida basketball has been in the mix for a number of top names and has focused much of its attention on five-star center Karl Towns, Jr., a 2015 prospect who plans to try to reclassify and be a member of the 2014 class next year. Currently ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation by ESPN for 2015, Towns stands 6’11” and weighs in at 235 lbs. even though he is just a sophomore in high school. Though college is a ways off for him, Towns plans to announce his commitment on Tuesday at his high school. He has been recruited hard by Kentucky and head coach John Calipari, who coached him last summer on the Dominican Republic National Team. In fact, Towns visited UK just last weekend and appears to be leaning there though he also lists UF and Duke as other schools in his top three.
6 » Former Gators striker Abby Wambach was named Thursday as one of three female finalists for FIFA World Player of the Year. Wambach joins fellow U.S. Women’s National Team forward Alex Morgan and striker Marta of Brazil as finalists. Marta is a five-time winer, while Wambach has never finished better than third in voting (last year). A player from the United States has not won the award since 2002; Mia Hamm captured the title both that year and the first year the award was handed out in 2011. Wambach has 23 goals in 27 international matches and is the unquestioned leader of the American team. In addition to keeping her eye on the award, Wambach is helping start up yet another women’s pro soccer league in the United States. She has already been a part of two leagues that closed but believes one can succeed long-term.
Tags: Abby Wambach, Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets, Hunter Joyer, Karl Towns, Kennard Swanson, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, New York Jets, NFL, Percy Harvin, soccer, Tim Tebow
