NFL PLAYERS HEAD TO WASHINGTON TO PUSH FOR CHANGE
washington» Football is hard.
But for Malcolm Jenkins of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, persuading politicians to enact meaningful changes to the nation’s criminal justice system is much harder.
Jenkins, free-agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin and other players were meeting with members of Congress this week to push for legislation that leads to improved relationships between minority communities and local police.
Their latest outreach follows the racially charged rhetoric of the 2016 election, during which then-Republican nominee Donald Trump won fewer than 1 out of 10 black voters. Overcoming hot-button terms such as “stop and frisk” and getting Republicans and Democrats to find common ground is a tall order, but one the players said they intend to tackle.
This is the second trip to Washington in the last five months for Jenkins and Boldin.
“Football is easier than doing this,” Jenkins said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. “You’ve got to do the research, and you’ve got to come prepared. And when you’re speaking on behalf of other people, you want to make sure you bring the right voice to the table.”
At the top of the players’ list is putting an end to private prisons and doing away with mandatory minimum prison sentences that can put nonviolent offenders behind bars for lengthy terms. Jenkins and Boldin said there is too much focus on lawand-order solutions and not enough on preventing crimes before they happen.
President won’t throw first pitch
B washington» The Washington Nationals said President Donald Trump declined an invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before their game on opening day.
A spokeswoman for the team said the White House said Trump would not be at next week’s game at Nationals Park against the Miami Marlins on Monday because of a scheduling conflict.
President Barack Obama threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Nationals’ opener in 2010, marking the 100th anniversary of a presidential pitch to start the season. William Howard Taft first did it on April 14, 1910.
In 2005, the Nationals’ first season, George W. Bush became the first president to throw the first pitch in Washington since Richard Nixon in 1969.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers decided that limited innings from Julio Urias will be best used toward the end of the season rather than the start.
The Dodgers will keep the 20-yearold Urias at extended spring training when the season opens next week, manager Dave Roberts said.
Federer and Nadal advance
B key biscayne, fla.» Fourth-seeded Roger Federer outlasted No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, fifth-seeded Rafael Nadal got past Nicolas Marut 6-4, 7-6 (4) and Kei Nishikori — a finalist at Key Biscayne a year ago — rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Stan Wawrinka wasn’t as fortunate. The No. 1 seed got bounced on his 32nd birthday by teenager Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Karolina Pliskova, who has never found Miami exactly to her liking, got into the women’s semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 26th-seeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. It’s the first time Pliskova has made the semifinals at Key Biscayne.
• Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson will represent the United States against host Australia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on April 7-9.
Footnote.
Senior attackman Austin Davie scored six goals, including career goal No. 100 midway through the fourth quarter, as the Colorado College men’s lacrosse team overcame an early two-point deficit to defeat MIT 16-12.