Years after Super Bowl, Butler back in desert
Seahawks release embattled DE Aldon Smith
aldon smith’s time with the seattle seahawks was short as the team released the embattled defensive end Wednesday.
smith was reinstated by the NFL in the spring of 2020 after missing four seasons due to off-field issues. he appeared in 16 games for dallas last season and had five sacks along with 48 tackles.
he signed a one-year deal with seattle in april but he was arrested two days later on a second-degree battery charge in st. Bernard Parish near New Orleans. he is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.
smith was the 11th overall pick by the san Francisco 49ers in the 2011 draft. he set an NFL record with 33 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons before his career spiraled out of control due to multiple drunken-driving charges. he was also arrested in 2018 on a domestic violence charge in san Francisco.
Foot injury keeps Nadal out of Cincinnati tournament
after pulling out of the hardcourt tournament in Toronto this week, rafael Nadal said Wednesday he was also withdrawing from the upcoming event in Cincinnati because of an injured left foot that has troubled him for months.
The decision by the 20-time grand slam champion means he is unlikely to play before the u.s. Open. Nadal won the u.s. Open in 2019, the last time he entered.
The 35-year-old Nadal played last week in Washington, winning his match against Jack sock and losing to Lloyd harris — both in three sets. Nadal was bothered by the foot there.
That marked his first competition in about two months. after losing to Novak djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open on June 11, Nadal sat out Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics because of the injury and went about three weeks without practicing. assOCIaTEd PrEss
GLENDALE – The biggest moment in Malcolm Butler’s career happened right at State Farm Stadium, when the rookie cornerback stepped in front of a Seattle Seahawks receiver at the goal line, intercepted a Russell Wilson pass, and secured a stunning Super Bowl 49 victory for the New England Patriots.
That play was about 6 1/2 years ago.
Butler, entering his first season with the Arizona Cardinals, is finding out that’s an eternity in NFL time.
“I’m getting a little older in the NFL now, so I’m talking to guys who were born in 2000,” Butler said, grinning. “One of my teammates told me he was at the (school) bus stop, talking about score. getting there.”
Butler and the Cardinals hope there’s more magic left for the cornerback in the desert. The 31-year-old veteran, who signed a one-year deal with Arizona, is one of several 30-somethings the team is relying on this season, including receiver A.J. Green (33), defensive end J.J. Watt (32), linebacker Chandler Jones (31) and center Rodney Hudson (32).
“I’ve still got a chip on my shoulder, I’m still healthy,” Butler said. “I’ve only had one injury in my career. I still want more, I’m still hungry, I still want to learn, I still want to make plays, I still want to
sEE BUTLER/B4 the I’m up