What does the world of Twitter have to offer us this week? Here are the top 10 sports tweets of the week!
10. WWE sued
Dozens of wrestlers sue WWE for damages over brain injuries https://t.co/NwA0C5HHak
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) July 19, 2016
More than 50 former wrestlers have filed a class action lawsuit against the WWE and Vince McMahon. The lawsuit claims the WWE was negligent in dealing with athlete’s injuries at the time and has left many of them with permanent brain damage and a degenerative brain disease known as CTE.
You can’t help but wonder if the script has already been written on this one, just like their actual fights.
In fact, the WWE claims this is just another staged event by a vexed lawyer who has already had several lawsuits against the WWE thrown out.
Stay tuned for more.
9. Cooper returns
Super Rugby News | Cooper commits to Australian Super Rugby until 2019: Quade Cooper will return … https://t.co/mqB6r3wEpN #Superrugby
— Super Rugby (@super_rugby) July 20, 2016
The prodigal son has returned! Quade Cooper has come back from his brief sojourn in Toulon. Cooper has signed with the ARU but has yet to confirm which Australia based Super Rugby team he will be playing for.
Those in the know say the smart money is on Cooper returning to the Queensland Reds. But it would appear that would be contingent on who the Reds choose as their next head coach.
SportsBet.com.au has the Hurricanes at short favorites to take out the Super Rugby Grand final at $2.37.
8. Mark Hunt wants to spear-head a fighters association
@markhunt1974 is fed up, calls for a fighter’s association and is willing to take the lead.https://t.co/rbbasMgm0B
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) July 20, 2016
Mark Hunt has been a man on a mission ever since it came to light that his UFC200 opponent, Brock Lesnar, had failed an out of competition drug test. Now it has been confirmed that a second, in competition, drug test of Lesnar’s was also a fail.
Hunt lost his UFC200 bout to a drug cheat. Plain and simple.
Hunt see’s this entire fiasco as partially created by the UFC by allowing Lesnar to wave four months of drug testing prior to his UFC200 headlining fight. This is just another in a string of high profile UFC fighters caught out as drug cheats. Add to that the UFC’s lack of protection of fighters and the Conor McGregor debacle prior to UFC200.
Hunt is right. Fighters do need an association or union to ensure the rights and safety of the fighters.
Does a clean fighter have to die in the octagon at the hands of a roided up, no-necked freak before something is done?
7. Another UFC star, Chad Mendes, suspended for doping
I didn't do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I'm going to pay for it.
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) June 18, 2016
Another week, another UFC fighter has been pinged for doping. This time Chad Mendes has been hit with a two year suspension for returning a positive drug test for human growth hormones.
This comes hot on the heels of Jon “Bones” Jones being dropped from UFC200 following a positive drugs test and Brock Lesnar returning a pair of positive drug tests after UFC200.
Are drugs in the UFC a major problem? Does a second league need to be founded? The RUUFC (Roided Up Ultimate Fighting Championship).
Ahead of UFC201, WilliamHill.com.au Robbie Lawler as favorite on $1.45 and Tyron Woodley on $2.70.
6. Hayne meets with ARU again in pursuit of yet another dream…
Jarryd Hayne meets with ARU to discuss switch to rugby union. I think it's just a ploy to drive up his price with Volleyball Australia.
— Titus O'Reily (@TitusOReily) July 20, 2016
Jarryd Hayne seems to follow every dream that pops into that pear-shaped noggin of his. Thankfully for us all his dreams are nothing like mine, otherwise Hayne might be the next starting fullback for the Long Bay Jail rugby league team.
He had a dream of playing NRL, he won for his country and his state but winning for his club was a bridge too far. So he moved on to his next dream: playing in the NFL. Getting picked regularly for that team was a bit too hard. So he moved on to his next dream: winning an Olympic gold medal playing Rugby 7’s for Fiji. Getting picked for that team was too hard as well.
Now Hayne has been caught in intense flirtations with ARU boss Jim Pulver. Is Hayne’s next dream to play for the Waratahs and then quit when he realizes he can’t get picked for the Wallabies?
Only time will tell.
PalmerBet.com.au has the Wallabies as rank outsiders at $7 to finally come good and win the Bledisloe Cup from the Kiwi’s ($1.10).
5. Corey Norman penalized for a year of controversy
NRL suspends Corey Norman https://t.co/Eju5NHAzkk #NRL
— ZeroTackle.com (@zerotackle) July 21, 2016
After a year of madness off the field, bafflingly paired with a year of pure genius on the field, Eels 5/8 Corey Norman has been fined $20,000 and handed an eight match suspension, ending his 2016 NRL season.
Norman has appeared in such controversies this year as:
The Eels take on the Tigers this weekend. SportsBet.com.au has the Eels as outsiders at $2.25 and the Tigers at $1.60.
4. Green v Mundine version 2.0
Anthony Mundine v Danny Green II: The five-minute meeting that teed up $30m superfight. https://t.co/BNlGumZA3o pic.twitter.com/A9oqbtYylj
— PerthNow (@perthnow) July 24, 2016
Anthony Mundine and Danny Green have agreed to take their decade of name calling and prickly taunts seriously and return to the ring.
In what can only be described as the “Battle of the Geriatrics”, two 40-something, weathered athletes met at a cafe to agree on a $30 million fight.
But is the Australian public really ready for an old geezer tussle? Do zimmer-frame’s and colostomy bags have to be left out of the ring or will concessions be made? Will special exemptions be made under ASADA and WADA guidelines to allow blood pressure drugs, heart medication and stool softeners in the two fighters?
These are the real questions.
CrownBet.com.au already has odds up for this bout. They have Mundine favorite going into the fight on $1.80 and Green at $2.
3. Taylor finally comes good on his threat to drop Farah
OFFICIAL — Wests Tigers have released the following statement on Robbie Farah. https://t.co/P34DMbWTgy pic.twitter.com/Nw7KUYkJFf
— Wests Tigers (@WestsTigers) July 20, 2016
At the beginning of the year West’s Tigers coach Jason Taylor spectacularly told Robbie Farah he should look for another club.
Farah put on his stubborn pants and declared he would see out his contract with the Tigers. Taylor said, fine, but you’ll be playing for the reserve grade.
After playing Farah off the bench for the majority of the season, Taylor has finally relegated the NSW Origin hooker to reserve grade, and the NRL has gone into meltdown. Farah has gone to sulking and Taylor’s future as head coach hinges on the Tigers match against the Dragons.
The future is very grim for one of these two men.
LuxBet.com.au has the Tigers at $126 to win the 2016 Grand Final.
2. Tiger Woods out of 2016 PGA campaign
Tiger Woods' 2016 campaign is officially lost: https://t.co/JHnSWsg3k8 pic.twitter.com/J2aGx1EHnh
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 19, 2016
Tiger Woods has announced he will play no part of the 2016 PGA season. This came as a complete shock to some, because I didn’t realise Woods was still active in the PGA at all!
Ever since Woods was chased down the driveway by his angry missus laying a nine-iron into his car, he hasn’t been much scratch on the course. Maybe he has flashbacks every time he lays eyes on a nine-iron: not a great thing to affect a professional golfer…
Ahead of the US PGA Championship, PalmerBet.com.au has Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy as the most likely to take it out on $9.
1. Russia banned from Rio
This is huge, I want to see response of Russia on that https://t.co/sqSTZSh1vp
— Yuriy T (@ImOssir) July 24, 2016
The entire Russian team has been banned from the Rio2016 Olympics as a result of their nations systemic cheating and state-sponsored doping.
This on the back of Zika fears means winning an Olympics medal will be even easier for the 16 athletes that have agreed and are allowed to attend.
