Man Utd have opened contract talks with David De Gea

Manchester United have opened contract talks with goalkeeper David De Gea.

The Spaniard's present deal expires in 2016 and United had previously indicated they had abandoned hope of the 24-year-old signing an extension.
But following the collapse of a proposed move to Real Madrid on transfer deadline day, negotiations have begun, with De Gea's agent Jorge Mendes attending the club's training complex on Thursday.
De Gea is yet to play this season.

Manager Louis van Gaal refused to pick the former Atletico Madrid man until the end of the transfer window, such was the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Rob Gronkowski Hey, Mr. Kraft ... I've Got a Classy Side, Too!

Rob Gronkowski isn't just about party buses and booze cruises, he can class it up sometimes ... but with a touch of Gronk thrown it in.
The New England Patriots stud recently picked himself up a new Mercedes AMG S63 from Bernie Moreno and the folks at Mercedes Benz of Berlington, MA.
Moreno tells SF dealing with Gronk was a breeze, saying, "He’s the absolute real deal. What you see is what you get. A really nice guy who loves what he does and is as genuine as I have ever met."
As for the actual car, Moreno says it was "fully-loaded" with 577hp, rear seat entertainment system and -- in a feature that sounds like it was created specifically for Gronk -- the car comes with a small fridge in the back.

Gossip column: Pogba, Muller, Lloris, Rooney, Valdes

Paul Pogba rejected a £62m move to Chelsea despite Juventus agreeing to sell the 22-year-old France midfielder. (Gazzetta Dello Sport, in Italian) 
Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says the club turned down a "sensational" bid from Manchester United for 25-year-old Germany forward Thomas Muller. (Sun - subscription required) 
 
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 28, says he almost left Tottenham for Manchester United during the transfer window. (Daily Mail) 
Roy Hodgson has been accused of disrespecting San Marino after joking there may have been space in his squad for some of the country's cricketers, as his England side prepare for Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier. (Daily Star) 

Back page of Saturday's Sun

England winger Andros Townsend, 24, believes he may have to leave Tottenham in the January transfer window for regular football and to secure his Euro 2016 place. (Daily Mirror) 
Bosnia goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, 28, says Chelsea's players are backing manager Jose Mourinho and can still win the title, despite the Blues' poor start to the season. (Daily Mail) 

LaDainian Tomlinson To Redskins Get Rid Of RG3 Already!!!

Former NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson says RG3 is totally done in Washington ... but not in the NFL ... telling SF the Redskins need to cut bait with the embattled QB  ... so he can rise again with a different squad.
LT was at LAX when we asked the future Hall of Famer about a plethora of NFL topics ... including RG3's dismal situation in D.C. -- where the former golden boy has been demoted to clipboard holder.
Check out the clip -- LT gives RG3 the classic good news bad news situation ... saying that he's totally finished as a D.C. signal caller but he's got a destination in mind where Robert might be able to make a phoenix of himself.

Glazer: Eagles trade QB Barkley to Cardinals for draft pick

 OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 03: Matt Barkley #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on November 3, 2013 in Oakland, California. The Eagles won 49-20. (Photo by Drew…The Philadelphia Eagles may have solved their quarterback problem.

FOX NFL Insider Jay Glazer is reporting the Eagles traded backup quarterback Matt Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals on Friday. Philly will receive a conditional draft pick in exchange.

Barkley being traded paves a way for Tim Tebow to make the final 53-man roster. Tebow and Barkley had been battling to be the No. 3 QB spot behind starter Sam Bradford and backup Mark Sanchez.

Confedererate flags fly at Darlington, whether you or NASCAR like it or not

 DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 13: A view of a Confederate flag during the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Dodge Avenger 500 on May 13, 2007 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

Old times there are not forgotten. If you can't figure out what that means, you don't know the South.

Because this much is true: Confederate flags will fly because memories of a rebellious past, of the great lost cause, will not die. And this weekend, expect to see the notorious battle flag displayed in great numbers at South Carolina's Darlington Raceway.

MORE: Chase scenarios | Darlington time, TV | Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the flag | Ban is a must

This is, after all, the Southern 500, in a sport that embraces its southern heritage. At least fans do. NASCAR is distancing itself like a race leader from a guy with a blown engine.

NASCAR has tried, made a real, honest effort, to discourage display of Confederate flags at its tracks. Track owners are in agreement. The reasons are obvious: Evil things have been done, loathsome, despicable things, with reference to that flag. They have been; they still are.

To some, the Confederate flag — any Confederate flag — is a symbol of honor. To others, it is the polar opposite, a symbol of hatred, if not death.

Gossip column: De Gea, Pogba, Cole, Wanyama, Berahino

Manchester United will make one last attempt to persuade David De Gea to commit his long-term future to the club by offering the 24-year-old Spain goalkeeper a new deal in October. (Mirror) 
United's fall-out with Real Madrid over the De Gea deal has ended their chances of signing Real's Wales forward Gareth Bale, 26. (Star) 
Midfielder Victor Wanyama, 24, is set to reject a new five-year deal at Southampton. (Mail) 
Former England captain David Beckham has backed his former Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs, 41, to become the club's next manager when Louis van Gaal leaves. (Manchester Evening News)  

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says he had agreed a deal for Reading defender Michael Hector before Chelsea signed the 23-year-old. (Express) 
Former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, 34, has been left out of Roma's Serie A and Champions League squads. (Sun - subscription required) 
Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, opted against leaving before the transfer deadline on the advice of his pastor. (Telegraph) 
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is happy with his squad's rebuilding and in the future will concentrate on quality not quantity. (Guardian) 
Bournemouth failed with a £7m bid to sign 27-year-old Norwich City striker Lewis Grabban just minutes before the transfer window closed. (Bournemouth Daily Echo) 
Chelsea's Nigeria midfielder John Mikel Obi, 28, was denied a move to Turkish side Besiktas after the Blues failed to agree a deal with Juventus for France international Paul Pogba, 22. (Radyospor, via Metro) 
Barcelona will move for Everton target Andriy Yarmolenko in January, after the Toffees had a bid for the 25-year-old Dynamo Kiev forward rejected on deadline day. (Sport, via Talksport) 

Thursday's Mirror back page

Fred Jackson says GM Doug Whaley wasn't honest with him

In thanking fans for their support over his nine-year career, former Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson also took a parting shot at general manager Doug Whaley in an interview with The Buffalo News.

"There's only one person in that organization that I haven't gotten honesty from, and that was [Whaley]," Jackson told the newspaper.

Whaley did not provide an explanation for Jackson's surprising release when pressed on the topic by reporters Monday.

"We thought for us and at this time, we had to make this decision," he said. "There are a lot of circumstances that go into that, but we will keep that in-house for competitive reasons.

"We also let everybody know that everybody was on board. Reluctantly because of the magnitude of this player and what he means, not only to the Buffalo Bills, but to the community of Buffalo -- him and his family. So we talked to [owners] Terry [Pegula] and Kim [Pegula] and conversed with them and decided that this was the best time to make that decision."

Female MMA Fighter Stops Alleged Attacker ... With Insane Leg Lock

A female MMA fighter put the SMACK down on an alleged male attacker who tried to rob her in Brazil last night ... choking the guy into submission with her legs ... and it was caught on video.
The bad ass crime stopper is Monique Bastos -- who says she was on her way to jiu-jitsu training when she was attacked by two men who demanded her cell phone.
Monique told MMAFighting.com one of the men was able to run off with the cell -- but she managed to trip up the second guy ... and locked him up in a triangle choke.

Bills GM reportedly ‘went rogue’ in cutting popular veteran Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson has the third-most rushing yards in Bills history. 

The Buffalo Bills stunned many NFL observers when they cut Fred Jackson on Monday. Over eight seasons with the team, the running back had become a favorite among Buffalo fans, who appreciated his rise from undrafted free agent out of Division III Coe College to dependable veteran.
On Tuesday, Bills reporter Tim Graham tweeted that general manager Doug Whaley had “gone rogue” in his decision to let Jackson go. Graham claimed that the team’s owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, usually “have final say” over personnel decisions and that “they like being in the loop.”

Adrien Broner Most Epic One (N) Word News Conference Ever

You ever heard of an N-word save??
Well, you're about to see it in action -- courtesy of boxer Adrien Broner.
Long story short .... Adrien's taken a vow of silence (crazy, considering how much he loves to talk) until his Oct. 3rd bout with Khabib Allakhverdiev.

So, he appointed his assistant "White Ticket" to speak for him at a news conference yesterday. Things went swimmingly ... until Adrian directed him to use the N-word.
Note: "White Ticket" is white.

Craig Whyte and Charles Green charged after Rangers assets sale probe

Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte and ex-chief executive Charles Green have been charged with conspiracy and involvement in serious organised crime.

David Whitehouse, from administrators Duff and Phelps, faces the same charges while Mr Green, 62, is also accused of fraud.

An angry crowd of fans shouted abuse as police escorted them from Glasgow Sheriff Court.
All three have been granted bail to return to court at a later date.
The three men were arrested on Tuesday after a police investigation into the sale of Rangers assets in 2012.

Another accountant, 51-year-old Paul Clark, who ran the club while it was in administration, has also been arrested.

Warren Moon RG3 Needs To Shut Up Stop Blaming Everyone Else!

NFL legend Warren Moon has some advice for Robert Griffin III -- STOP PASSING THE BUCK! 
 NFL Hall of Famer  admits he feels bad that RG3's "fairy tale" career has hit the skids ... but says the QB has no one to blame but himself.

"He hasn't helped his situation. All that social media stuff. You just can't do that. You have to focus."
The "social media stuff" Moon's talking about is this week's Instagram debacle -- when Griffin appeared to "like" an anti-Redskins post ... only to later blame the whole thing on an intern.
Moon says the situation is just another example of RG3 refusing to hold himself accountable when things go bad.

6 Sayreville football players in hazing case avoid detention, Megan's Law

Six of the teenagers charged in the alleged Sayreville football locker room hazing incidents were adjudicated delinquent or pleaded guilty to charges ranging from hazing to simple assault, and were sentenced to probation, according to the Middlesex County prosecutor.  A seventh teen's case is still pending, his lawyer said Monday.

The prosecutor said three of the defendants admitted to digitally penetrating one of their victims through clothing. The sexual and violent nature of the allegations, first reported by NJ Advance Media, helped draw national media attention and prompted the cancelation of the school's football season.
Each of the defendants avoided having to register for Megan's Law, and none were adjudicated delinquent on the most serious charges of sexual assault. They will each have to do 50 hours of community service, but avoided sentences of juvenile detention.

"The facts that were alleged by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at the beginning of this case have clearly been proven in a court of law," Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a written statement. "The community of Sayreville needs to know that these serious crimes occurred, and now must work together to heal."
The announcement brings to a close almost all of the Family Court cases, but is unlikely to bring immediate closure to a scandal that roiled this southern Middlesex County borough. Most of the information about the cases in Family Court was closed to the public due to the defendants' ages.

Jason Day Wins The Barclays in Another Runaway

Jason Day, so poor as a kid that he shopped at a store where he stuffed as much used clothing as he could into a bag for $5, is trying not to think about the potential of a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. That's still four weeks away.

Day, so cocksure as a teenager that he talked about being No. 1 even before he was a PGA Tour rookie, is trying to keep his mind off the possibility that he could rise above Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth and claim the top spot in the world ranking. That could be as little as one week away.

His six-shot victory Sunday in The Barclays opened a whole world of possibilities.

"I can only control what I can control," Day said.

And he has a great grip on that at the moment.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo scrapped

The logo for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games has been scrapped after allegations that it was plagiarised.

The Games organising committee said there were too many doubts over the emblem for it to be used.
Logo designer Kenjiro Sano admitted copying online material when questioned by organisers, Japanese media reported. A Belgian graphic artist had complained that his design was stolen.
In July Japan scrapped a controversial design for the new Olympic stadium.
"We have reached a conclusion that it would be only appropriate for us to drop the logo and develop a new emblem," Toshio Muto, director general of the Tokyo organising committee, told a news conference.
"At this point, we have decided that the logo cannot gain public support."