Wizards agreed Saturday to pay Ian Mahinmi $64 million over four year

RENTON, Wash. --?Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was asked Thursday if he had a theory about why the NFL is experiencing declining TV ratings.Because the league isnt fun anymore, Sherman said. Every other league, you see the players have a good time. Its a game. This isnt politics. This isnt justice. This is entertainment. And theyre no longer allowing the players to entertain. Theyre no longer allowing the players to show any kind of personality, any kind of uniqueness, any individuality. Because they want to control the product. They want to control the messaging, etc., etc.They say were trying to influence kids, and thats their biggest thing. Thats their biggest ploy is you dont want to be a bad influence to kids. You dont want to be a bad role model. And I can agree with that. But in the same breath, you cant say Budweiser is the official sponsor of the NFL, and were trying to influence kids. So theres a ton of hypocrisy, but it doesnt matter because we dont control it.Sherman once again took aim at commissioner Roger Goodell and his role in making the game less fun. Sherman said the league has not reached out to him in the past when he has criticized Goodell, but the cornerback has heard from his peers.More just players understanding that its the truth and applauding me and saying they wouldnt have said it, but they respect that I said it, Sherman said. ... Its the truth. He hasnt done a great job, and its obvious. For us to say he hasnt done a great job is beating a dead horse honestly.Sherman has sounded off multiple times this season on the difficulty of playing defense, given the leagues current set of rules.On the topic of protecting quarterbacks, Sherman said the NFLs stance has nothing to do with player safety.No, I dont buy it, he said. Thats for public perception. They dont care about player safety. Ive said that several times. But they do care about paying the quarterback $20 million and him missing a season. They do care about that.So whether they say player safety or whatever it is, theyre tired of $20 million quarterbacks sitting on the bench or IR for the whole season, so theyre going to do whatever they can to protect their investments, and thats universal. Boston Bruins Gear . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Boston Bruins Pro Shop .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Boston Bruins Store . 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With no roster depth at center, the Washington Wizards agreed Saturday to pay Ian Mahinmi $64 million over four years, his agent, Bouna NDiaye, told The Undefeated, confirming earlier reports.The deal cant?be finalized until at least July 7, when a leaguewide moratorium is lifted on signings and trades.Mahinmis Twitter account had a message directed at the Wizards account.The Washington Post first reported the terms of the contract.The agreement came shortly after another player Washington reportedly was hoping to sign, Al Horford, chose to join the Boston Celtics.Mahinmi should be able to provide defense and rebounding for the Wizards. He is a 6-foot-11, 250-pound center who averaged career highs of 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and about 25 minutes in 71 games last season, all starts for the Indiana Pacers.The 29-year-old Mahinmi, who is from France, was drafted in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and made his NBA debut in the 2007-08 season. For his career, he has averaged 5.1 points aand 4.dddddddddddd3 rebounds in less than 17 minutes.Mahinmi is the first new player added to the Wizards since the start of free agency, although they did agree Friday to a $128 million, five-year contract that will keep shooting guard Bradley Beal with the team. Beal, who teams with John Wall to give Washington a dynamic backcourt, was a restricted free agent.Washington made sure to clear plenty of cap space heading into this offseason, and even after the contracts for Beal and Mahinmi, the team has only seven players signed. The only other center on the roster at the moment is last seasons starter, Marcin Gortat.Last season, the Wizards went 41-41 to finish 10th in the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs, after two consecutive trips to the second round. Randy Wittman was fired as coach and replaced by Scott Brooks.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '