Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell had a heartfelt tribute for her teammate Damiris Dantas, who earned $197,100 in her last contract with the team. Mitchell penned a message for the Brazilian Dantas as she celebrated her 33rd birthday on Monday, Nov. 17. In the message, Mitchell showed gratitude for Dantas’ unselfishness on and off the court after playing together with the Fever in the past two WNBA seasons. “To my Brazilian sister, thank you for being the selfless person and teammate you were! Ultimate pro on and off the court,” Mitchell wrote on top of a collage of the two while on a Fever game. “Nothing big happened without you! i love you my girl. Happy birthday.,” she added. Dantas appeared in 38 games for the Fever last season, averaging 4. 6 points, and 2. 6 rebounds in 11. 6 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Mitchell became the go-to player for the injury-riddled Fever last season as she put up 20. 2 points and 3. 4 assists per game, leading Indiana in their Cinderella run to the WNBA semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champions Las Vegas Aces. Dantas enters the offseason as a free agent, as her two-year contract with the Fever ended. Mitchell is also set to be an unrestricted free agent this season. She earned $249,244 last season with the Fever. However, WNBA free agents and teams are on a standstill as they wait for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league. Kelsey Mitchell hopes for a WNBA season next year amid CBA talks Kelsey Mitchell echoed most fans and players’ sentiments for the next WNBA season amid CBA talks. According to Mitchell, a WNBA season is important for all fans and players amid talks about a possible lockout year in the league. “I hope we got a league,” she said. “I hope that when it’s all said and done . we can have a season, period. For all the girls, every person, that has aspirations to be in the league . that’s the start. Having a league is kind of big for us.” Mitchell believes all stakeholders have a responsibility to continue the league for next year. “We have a responsibility to make sure that this game is in a great place going forward with the CBA, caring for our players and building this league to make sure it’s in a great spot for many years to come.” Players, teams, and the league have to agree on a new revenue share among other aspects to move forward from the talks. Until then, the 2026 WNBA season remains in the balance.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/wnba/news-nothing-big-happened-without-you-kelsey-mitchell-pays-heartfelt-tribute-indiana-fever-s-197-100-free-agent
Tag: collective bargaining agreement
No NFL Punishment For Dolphins Star Over Josh Allen ‘Disrespect’
The Buffalo Bills will attempt to recover from a demoralizing defeat last week to the 3-7 Miami Dolphins, a game in which they were never competitive, failing to score at all through three quarters on their way to a 30-13 loss. The 6-3 Bills now prepare to host the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also hold a 6-3 record, in what is certainly Buffalo’s most important game of the season so far. This matchup will be televised to most of the country by CBS Sports on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
As if the final score were not humiliating enough, Bills three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, suffered what officials during the game deemed an outburst of disrespect from a Dolphins defensive end during a five-yard sack late in the fourth quarter.
### Chubb Hit With Penalty After Allen Sack
Officials threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on Miami two-time Pro Bowler, defensive end Bradley Chubb. Specifically, the 15-yard penalty on Chubb was called for taunting. The call was controversial because at no point did Chubb appear to say anything to Allen or gesture toward him.
Perhaps as a result of this, the NFL determined that Chubb’s conduct—while meriting the penalty that set the stage for Allen’s 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes on the very next play—did not also deserve a financial punishment. This spared Chubb from what could have been an $11,593 fine, an amount determined by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
The NFL’s decision to let Chubb keep his money does not necessarily mean league officials disagreed with the call made on the field. The NFL Operations Office reviews all plays, whether flagged or not, and independently decides which deserve disciplinary action in the form of fines.
### Officials Demand Players Respect Opponents
So, what was Chubb’s offense? Rather than rolling to the side and off of Allen after the sack, the seven-year veteran crawled forward, moving his body directly over Allen’s face.
“He crawled spread-eagle over Allen, dragging his crotch across Allen, including his face. If his crotch didn’t touch Allen, Chubb certainly gave Allen a good look at it,” wrote NFL rules expert Mark Schultz, explaining the penalty call for the site Football Zebras.
“Officials always tell players to ‘roll off’ other players and then ‘use the ground’ to get back on their feet. This didn’t happen,” Schultz continued, adding that the NFL requires players to refrain from “acts that disrespect an opponent.” In this case, officials deemed Chubb’s actions disrespectful, and the flag flew.
### Chubb Avoids 6th Fine of Career
The NFL has not always been as merciful with Chubb. The former North Carolina State Wolfpack All-American has been fined five times in his career, with total fines amounting to $72,015.
Allen and Chubb have long been linked in another way as well. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Chubb with the No. 5 overall pick. Just two picks later, the Bills drafted Allen out of Wyoming, where in 2016 he threw the most touchdown passes in the Mountain West Conference with 28, but also the most interceptions with 15.
### Bills’ Division Title Streak at Risk
The Broncos’ then-general manager and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway later said that drafting Chubb over Allen was “probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh.”
The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 went to the Cleveland Browns, who took Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield—now the quarterback for Tampa Bay. Mayfield and the Buccaneers will be trying to put a damper on Buffalo’s hopes of winning the AFC East this season.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/buffalo-bills/bradley-chubb-josh-allen-taunting-punishment/