Athlete reactions to Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty verdict by jury

Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty.

A jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Friday found Rittenhouse not guilty of homicide and other charges.
On Aug. 25, 2020, Rittenhouse shot at four men, killing two and wounding a third, with a semiautomatic rifle. Rittenhouse was in downtown Kenosha to protect a car dealership during unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Blake, a Black man, had been shot multiple times by Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer, in Kenosha, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Sheskey was ultimately not charged by state or federal prosecutors.

Rittenhouse, then a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., joined a group of other armed people in downtown Kenosha. He shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz, the latter of whom survived. Rittenhouse turned himself in to police in Antioch on Aug. 26, and was extradited to Kenosha, where he was charged with the following:

First-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
First-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon
First-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
Attempted first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
First-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon
Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 (later dismissed)
Failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government (later dismissed)
Most of the incident was captured on video, and the subsequent trial became heavily polarized. The prosecution in the case argued that Rittenhouse provoked protesters before shooting at them, while the defense argued that Rittenhouse acted in self defense.

The Milwaukee Bucks are scheduled to play at home tonight at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. The Bucks, who play 40 miles from Kenosha, were the first NBA team to boycott following the protests in the summer of 2020.

Following the verdict in the case that captured national attention, the sports world responded to the news that Rittenhouse was ruled not guilty.
Sporting News will continue to monitor and update news from around the sports world as it unfolds.

College football overtime rules 2021: Explaining how the new OT format works

Overtime is going to look a little bit different in college football games during the 2021 season. The NCAA has once again made some minor tweaks to its overtime rules.

Why? It's all in the name of bringing the game to a quicker conclusion.
The NCAA has made shortening overtime its mission since Texas A&M beat LSU 74-72 in a seven overtime game during the 2018 season. As exciting as that game was, it was long. More than 200 snaps were played, which is certainly not ideal for the players on the field.

So, how is the NCAA changing its overtime rules for 2021? Here's everything you need to know about the differences in overtime this season and how it compares to previous seasons.
College football overtime rules 2021
The NCAA amended its overtime rules in 2021 in an attempt to lessen the number of plays run in an overtime period. Teams are now required to run a two-point conversion after a touchdown beginning in the second overtime period. Previously, that began in the third overtime period.

Additionally, teams will begin running alternating two-point conversion attempts if the game reaches a third overtime. So, it's essentially a one-play drive. The goal of this is to limit the number of plays run from scrimmage by each team.

Here are the rest of the college football overtime rules for the 2021 season.

At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss. The winner gets to choose to either play offense or defense first or chooses which side of the field to play on. The decision cannot be deferred.
The teams that loses the coin toss must exercise the remaining option. They will then have the chance to choose first from the four categories in the second overtime and subsequent even-numbered OT periods. The team that wins the toss will have the same options in odd-numbered OT periods.
In each of the first two overtime periods, teams are granted one possession beginning at the opponent's 25-yard line, unless a penalty occurs to move them back. The offense can place the ball anywhere on or between the hash marks.
Each team is granted one timeout per overtime period. Timeouts do not carry over from regulation nor do they carry over between overtime periods.
Each team retains the ball until it fails to score, fails to make a first down or turns the ball over.
Beginning with the second overtime period, teams must attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown.
Beginning with the third overtime period, teams will begin to run alternating two-point conversion plays instead of offensive possessions.
The college football overtime rules are the same in both the regular and postseason.
College football overtime rule change proposals
The most recent overtime rule change proposal was passed by the NCAA in 2021. It was made in the name of shortening games and limiting offensive reps, as previously stated.

Below are the rule changes that were ratified for 2021:

Beginning with the second overtime period, teams must attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown.
Beginning with the third overtime period, teams will begin to run alternating two-point conversion plays instead of offensive possessions.
History of college football overtime rules
Up until 1996, most NCAA games did not go to overtime. They simply ended in a tie. However, the governing body adopted overtime rules after pushback on some important matchups ending all square.

The initial overtime rules were in place for quite a while. Each team got the ball at the opponent's 25-yard line and retained the ball until it failed to score, failed to make a first down or turned the ball over. Teams alternated possessions until a team emerged as a victor.

Then, in 2019, the NCAA made a couple of changes in the name of shortening the game. That's when they added the two-point conversion rule, so teams had to start attempting a two-point conversion starting in the third overtime. Then, after five overtimes, teams would start running alternating two-point conversion plays. These changes were, basically, a direct response to the Texas A&M vs. LSU game.

In 2021, the rules were tweaked again, as teams must run two-point conversions in the second overtime period and will begin alternating two-point plays when the third overtime begins.

Mac Jones, child model? Here are the photos, commercials featuring a young Patriots QB

Patriots fans always thought that Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo — affectionately known as "Jimmy GQ" — were the closest things to models that they would ever see at the quarterback position. But now, they have an actual model leading their quarterback room.

That would be Mac Jones. No, we're not kidding.
Jones may be better known as key representation for dad bods everywhere at this point in his young career, but in his even younger career, he was actually a child model. He recently spoke about that in an appearance on WEEI 93.7’s "Merloni & Fauria" when he was asked what his "worst job" ever was.

"I used to be a child model/actor, or whatever, and that was fun," Jones said. "There are a few commercials out there you guys could try and find. I think a lot of people know."

To his credit, Jones has been nothing but open about his modeling career. Still, it was news to quite a few people that weren't familiar with his not-so-secret double life. It may be over now, but there are certainly lasting memories from his modeling career.
Mac Jones child model photos
Naturally, in wake of Jones' revelation on "Merloni & Fauria," many went searching for photos of Jones during his modeling days. They were easy enough to find.

NESN's Dakota Randall dug up a couple of shots of Jones, one in which he's wearing a tie and one in which he is carrying a tennis racket.
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman was able to find a handful of photos of Jones as well. He also found a clip of Jones participating in a fashion show from his youth.
One of Jones' advertisements actually lives on. He's still pictured on the "Adventure Landing" website, a regional theme park in Jacksonville, Fla. He appears on the "Kids Fun Center Parties" portion of the website, wearing an orange polo.
How did Mac Jones become a child model?
As Jones explained in a pre-draft interview with ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, he tried modeling thanks to his parents.

"They never pushed me into sports, which was really cool," Jones said. "So I tried modeling, acting. My sister had done it and there's like a modeling camp and I was like, I'll go try it."

And so, Jones did. And while he said he "didn't really ever want to do that long term," he is grateful for the skills he picked up during that very early part of his career.

"It was good that I tried it and realize that I didn't necessarily want to do that but have that under my belt. Even for stuff like this," Jones said, referencing his interview and photoshoot ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. "You're just more comfortable around the camera."
Mac Jones commercials
Try as we might, we couldn't find the commercials that Jones said might be out there. That said, if you're inclined to search for them, ESPN's Hallie Grossman gave some hints about where to look.

"[Jones] appeared in local commercials — for the zoo, a medical center, Party City, and that last one popped up for years around Halloween," she wrote in a late-2020 profile of Jones.

The Party City rabbit hole is probably the best one to jump down, as their commercials are the most readily available. The only issue with sorting through them? Most of the kids are in costumes.
Was Mac Jones the kid in that Cam Newton commercial?
This is a popular question that was raised when Jones beat out Cam Newton for the starting job with the Patriots. Was Jones the kid from that commercial with Newton? You know, the NFL "Play 60" one, where the kid threatens to take Newton's job from him in the future?

For those that need a refresher, here's the video of the advertisement.

As ironic and, frankly, mind-blowing as it would have been for Jones to be that kid, he does not play the role of "Nate." That commercial was created during the summer of 2012, ahead of Newton's second season with the Panthers. Jones turned 14 in 2012, so he would have been too old for that role even if his modeling career was ongoing.

The role of Nate was played by a then-7-year-old named James DiGiacomo. Now 16, DiGiacomo, who has acted in commercials and TV shows, spoke about the commercial after it resurfaced following Newton's release from the Patriots.

“I honestly think it’s awesome that people still bring it up,” DiGiacomo told The Eagle-Tribune. "I’ve done a lot of commercials over the years and did some TV work,” he said. “But that commercial with Cam is definitely a highlight. I didn’t realize how big it would be when we made it. But it was really cool. I’m very proud of it."