Seattle, WA
Taulia Tagovailoa Set to Participate in Seattle Seahawks Rookie Minicamp
Aiming to follow the footsteps of his brother Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia Tagovailoa will take his first crack at earning a contract on an NFL roster in the Pacific Northwest.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Tagovailoa has accepted an invitation and will participate in rookie minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks next week. To this point, he and former San Jose State quarterback Chevon Cordeiro, who reportedly signed as an undrafted free agent on Saturday, are the only two quarterbacks that have been linked to the minicamp.
A unanimous four-star recruit coming out of Thompson High School in Hawaii, Tagovailoa initially joined his brother in Tuscaloosa as a backup quarterback at Alabama, completing nine out of 12 passes for 100 yards in limited action. Without an opportunity to play moving forward, he transferred to Maryland in 2020 and started four out of six games in a COVID-shortened season, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors with 1,011 passing yards and seven touchdowns.
One of the most productive quarterbacks in Big Ten history, Taulia Tagovailoa will try to impress as a tryout player at Seahawks rookie minicamp.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Emerging as the most prolific quarterback in Terrapins history, Tagovailoa tossed for a school record 3,860 yards and 26 touchdowns while nearly completing 70 percent of his passes in his first full season as a starter in 2021. Over the next two seasons, while he didn’t quite approach those same single season numbers, he garnered Second-Team All-Big Ten honors while setting a new conference career record with 11,256 passing yards and threw 76 touchdown passes.
Tagovailoa also added 945 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground over the course of his collegiate career, showing some dual-threat capabilities and escapeability while averaging north of five yards per carry.
Despite his numbers and athleticism, Tagovailoa didn’t receive an invite to the NFL combine and after not testing at his pro day workout, he didn’t hear his name called at last week’s draft in large part due to his lack of size and a propensity for turning the ball over. Standing only 5-10, he struggled at times sensing oncoming pressure and took a large number of sacks as a result. He also threw 37 interceptions in four seasons at Maryland, primarily having issues pushing the ball downfield with average arm strength at best.
After Seattle opted not to draft a quarterback last week, Tagovailoa and Cordero could be competing for the third quarterback spot on the roster heading into OTAs behind starter Geno Smith and recently acquired backup Sam Howell. It’s possible another quarterback could be thrown into the mix before rookie minicamp starts on Friday at the VMAC.
Seattle, WA
Melinda French Gates is done ‘cheering on Seattle from the sidelines’ — she’s buying into the bet to bring the Sonics back | Fortune
Melinda French Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, will join the Seattle Kraken as a minority investor, pending NHL approval.
French Gates, 61, is the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. She and her $30 billion net worth, according to Forbes, join an ownership group headlined by majority owner and managing partner Samantha Holloway, as well as investors David Wright, Andy Jassy and longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
“As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community.”
French Gates has never previously had an ownership stake in a major professional sports franchise. She will do so at a time when the Kraken ownership group is positioning itself to own an NBA franchise should the NBA return to the Emerald City for the first time since the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City nearly 20 years ago.
In March, the Kraken ownership group announced the creation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which serves as the umbrella brand of the organization to “oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.” At the time, Holloway announced that One Roof would pursue an NBA team in Seattle, should the league move forward with expansion.
Holloway also announced in March that the group had entered an agreement to purchase additional equity in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group, and would make the organization the majority owner of the building. OVG has retained a minority stake.
French Gates, who grew up in Dallas and received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics, as well as an MBA from Duke, currently heads Pivotal, a group of organizations she founded to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the United States and around the world.
French Gates previously founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy.
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group,” Holloway said in a statement. “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
Seattle, WA
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, to join Seattle Kraken as minority investor
SEATTLE (AP) — Melinda French Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, will join the Seattle Kraken as a minority investor, pending NHL approval.
French Gates, 61, is the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. She and her $30 billion net worth, according to Forbes, join an ownership group headlined by majority owner and managing partner Samantha Holloway, as well as investors David Wright, Andy Jassy and longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
“As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community.”
French Gates has never previously had an ownership stake in a major professional sports franchise. She will do so at a time when the Kraken ownership group is positioning itself to own an NBA franchise should the NBA return to the Emerald City for the first time since the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City nearly 20 years ago.
In March, the Kraken ownership group announced the creation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which serves as the umbrella brand of the organization to “oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.” At the time, Holloway announced that One Roof would pursue an NBA team in Seattle, should the league move forward with expansion.
Holloway also announced in March that the group had entered an agreement to purchase additional equity in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group, and would make the organization the majority owner of the building. OVG has retained a minority stake.
French Gates, who grew up in Dallas and received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics, as well as an MBA from Duke, currently heads Pivotal, a group of organizations she founded to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the United States and around the world.
French Gates previously founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy.
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group,” Holloway said in a statement. “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested a 40-year-old man after a stabbing in the University District on Monday morning that left another man wounded.
Officers were sent to the 5000 block of Brooklyn Avenue North just before 8 a.m. for a reported stabbing. Police arrived and found a 21-year-old man with stab wounds.
Officers provided aid until the Seattle Fire Department arrived and took over. The victim’s injuries were stated to be non-life-threatening
Police searched the area and located a suspect near Northeast 47th Street and University Way Northeast. The 40-year-old man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail.
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