Los Angeles // The National Football League’s efforts to tone down some of the game’s violence in a bid to protect player health has made gridiron “soft”, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump said Sunday.
Trump who leads the polls for the Republican nomination for the White House, said in Reno, Nevada, that too many penalty flags were ruining the NFL.
“You used to see these tackles and it was incredible to watch,” Trump said. “Now they tackle -- ‘Oh, head-on-head collision, 15 yard (penalty)’.
“The whole game is all screwed up. You say, ‘Wow, what a tackle.’ Bing. Flag.
“Football’s become soft. Football has become soft.”
Trump's comments came on the second day of the NFL playoffs, and a day after a chippy game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, in which two personal foul calls on Bengals defenders helped the Steelers move within range of their game-winning field goal.
Read more: Donald Trump and Samuel L Jackson in bizarre feud over 'golf cheat' claims
Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict could be facing suspension for driving his shoulder into the head of Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown, who suffered a concussion.
“I watched yesterday in particular. So many flags, right? So many flags,” Trump said, voicing admiration for legendary hard-man defenders Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor and Ray Nitschke, and his affection for New England Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady, a personal friend.
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
