Florida Sentinel Bulletin

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Donald Driver rewrote the Green Bay Packers record books and on Wednesday morning, the wildly popular wide receiver might’ve rewritten the book on how a player should call it a career.

Officially retiring after 14 seasons – all with the Packers, something that was extremely important to him – the franchise’s all-time leading receiver celebrated his career during an unprecedented event inside the Lambeau Field atrium with 1,500 fans, his family, Packers coaches, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Green Bay mayor Jim Schmitt and a handful of teammates.

Driver says it was a tough decision, but he’s ready for the next chapter in his life. He retires after catching 743 passes for 10,137 yards, making the team as a seventh-round draft pick out of Alcorn State in 1999.

NEW ORLEANS — Ray Lewis will ride into retirement as a champion.

Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker began his final night on the football field with a motivational speech to his teammates. He ended it looking upward into a shower of silver streamers and purple confetti after the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 Sunday night to win the Super Bowl.

Standing tall in the middle of a defense that survived a frenzied comeback by Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers, Lewis put a lovely bow on his 17th NFL season by earning his second Super Bowl ring — 12 years after the first.

On Sunday night, Lewis and his defense played a supporting role to Joe Flacco and the offense. The 37-year-old Lewis had only two solo tackles through the first three quarters and sometimes struggled to cover receivers venturing into his area. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree caught a 19-yarder on San Francisco’s second series, and tight end Vernon Davis eluded Lewis twice before making second-quarter catches.

Lewis did, however, made two tackles during the 49ers’ final drive. San Francisco had a fourth-and-goal from 5 when Lewis charged in on a blitz. He didn’t get to Kaepernick, but the quarterback’s pass sailed out of the end zone.

Lewis can saunter into the sunset after putting his fingerprints on the Lombardi Trophy for a second time.

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, 71, is not expected to live through the summer, and could possibly die within days, according to his brother, Rahman Ali.

“He’s in a bad way,” Rahman said in an interview. “He’s very sick, It could be months, it could be days. I don’t know if he’ll last the summer. He’s in God’s hands.”

Rahman says that the former heavyweight champion no longer recognizes him and is unable to speak. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984 but remained active for many years and made a moving appearance at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games where he lit the flame.

Though Ali’s wife has not commented on the claims, Rahman says that his brother has requested a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. be inscribed on his headstone: “I tried to love somebody, I did try to feed the hungry. I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.’ The Greatest.”

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive tackle, Warren Sapp, was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

Sapp will be inducted on August 3rd in a ceremony in Canton, Ohio. He joins defensive end, Lee Roy Selmon, as Hall of Famers who spent the majority of their career with the Buccaneers.

Sapp was drafted in the first round (12th overall) by the Buccaneers in the 1995 NFL draft. He played nine years for the Bucs, playing in 140 games and starting 130, while also starting in nine postseason contests, and helping led the Bucs to the 2002 Super Bowl Championship. Sapp holds the Buccaneers’ single-season sack record, recording 16.5 sacks in 2000. His 96.5 career sacks ranks as the second most by an interior lineman in NFL history.

Named the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Sapp made six All-Pro Teams and seven straight Pro Bowls. He was also voted to both the NFL’s 1990’s and 2000’s All-Decade Team.

DALLAS — A North Texas jury has found the 22-year-old son of former NBA player Nick Van Exel guilty of murder in the shooting death of a longtime friend.

A Dallas County jury deliberated about 2½ hours before returning its guilty verdict Thursday against Nickey Maxwell Van Exel. The penalty phase begins Friday.

Prosecutors had sought a capital murder conviction. They say Van Exel fatally shot Bradley Bassey Eyo in December 2010 and dumped his body at Lake Ray Hubbard on the eastern outskirts of Dallas.

Since the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, wide receiver Mike Williams has outplayed the contract he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Though a deal is far from being finalized, the Bucs have begun negotiating with Williams’ agent, Hadley Engelhard, aimed at extending his contract. Williams was the 101st player selected, and played his college ball at Syracuse University. He signed a four-year, $2.33 million contract that included escalator clauses that allowed his pay to increase to $1.4 million for the 2013 season.

But Williams began playing at a rate well above his pay scale leading all NFL rookies with 65 receptions for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns during his first season. The following year, Williams caught 65 passes again, but his yardage and touchdowns slipped.

In 2012, Williams made a comeback, catching 63 passes for 996 yards and a team leading nine touchdowns.

Along with pro bowler, Vincent Jackson, Williams helped form one of the best big play receiving duos in the league.

Tiger Woods started his 2013 PGA Tour season in style on Monday, breezing to a four-stroke victory in the Farmers Insurance Open at cold and windy Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif. He earned $1,098,000.

It was the 75th triumph of his PGA Tour career by Woods, second only to Sam Snead (82). He also became the first player in PGA Tour history to win on the same course eight times. In addition to seven Farmers Insurance Open titles, Tiger also won the 2008 U.S. Open on the South Course at Torrey Pines, which also concluded on a Monday.

WASHINGTON — Olympic gymnast Gabrielle is donating personal items to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Douglas won Olympic gold at the age of 16 in the 2012 London games. She was the first African American woman to win gold in the individual all-around competition. The U.S. women’s team also won gold.

The Virginia Beach, Va., native is giving the museum the leotard she wore during her first competitive season in 2003. She’s also giving the wrist tape and uneven bar grips she used in the 2012 Olympics, as well as her mother’s ticket to the games, personal photos and her Olympic credentials. The items go on display Friday at the National Museum of American History. The Black history museum is slated to open in 2015.

After the Dallas Mavericks’ NBDL affiliate Texas Legends reached out to Allen Iverson in an attempt to lure the former star back into the NBA, the iconic basketball player has respectfully declined the offer.

“I thank Donnie [Nelson] and Dallas for the consideration and while I think the D-League is a great opportunity, it is not the route for me,” Iverson revealed on Twitter. “I realize my actions contributed to my early departure from the NBA, should God provide me another opportunity I will give it my all.”