[panxing18]

LeSean McCoy had no doubts he'd be allowed to report for the start of Bills training camp after the running back was accused of bloodying his ex-girlfriend two weeks ago.

And McCoy on Thursday also said he's confident he'll be playing in Buffalo's season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 9.

"I'm here right now Marcedes Lewis Youth Jersey , so I feel very confident," McCoy said about an hour before the Bills opened training camp in suburban Rochester.

The comments were the first McCoy has made publicly since being accused of playing a role in his ex-girlfriend being injured during a home invasion at a house McCoy owns in the Atlanta suburbs.

No charges have been filed.

McCoy previously denied any involvement in the home invasion and other allegations posted on social media by a woman who appeared to be a friend of his ex-girlfriend.

McCoy on Thursday addressed the allegations just once in answering the first question during a near nine-minute news conference by saying: "It's an active investigation and I'll leave it at that."

He then repeatedly deflected other questions on what happened by saying he's solely focused on being ready for training camp and the upcoming season.

"Right now, my main focus is here on my teammates, my team, trying to build together in camp to reach our goal together, and that's a championship," McCoy said.

"I don't want to let things distract me or get in the way of that, because I'd be cheating my teammates," he said. "I came here focused for camp and just ready to play, ready to roll."

General manager Brandon Beane said the team has done what he called its due diligence on the allegations and is satisfied by the conversations he's had with the NFL, which is holding its own investigation.

"We feel comfortable that LeSean's going to be here and ready to roll," Beane said. "We don't see that changing."

Coach Sean McDermott also backed McCoy.

"It's a situation that we take very seriously because of the nature of the situation," McDermott said. "That said Ezekiel Elliott Jersey , as Brandon mentioned, we've done our part, looked into what we need to look into and, as an organization, feel that we can move forward at this point in time."

Court records show McCoy has been attempting to evict his former girlfriend, 34-year-old Delicia Cordon, for the past year. Police records show officers had previously been called to the home twice, but no violence was reported.

During the home invasion, a man entered the home around 3 a.m. on July 11, and demanded specific pieces of jewelry McCoy had given to Cordon and that he had asked her to give back many times.

Veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander called the allegations a private matter and said McCoy didn't have to address anything with the team.

"He'll continue to handle that and we'll uplift him and support him in any way we can," Alexander said following practice.

"Obviously, we feel for the victim as well. You never want to see anybody in those situations. So hopefully everything is found out and handled in a well manner," he added. "But this won't be a distraction for anybody in the locker room."

McCoy said the team has been supportive Giants Cody Latimer Jersey , in noting he had a lengthy conversation with Beane and McDermott upon reporting to camp Wednesday.

"They're backing me 110 percent," he said. "We're moving forward."

McCoy spent much of the past six weeks working out in southern Florida with several NFL players, including Miami Dolphins running back Frank Gore.

He said he's lost about 13 pounds after weighing 225 a few months ago.

McCoy is entering his 10th NFL season and fourth with Buffalo since being acquired by the Bills in a trade with Philadelphia.

Now 30 years old, McCoy is coming off a season in which he had 1,138 yards rushing, and 1,586 yards from scrimmage (including 448 receiving) for the fifth-best totals of his career.

McCoy ranks third among active running backs and 29th overall with 10,092 yards rushing.

NOTES: The Bills signed free agent DT John Hughes to a one-year contract. Hughes has six years of NFL experience including spending last season with New Orleans, where he played eight games before sustaining a season-ending injury to his elbow. He spent his first four-plus seasons with Cleveland and has 10 starts in 66 games. ... Beane declined to provide a timetable on when WR Zay Jones will be cleared for practice after having knee surgery in May. Jones opened camp on the active/non-football injury list. Beane said the team is being cautious to avoid any setback after the second-year player missed all of the team's spring practices.
One by one, the Milwaukee Brewers filed into an auditorium at Miller Park as reliever Josh Hader offered his latest apology for years-old tweets that surfaced during the All-Star Game.

Those racist, homophobic social-media messages were thoughtless mistakes he made as a teenager, Hader said. He sought to reassure fellow Brewers that the vile words didn’t represent the man he has become, one who has learned – in part because of baseball – to reject the language of bigotry.

His teammates had his back on Friday.

Fellow All-Stars Jesus Aguilar of Venezuela and Lorenzo Cain M.J. Stewart Jersey Elite , who is African-American, were among those who stood directly behind Hader during a news conference about 90 minutes before the Brewers returned from the break by hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers.

”It’s amazing. It tells me that they have my back and that we are a true family,” Hader said about the show of solidarity.

Hader spoke to teammates earlier Friday in the clubhouse. Outfielder Brett Phillips said the reliever offered a sincere apology. Manager Craig Counsell described Hader as emotional and remorseful.

”I just want them to know that I’m sorry for what I did back in the day and the mistakes that I made,” Hader said, ”and that they are a family to me and that they (the tweets) aren’t me and what I meant.”

The 24-year-old Hader also apologized and took responsibility for the tweets after the All-Star Game, saying they did not reflect his values or the person he is now.

The tweets included uses of a slur used to disparage African-Americans and one that simply said ”KKK.”

Said Hader: ”They were never my beliefs. I was young. I was saying stuff out of just ignorance and that’s just not what I meant.”

Until Tuesday, Hader was best known as the hard-throwing left-hander in the Brewers’ strong bullpen. He has been a lights-out reliever since coming up to the majors in June 2017.

Hader’s 6-foot-3 frame, long hair and glasses gave him a unique look on the mound. A filthy fastball and knee-buckling slider allowed Hader to strike out 89 in just 48 innings.

Several of Hader’s tweets from 2011 and 2012 were unearthed Tuesday while he was pitching in the All-Star Game. Hader learned of the situation when he left the game.

MLB announced Wednesday that the commissioner’s office would require Hader to participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives in addition to sensitivity training.

A day filled with acts of contrition by Hader also included a meeting with Billy Bean, MLB’s vice president for social responsibility and inclusion. He described Hader as ”punishing himself more than probably anyone else could.”

”I was really convinced after a couple hours together today – much longer than we expected – that his experience as an athlete and a professional in an integrated, diverse environment has created the person that he is today,” Bean said.

”I believe that, much like many of our millennial youth, he just probably forgot about whatever that moment was in his adolescence Authentic Byron Maxwell Jersey ,” Bean added.

The tweets stirred a range of emotions among some players who took part in an optional workout on Thursday that did not include the Brewers’ five All-Star representatives. Teammates voiced support while also saying they wanted to hear from Hader.

”Today was big for him. A sincere apology was needed and he did – you could tell in his voice that he’s very, very sorry,” said Phillips, Hader’s roommate for the past four years. They have lived together since their days in the Astros organization before being traded to the Brewers in 2015.

”Not once – not once – has he said any of those (things) behind closed doors to myself or to anyone who’s close with him. Looking at those tweets, he’s come a long way,” Phillips said. ”Obviously you can see the growth. If you believe that people can change for the worst, then you believe that they can change for the best.”

The next step for Hader is getting back on the mound. He didn’t pitch in Friday’s 6-4 loss.

It’s unclear what kind of reaction Hader might receive from the crowd whenever he does come in from the bullpen again.

”This isn’t me,” Hader said when asked if he had a message for fans. ”I hope that people who I’ve touched and came across, they know who I really am. I’ve made mistakes. I’m not perfect. I’ve grown as a person. Baseball really helped me grow.”

—

.