like, Put it on; dont ever take it off! Johnson sai

Russia lost its appeal Thursday against the Olympic ban on its track and field athletes, a decision that could add pressure on the IOC to exclude the country entirely from next months Games in Rio de Janeiro.The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal of 68 Russian athletes seeking to overturn the ban imposed by the IAAF following allegations of state-sponsored doping and cover-ups.Todays judgment has created a level playing field for athletes, world track and fields governing body said in a statement.However, the arbitration court ruling did not necessarily settle the matter for good. The court stressed the decision is not binding on the International Olympic Committee, which has the final say as the supreme organizer of the Games.The door is open for the IOC to decide, to determine even on a case-by-case principle, whether these athletes are eligible or not, CAS general secretary Matthieu Reeb told reporters outside the court headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.The IOC said it would study and analyze the full decision and make its final ruling on the participation of Russian athletes in the coming days. The Olympics open in Rio on Aug. 5.CAS upheld the validity of the IAAF ban, saying a country whose national federation is suspended is ineligible from entering international competitions, including the Olympics.The three-person panel ruled that the Russian Olympic Committee is not entitled to nominate Russian track and field athletes to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games considering that they are not eligible to participate under the IAAF competition rules.The Russians argued against a collective ban of its track athletes, saying it punishes those who have not been accused of wrongdoing.IAAF president Sebastian Coe said it was not a day for triumphant statements.I didnt come into this sport to stop athletes from competing, he said. It is our federations instinctive desire to include, not exclude.In Russia, two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva -- who attended Tuesdays hearing at CAS -- said the decision to uphold the ban on the track and field team represents the funeral of her sport.Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also lashed out at the ruling.In my view, its a subjective decision, somewhat political and one with no legal basis, he was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.Mutko said the countrys athletes who are banned could go to a civil court to try to overturn the ban.Pole vault world-record holder Yelena Isinbayeva said the ban means the Games will be devalued with only pseudo-gold medals available.Hammer thrower Sergey Litvinov, who was on Russias track and field team for next months Olympics, told The Associated Press he is very sad to miss the Games but hopes the teams ban will mean more serious reforms.Litvinov, who was fifth at last years world championships, said Russian athletics officials failed to act on doping in time and hopes that this situation can encourage the management to continue reforms.I want all [doping] systems to be shut down, Litvinov said. Not just ours, but all of them.CAS said it had no jurisdiction over whether the IOC can accept or refuse the entry of Russian track and field athletes, either those representing their country or competing as neutral athletes.Reeb said the Russians have the right to appeal to the Swiss federal tribunal within 30 days. However, an appeal can be only on procedural grounds, not the merits of the decision, he said.The IOC last month accepted the IAAF decision to extend a November ban on the Russian track team. In a telephone interview with the AP and two other international news agencies last week, Bach was asked whether the IOC would accept the CAS ruling if it upheld the IAAF ban. Bach replied: Yes.The IOC executive board said Tuesday it would explore the legal options for a possible total ban on Russia but would wait until after the CAS ruling before making a final decision. The IOC has scheduled another board meeting on Sunday to consider the issue.The World Anti-Doping Agency and other doping bodies have called on the IOC to consider the unprecedented step of kicking out the entire Russian contingent following new allegations of a vast government-organized doping program.Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, who was commissioned by WADA, issued a report Monday that accused Russias sports ministry of orchestrating a doping system that affected 28 summer and winter Olympic sports.Former WADA president John Fahey said Thursday that it was clear-cut that Russia should not be allowed at this years Olympics.The McLaren report makes it abundantly clear that if they want to safeguard the integrity of the Olympic Games, they need to ban Russia, Fahey said. To have Russia there will put into jeopardy the worlds view of the Olympics.Reeb said the ROC has selected the 68 track and field athletes as part of its Olympic team for Rio.Now it is for the International Olympic Committee to determine if these athletes can be confirmed or not, he said. In the opinion of CAS, because the national federation is suspended, normally these athletes should not compete in Rio, but the IOC was not a party in these conversations and our decision is not binding on the IOC.According to the Olympic Charter, they could have the last word who could participate in the Olympic Games because the IOC is the main organizer of the Olympic Games, he added.Reeb said the CAS panel expressed some concern over the IAAF rule adopted last month that allowed for Russian athletes who have been subjected to regular anti-doping tests outside Russia to apply for exemptions to compete as neutral athletes in Rio.Two athletes -- Yulia Stepanova, an 800-meter runner and key whistleblower in exposing Russian doping, and Florida-based long jumper Darya Klishina -- are the only ones who have received IAAF eligibility.CAS said the rule, adopted June 17, left practically no possibility for the athletes to comply with the criteria.In one month the timing was very short, so this is a possibility for interpretation by the IOC, Reeb said.ROC president Alexander Zhukov has said he would not rule out legal action if Russia is hit with a total ban from the Games.?Russia has the right to appeal to the Swiss federal tribunal within 30 days.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Hydro Flask Dop . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Hydro Flask Nederland .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.hydroflaskkorting.com/ . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Hydro Flask Kopen . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Hydro Flask Straw Lid . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July.Bobby Johnson made a pivotal catch for the New York Giants in 1986, when they trailed the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter of Week 12. Quarterback Phil Simms found Johnson on fourth-and-17, putting the Giants within range for Raul Allegres game-winning 33-yard field goal.The 22-20 victory propelled the Giants into the postseason and, eventually, to their Super Bowl XXI win over John Elway and the Denver Broncos.Johnson, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas, recorded 81 catches and 15 touchdowns his first two seasons in New York.Bobby was the mystery guy for a long time, said Bill Parcells, who coached the Giants from 1983 to 1990. No one really knew about him.Johnson might have appeared mysterious on the surface, but, in reality, he was hiding something from his teammates: He was addicted to crack cocaine.It was just a social gathering one night, Johnson said of his first encounter with the drug, sometime in the middle of the 1986 season. We were at my place. Somebody said, Try this. I had never tried it before. I thought my will was strong enough just to try it that one time and continue on with my life. But no. That one hit changed my life forever.The more Johnson began using, the more he struggled to honor his commitment to football. He began arriving late to meetings and practices and almost missed kickoff for the Giants NFC Championship Game against the Washington Redskins.Johnsons erratic behavior was overlooked when the team shared the joy of winning Super Bowl XXI, and of receiving the championship rings.Being as young as I was at that time, playing three years, and actually getting a Super Bowl ring, I didnt believe it, Bobby said. I didnt believe it that day. I just kept looking at it, thinking, This cannot be happening.The next summer, Johnson was traded to the San Diego Chargers.He was cut two weeks later.They couldnt count on me, he said. I dont blame them, you know. Just like a regular job, if you come in late every day, eventually youre going to get fired. Thats what happened. I would have got rid of me, too.But the cut pushed Johnson deeper into his addiction.I started doing cocaine 24/7. I didnt have to be at practice. I didnt have to get drug-tested, he said. I stayed high practically all day and night.Johnson headed home to Tennessee, but instead of being with his family in Smyrna, a rural town outside of Nashville, he hid himself in the city, often sleeping on benches along Nashvilles Cumberland River.It was embarrassing, Johnson said. One day youre in the Super Bowl, the next day, youre walking around, homeless, smoking crack. How in the heck did I end up in this situation?It was outside of a Nashville pawn shop in 1989 when Johnson said he hit rock bottom.The drugs were calling me. I mean, literally, the drugs were calling my name, he said. I walked into the pawn shop to get high, maybe a place to sleep that night. A cheap room.Johnson pawned his Super Bowl XXI ring for $250.I actually asked the man what he could give me for it, he said. He offered me $1,000. I said no because I knew I wasnt going to be able to come back and pay it. Finally, he got down to $250. I said, Ill take it.After that, it was just a distant memory. All I had was the tan line on my finger.Several weeks later, it would be Johnsons mother, Ruby, who snapped her son out of his addiction with a simple but poignant reality check.I walked in the house one day, and she looked me dead in the eye, Johnson said. She said, You look terrible. You look dehydrated, gray, you lost all kinds of weight. It went to my core. It went to my soul.She asked me, Are you my son? I didnt raise you like this. This is not you.Johnson has been clean for 14 years. ESPN learned his story, and shared it before tthis seasons Giants-Vikings matchup in Week 4.ddddddddddddWithin hours, a campaign to get Johnsons ring back to him began.Leading the charge was Lee Einsidler, a sports fan who was deeply moved by Johnsons recovery and positive outlook.Einsidler, who declined to be interviewed for this story, reached out to his close friend Bill Parcells with his idea. The two had bonded 10 years ago through a shared passion for horses in Saratoga, New York.Lee had seen the piece that ESPN had done on Bobby, on being homeless and selling his Super Bowl ring, Parcells said. Right after that aired, Lee called me and he said, You know, Bill, we need to try and get this guy his ring back. And I said, Well, Lee, I would like to assist you in doing that, if you would be gracious enough to let me. Which he was.Einsidler pursued the trail of Johnsons Super Bowl ring to a memorabilia dealers collection on Long Island. From there, he and Parcells split the cost to purchase it.I felt like I failed with him in some respects, Parcells said of that 1986 season. I wasnt able to keep him from going off the deep end, so to speak. We wound up having to trade him, and then football ended for him. Most of us thought that when we did hear about him, it wasnt going to be that good of news.Parcells crossed paths with Johnson five years ago, when the 1986 team celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Super Bowl win.He was different, Parcells said. He was good. He came right up to me, he gave me a big hug, told me the dark days were over. You could just tell that things were a lot better for him.On Oct. 16, Johnson was invited to MetLife Stadium to attend the Giants Week 6 game against the Ravens, joining 74?other Giants alumni being honored in a pregame ceremony. But before the ceremony began, Johnson was approached by Giants personnel.We were signing autographs, and they got me and said somebody wants to talk to me, he said. All the guys thought I was in trouble!Johnson was led into a back room, where Chris Mara, Giants senior vice president, was waiting for him, holding a ring box.Thirty years ago, my dad presented you with a Super Bowl ring, Mara told Johnson. Through the efforts of?some very good people, we were able to recover your ring after all these years. We want to present it to you today.Johnson was stunned. I just couldnt believe it. It was like a dream. It really was, he said. I just remember putting it on and crying. For five to 10 minutes, thats all I remember.With his ring finally back on his finger, Johnson could not hold in his emotions any longer. He sat down, bent over and started sobbing. After drying his eyes, he then had an important phone call to make.I just told Coach thank you. A thousand times. Amongst all the tears, and my runny nose, Johnson said.Parcells message to Johnson was a little more like tough love.He was like, Put it on; dont ever take it off! Johnson said with a laugh. Dont lose it again. Speaking to me like a father. Which was awesome. You have to respect that. He did everything he could to get it back. I didnt think it was going to actually happen.He was an important part of the group, and both Lee and I felt the same way, Parcells said. He deserves to share in that with everybody. Thats the only symbol that could represent his participation. So it was nice to get it back to him.Johnson has never met Lee Einsidler but is hoping to set up a meeting with him soon to express his gratitude.I never thought this would happen, Johnson said. God is good. Coach is good. I dont even know Lee. But I love him. This means the world to me.I have come a long way. I have come full circle. ' ' '