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The Detroit Lions didn’t bring back punter Sam Martin in free agency this offseason, but it apparently wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Martin, who had started his career in Detroit and fit in well with the team, departed abruptly this offseason and landed with the Denver Broncos. He nearly returned to the Lions, though, which is something he revealed on The Pat McAfee Show. As Martin explained, there was no hard feelings and it was simply time for a change. Matt Prater also played a role.

Martin said:

“Yeah, I did have an offer to go back to Detroit and I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit. Denver, as a punter, it’s a really appealing place to go. Once we started talking with them it became a reality that I could end up there. We spoke a little bit about coach (Tom) McMahon and philosophy and punting, combined with that and all the praise I used to get from (Matt) Prater on a weekly basis on how much he loved the city and Colorado in general, it became a place I really wanted to land. Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was appealing and the contract was as well and that’s kind of how it played out.”

Martin’s departure left a hole in the Detroit specialty teams group that the team will have to patch starting this offseason. That’s their goal as he heads to the thin air to gain some additional yardage.

Sam Martin Signed With Broncos During Free Agency

Martin agreed to a new contract with the Denver Broncos. Martin will join Denver on a 3 year pact in which he will be paid $7.05 million dollars, which was revealed a few months ago during free agency.

Punters are free agents too, @richeisen. #Broncos have agreed with former #Lions P Sam Martin to a three-year, $7.05 million deal, source says.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 24, 2020

Now that Martin is departing, the Lions will have to prioritize the punter position either in free agency or the draft. It’s more likely to be in the draft, given there is a lack of free agent punters on the market at this point.

Sam Martin Stats

Martin was drafted by the Lions in 2013 as a fifth round pick out of Appalachian State. While playing for the Lions, Martin has been known as a punter with …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t backing down.

On a heated call with employees on Tuesday, the Facebook CEO refused to change course on the company’s decision to allow a post by Donald Trump that has been criticized for “glorifying violence,” according to a source familiar with the matter. The New York Times first reported on the meeting.

As protests over police brutality have engulfed the US in recent days, Facebook has faced a wave of internal unrest. It was sparked by the company’s refusal to take action against a post by Trump, which said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”— a phrase used by a Southern police chief during civil rights unrest in the 1960s.

It was also posted to Twitter, which determined that the tweet was “glorifying violence” and attached a warning label to it — but Mark Zuckerberg said that it didn’t break Facebook’s rules.

Facebook employees have responded with the company’s largest public protest in its 16-year history, with dozens tweeting their objections to the decision, and as many as 400 taking part in a virtual walkout on Monday, according to The Verge. (Most employees are currently working from home due to the pandemic.) At least one has publicly resigned in protest, accusing the company of being “on the wrong side of history.”

Do you work at Facebook? Contact this reporter at rprice@businessinsider.com or 650-636-6268. Anonymity offered.

This story is developing…

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Source:: Business Insider

Many brands are issuing statements condemning racism and offering messages of solidarity to protesters following George Floyd’s death.
Some companies are shuttering influencer-marketing campaigns this week in order to avoid tone deafness on social platforms where much of the conversation is unfolding.
Influencers are also speaking out against brands that were slow to respond and saying some companies should do better at highlighting Black voices.

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Over the past few days, brands have issued statements condemning racism and offering messages of solidarity to protesters following George Floyd’s death, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25.

Many are also halting influencer marketing in order to avoid tone deafness on social platforms where much of the conversation is unfolding.

“The nation is hurting, and we’re figuring out the best ways to show sensitivity and support for our communities,” said Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of the influencer-marketing platform Obviously. “Two things we did immediately were extending posting deadlines on active campaigns and setting later start dates for campaigns that are coming up.”

Much of corporate America has made an effort to shift away from business-as-usual messaging on social media in the past few days. Companies like TikTok, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon are all participating in “Blackout Tuesday,” a campaign to draw attention to issues of social and racial justice. Representatives from the five influencer-marketing firms that Business Insider spoke to for this story all said they’d delayed paid influencer work this week. Some digital creators have also paused their typical posting style and cadence.

“We connected directly with all of our clients yesterday,” Danielle Wiley, CEO of the influencer-marketing firm Sway, told Business Insider. “For those with content scheduled to begin this week, we have advised pushing out the timeline to accommodate a later launch. For campaigns that are in progress, we strongly advised letting influencers know that they are in no way required to post this week. Only one client chose to continue with their program on the existing timeline, despite our recommendation otherwise.”

Influencers and fans are criticizing brands for delayed or seemingly hypocritical responses

While many brands and influencers have chosen to pause paid campaigns to avoid tone deafness this week, they’re also under pressure from fans to speak out in support of protesters and the racial justice movement on social media.

In the influencer community, fans have urged social …read more

Source:: Business Insider

(Reuters) – Bank of America Corp on Tuesday pledged $1 billion to help communities across the country address economic and racial inequality, the first big bank to vow monetary support following violent protests after the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

“The events of the past week have created a sense of true urgency that has arisen across our nation, particularly in view of the racial injustices we have seen in the communities where we work and live,” Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said.

“We all need to do more,” he said in a statement.

Major cities across the country were hit by the worst civil unrest seen in years following the death of George Floyd last week, with demonstrators setting fire to a strip mall in Los Angeles, looting stores in New York City and clashing with police.

The protests come at a time when businesses are looking to reopen after months of coronavirus-induced lockdowns.

Bank of America said its four-year commitment will include programs such as virus testing and other …read more

Source:: AOL.com