months, but began to feel sense of urgeency in last two weeks due to

CLEVELAND -- Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Reggie Rucker was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for stealing from two charities, a crime his attorney blamed on a gambling addiction caused by football-related brain injuries.Rucker, 68, pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud and false statement charges after an FBI investigation found that he had stolen more than $100,000 from the two groups, with much of the money withdrawn from ATMs at casinos in Cleveland, Las Vegas and elsewhere. Rucker withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from bank accounts he oversaw, authorities said.Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that Rucker would solicit donations and then use the money to pay off markers at casinos as well as personal expenses. The diversions occurred between 2011 and 2015, prosecutors said.U.S. District Judge Dan Polster ordered Rucker to pay $110,000 in restitution, money that is expected to come from Ruckers share of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for hiding concussion risks.Defense attorney Michael Hennenberg said after the sentencing hearing on Wednesday that Ruckers gambling addiction resulted from poor impulse control, a condition caused by atrophy in a portion of his brains frontal lobe.Reggie never offered that as an excuse, Hennenberg said, adding that Rucker has been in treatment the last two years for his gambling addiction and his brain injuries.Rucker had been a popular figure in Cleveland for decades after spending seven of his 11 seasons in the NFL with the Browns. He also played for the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.His post-football career appeared to be successful as well. He worked six seasons as an analyst for regional broadcasts of NFL games in the 1980s and three seasons as a color analyst for locally televised Cleveland Indians baseball games.His star status was further embellished by what appeared to be his good deeds, including his role as executive director of Amer-I-Can Cleveland, an offshoot of a nonprofit organization created by Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown to help inner-city youth, and with Peacemakers Alliance, a collaboration of local groups that uses street workers to quell violence.He will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for what he did wrong, Hennenberg said. He hopes people will allow him to earn the respect back.Rucker still faces misdemeanor assault and menacing charges that were filed after a man told police that Rucker grabbed him by the throat and threatened to shoot him during a dispute over etiquette at a suburban Cleveland golf course.He was allowed to remain free until the federal Bureau of Prisons determines where he will serve his sentence.Authentic NFL Jerseys . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Wholesale NFL Jerseys .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . 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The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies.FARGO, N.D. -- A proud Ho-Chunk Nation member, Bronson Koenig has been speaking out about his Native American heritage since his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, long before public displays of social consciousness by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, soccer player Megan Rapinoe and other NFL players.Like Kaepernick, the senior point guard believes its time to put his words into action. He, his brother and a trainer were driving 11 hours Friday to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, where thousands are camping out on federal land and trying to stop construction of a $3.8 billion, four-state oil pipeline, which they say could harm the Missouri River -- a water source for many -- and has affected sacred sites.I think I had planned on going to North Dakota before the Kaepernick stuff started, but its definitely nice to see a professional athlete trying to make a positive change for his community and his culture, Koenig said. Im thankful for this opportunity to use my platform to try and make a difference. I want to join the fight and help protect my peoples land and water.Koenig is bringing along what he knows: basketball. Hell put on a free three-hour basketball clinic for Native American youths, so they can meet me, talk to me and just have a good time. Koenig, his brother Miles and trainer Clint Parks also are bringing donated food, clothing and other supplies to the encampment, which abuts the Standing Rock Siouxs reservation.Koenig said he has been following the complaints over the Dakota Access pipeline for several months, but began to feel sense of urgeency in last two weeks due to more intense clashes between protesters, law enforcement and private security guards.ddddddddddddIve seen videos of people getting arrested and dogs being sicked on them, all that kind of stuff, Koenig said. Plus, with official practice slated to start in two weeks, it was his only window to spend some time there.Associate head coach Lamont Paris said the Badgers coaches and players fully support Koenigs activism.Its something that he believes in and we trust him thoroughly, Paris said. He is helping to raise awareness for a good cause.Koenig, who is from La Crosse, Wisconsin, did not grow up on a reservation but regularly attended pow-wows and other Native American events as a kid.There wasnt much else that could get him out of the gym -- hed spend up to six hours at the local YMCA honing his skills.He has gained the nickname Klutch Koenig at Wisconsin for his buzzer-beating shots and last-minute playmaking. He ranked second on the team in scoring and assists last season, as well as having the Big Tens best assist-to-turnover ratio, meaning he rarely makes mistakes despite handling a majority of the ball-handling duties.I take my heritage very seriously and I just want to learn more about it. There are going to be a lot of different Native Americans there from different tribes across the country, Koenig said. A lot of athletes send tweets out or Instagrams or whatever but I actually want to make a stand and put action to my words. ' ' '