miss a third. He was not able to practice at all this week so his absen

In November, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on giving.The September leaves had just begun to transition from chlorophyll-filled green to translucent yellow. I was sitting in my Brooklyn apartment in 2014 chatting with my dad, a die-hard Ravens fan.The conversation took an awkward turn to the topic of running back Ray Rice, who had been caught on video dragging his unconscious then-fiancé Janay Palmer out of a Las Vegas hotel elevator.The NFL had done a poor job of handling the domestic abuse from the jump, but once the video was made public for the world to see, the league decided to part ways with Rice.This felt wrong to my father.It was the first time Id yelled at him for what I considered victim blaming. He did not condone the act, but the language he used certainly would make any feminists head spin.In that moment I thought: If seemingly kind and good and smart men like my father didnt understand domestic abuse or misogyny, we were at a loss of ever reaching the men who arent good.Almost two years after the Rice incident, former NFL star Darren Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping half a dozen women. No bold statements from the NFL. No condemnation from his colleagues. It was just quiet.He was even nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only to receive not a single vote from the selection committee.Still.I was done with the NFL.NFL players wives and girlfriends were suffering at the hands of its men. Physical and sexual assault was handled abysmally by the league, with no sign of an organization that was moving toward actually caring about women.Then along came Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy.Levy stands at 6-foot-1. His smooth, latte-colored face is adorned by a thick beard that looks like it holds the keys to black boy magic. By all measures, he is a unicorn in an industry that has a lot of reckoning to do with how it supports and rewards violent men.Only 29 years young, he is wise. He has done the work to unlearn misogyny and become aware of its perils. This is a man who uses the term hyper-masculinity in interviews. For a football player, this makes you wonder if the Mayans prediction of the world ending is lurking around the corner.Levy has charged his fellow athletes with the task of speaking up on the dehumanization of women. His Man Up piece for The Players Tribune in April makes it clear what consent is and what its not. He thinks the NFL should do more about domestic violence awareness.In one of his most remarkable acts of human decency, Levy is donating money to have 11,000 rape kits that were found in a warehouse, abandoned by prosecutors, tested.His stance is clear: Dismissing a description of sexual assault as locker-room talk is a mistake.Wherever the NFL found this man, the league is lucky to have him.Im not in the business of handing out fresh-baked cookies to men for being decent human beings. But acknowledgement is due. Few professional athletes have this level of understanding about misogyny, so this feels magical. It feels like a win for all the work we black feminists have been doing.To preserve my sanity, Ive given up the idea of educating men who dont get it. More than changing minds, as wed hope educating men would do, it brings harassment.Ive been called everything from a Negro bed wench to a b---- for calling men out on their sexism. Discussing rape culture, consent and violence against women has been mostly futile.Remember, I yelled at my own dad over sexism. Levy restored a tiny piece of optimism in me about men -- athletes too -- being able to unlearn the toxicity of patriarchy. His commitment to issues that are typically cast to the side for women to fix alone is a reminder that the work we do is not in vain.Ill remind myself of Levys awakening when I grow weary and think, Whats the point? Because slow change is still change.Being a black feminist deeply committed to the black community and womens rights has been discouraging. Enraging. Even hopeless. Like I said, sometimes I think men will never get it.Levy is proof that they can, though. And while my willingness to teach men is reserved only for the men I care about, I now have a little more faith that they will in turn teach other men. Levy gave me hope that all who wander are not lost. And being lost doesnt mean one has to stay there.Bené Viera is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes about culture, race and gender. Her work has appeared in GQ, Vulture, ESSENCE, Cosmopolitan, VIBE, Glamour and ELLE. When shes not writing shes stanning for Nas. Follow her on Twitter at @beneviera. Courtland Sutton Jersey . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Gary Zimmerman Womens Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Terrell-Davis-Jersey/ . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Peyton Manning Broncos Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Gary Zimmerman Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset.And then there were eight. Premier League Darts returns to your screen this week with the survivors of Judgement Night aiming to seal a play-off spot. Dave Chisnall and Michael Smith have been eliminated, and the Premier League enters its second phase from Sheffield on Thursday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.The eight survivors will now begin a battle that will split them down the middle - only the top four will qualify for the final night at Londons O2 Arena when the champion will eventually be crowned. Phil Taylor eliminated Michael Smith last week This week, top-of-the-table Phil Taylor has a glorious chance to extend his lead at the pinnacle of the Premier League because he plays twice. James Wade, who currently sits fifth, can also ignite his season by taking advantage of two matches in the same night.Wade kicks off the night against seventh-placed Raymond van Barneveld before Taylor takes on reigning champion Gary Anderson, who can steal top spot with a win. Taylor plays Wade in the final match of the night. Michael van Gerwen and Robert Thornton exchanged 130 checkout efforts earlier this season Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen will aim to end a run of three weeks without a victory against Robert Thornton.dddddddddddd Van Gerwen is still just a point behind Taylor, so could finish the week top of the league on leg-difference if results go his way. Thornton, meanwhile, narrowly survived last weeks Judgement Night but is a massive eight points off the top four.Peter Wright will aim to close the gap on Adrian Lewis, who is in fourth-place with 12 points. Wright trails him by two points and four legs so cant afford to hang around if he plans on qualifying for the O2 Arena.James Wade v Raymond van BarneveldGary Anderson v Phil TaylorRobert Thornton v Michael van GerwenAdrian Lewis v Peter WrightPhil Taylor v James WadeWatch Premier League Darts from Sheffield on Thursday at 7pm on Sky Sports 2 HD. Or watch live for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Fixtures/Results On Sky TV Prem Table Darts betting Get Sky Sports ' ' '