somebody I respect. I know him very well, Thuram told Sud Ouest. I do

Following an injury to his throwing shoulder on September 13 that forced him to leave the game and not return, nearly two full weeks went by with some really big questions hovering around the status of Winnipeg Blue Bombers franchise quarterback Drew Willy and whether hed be ready to go for a pivotal game against the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats. One could suppose the Bombers Week 13 bye week a€” their first of the season a€” couldnt have come at a better time. I was here all week working with (head athletic therapist) Al (Couture), kind of doing a bunch of different treatments, said Willy of his so-called week off. Just basically doing anything I could do to get the range of motion and strength back. I feel fine. Im ready to play and looking forward to going out there. Yet concern was understandable. Eight days after going down in a heap with just seconds remaining in the first half of their 26-9 loss to the B.C. Lions, the Blue Bombers returned to practice, but Willy was a spectator a€” the suspected sprain to his throwing shoulder allowing doubt to remain as to whether or not he would be able to lead his reeling 6-6 team into battle in six daysa€? time. But as Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday came and went Willy began to throw and look more and more comfortable in practice, progressively improving on his velocity, distance, and the quantity of throws attempted in practice. Saturday, the durable Willy will make his 13th-consecutive regular season start for the Blue and Gold, looking to keep his teams playoff hopes alive without dipping below the .500 mark for the first time this season. Watch the game on TSN1, 3, 4, 5 and TSN GO at 6:30pm et/3:30pm pt. He progressed nicely through the week, feels good, so well roll with Drew, said head coach Mike OShea on the eve of what may be his clubs most important game of the year. The (decision) process was; Drew said he was going to be ready, at the end of the bye week he progressed quite nicely, and each and every morning after throwing he said, yeah, I think I can go more, and he did to the point where he was able to start and feel good, and we were very comfortable with how he was playing and how he looked out there. The standings have no bearing on this decision. While that may be the case, sitting in last place in the West and riding a three-game losing streak, the Bombers need to get back on the winning track. Four of their six remaining games are against Western opponents, with two of their final three versus the powerful Calgary Stampeders, and the team theyre chasing for the potential crossover playoff spot, the Lions, sandwiched in between. NOTES: In another just-in-time healing scenario, versatile defender Johnny Sears returns to the lineup for the first time since mid-July when he suffered a hamstring injury, as halfback Bruce Johnson suffered a heel contusion... Marvin Booker, who made his first start at defensive end in Week 12, is back for more as Jason Vega and Kashawn Fraser remain out with knee injuries... Right tackle Cordaro Howard is out this week with various whatnots, according to OShea, so recent signee Devin Tyler will make his first start since joining the team late last month, and will be tasked with protecting Drew Willys tender right side... Slotback Nick Moore will miss a third-consecutive game with a high-ankle sprain suffered in the Labour Day Classic, but looks close to returning soon... Middle linebacker Ian Wild, who suffered a shoulder burner in the Labour Day game remains out this week. His prognosis remains muddy as the injury has kept him out quite a while longer than initially expected... 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Parnell blew a save on opening day against Washington and the next day it was revealed he had partially torn right elbow ligament.PARIS - Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol has apologized for making disparaging comments about African players in football, although he still maintains they were misinterpreted against a backlash of widespread criticism.Sagnol, capped 58 times by France and a member of the team which lost the 2006 World Cup final, gave a question and answer session Tuesday to readers of Sud Ouest regional newspaper when the subject of African players was raised.The advantage of what I would call the typical African player is that he isnt expensive when you sign him, (he is) a player who is ready for combat, but football isnt just about that, Sagnol said.Explaining himself, he continued: Football is also (about) technique, intelligence. You need a bit of everything. You need Nordics too, Nordics are good.Speaking Thursday at a pre-match news conference ahead of Saturdays game with Lens, Sagnol tried to explain his comments.If by my lack of clarity, or my imperfect semantics, I may have shocked, humiliated or hurt people then I am sorry, Sagnol said. The interpretation that these people may have made does not reflect my way of thinking in any way or my humanist convictions.However, he said the comments made sense in a sporting context.When I spoke about the African (player) who is cheaper and ready for combat, I simply meant to talk about the young African player arriving in Europe with all of his will to win and often to escape from a precarious situation, Sagnol continued as he read from pre-prepared notes. Then, since we were in a debate about football, the intelligence I spoke of was obviously related to tactical intelligence. The forming of young players in Africa, probably because of a lack of financial means, or (lack) of infrastructure, isnt always as complete as whats available in Europe.Sagnol distanced himself from accusations that his viewpoint was offensive.In no way did I mean to talk about an individuals intelligence in the proper sense of the term.dddddddddddd Regarding certain accusations of racism, Im 37 (and) Ive spent 32 of them in a football dressing room. Ive never had a problem with anyone, the former Bayern Munich player said.But Lens coach Antoine Kombouare, who was born in New Caledonia, is among those who felt offended by Sagnol.Lets make things clear: this is not a case of him being clumsy. Hes really messed up, Kombouare said. What he said is serious. Its unacceptable. Explaining that an African player is cheaper ... I felt humiliated and hurt.The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) strongly condemned Sagnol, as did former Marseille president Pape Diouf, who called for African players to boycott one round of French league games in protest.French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet, who formerly employed Sagnol as coach of Frances Under-21 side, defended him, while former teammate Lilian Thuram — an active anti-racism campaigner — was more measured.I played alongside Willy, hes somebody I respect. I know him very well, Thuram told Sud Ouest. I dont think you should put Willy Sagnol on trial, but you should put prejudice on trial. Each one of us harbours some prejudice, which is why people working in football, who have a certain exposure to the media, should be educated on this subject.Sagnols captain at Bordeaux is Senegal international Lamine Sane, who called Sagnols comments clumsy before defending him, as did club president Jean-Louis Triaud.He doesnt have any twisted ideas. He believes in all the black players in the team, Sane told French radio. We believe in him and we hope to go very far with him.Bordeaux forward Henri Saivet, who is black, told RMC radio that Sagnol apologized.We all now pertinently well that the coach is not a racist, Saivet said. Its true that, at first, we asked ourselves a few questions. But he explained how it happened. He apologized to the players. That was very important. ' ' '