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NEW YORK -- The WNBA has withdrawn its fines for teams and players who showed support of citizens and police involved in recent shootings by wearing black warm-up shirts before games.WNBA president Lisa Borders said in a statement Saturday that the league was rescinding penalties given to the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and their players for wearing the shirts during pregame protests, which began after shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.While we expect players to comply with league rules and uniform guidelines, we also understand their desire to use their platform to address important societal issues, Borders said. Given that the league will now be suspending play until August 26 for the Olympics, we plan to use this time to work with our players and their union on ways for the players to make their views known to their fans and the public.Borders also tweeted her support for the players.Each organization had been fined $5,000 and players were each given a $500 penalty because WNBA rules state that uniforms may not be altered in any way. The normal fine for uniform violations is $200.The fines seemed to galvanize the players, who have used postgame interview sessions and social media to voice their displeasure. There has also been public criticism of the fines, including from New York Knicks star?Carmelo Anthony.Its a huge win overall, said Fever All-Star Tamika Catchings, who is president of the players union. I think more than anything I told [Borders] at times youre going to agree to disagree. With this, Im really proud of the players standing strong and for utilizing their voices. Change starts with us. We have a social responsibility as well.The Rev. Al Sharpton said early Saturday that his organization, the National Action Network, would pay the $500 fines. He called the penalty unacceptable.The Liberty wore the plain black shirts four times, including Wednesday against Washington. Indiana and Phoenix donned the shirts Tuesday night before their nationally televised game.We commend Lisa Borders for recognizing how the players of the WNBA felt and the sensitive time that were living in and being willing to re-evaluate their decision,?Liberty president Isiah Thomas said. We are also very proud of our players; the world is seeing what we already knew. Theyre truly incredible, thoughtful and talented individuals. Our league, our partners and our society are better because of our players willingness to enter the political and social activism arena.The fines were administered Wednesday, and neither the Fever nor the Liberty wore the shirts at their matinee game Thursday. Tina Charles did wear her warm-up shirt inside-out in honor of a shooting in Florida that morning.Charles said she was happy that the league rescinded the fines. She has donated her entire salary this year to her charity -- Hopeys Heart Foundation -- so the withdrawn fine means more money that will help buy automated external defibrillators.Still, she said it was embarrassing that the players had been fined in the first place.The only good thing that came out of it is that the 70 percent of the WNBA that are African-Americans are protected when the jerseys are on. We are united with police officers, she said. When we take off our jerseys and we are out there, we could be next.We were able to show our voice. People responding to me said you gained a fan, not because of what I do on the court, but the act I did. We have followers now because of who we are, not what we do.WNBA teams abided by the uniform rule Friday -- the final day of games before the monthlong Olympic break. Washington Mystics players had shirts saying Black Lives Matters in the locker room after their game Friday night. Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx players tweeted pictures of their teams wearing black shirts featuring a Martin Luther King Jr. quote before their game. To avoid getting fined, they didnt wear those shirts on the court.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Wayne Gretzky Kings Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Marcel Dionne Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. http://www.kingsauthentic.com/authentic-kurtis-macdermid-kings-jersey/ . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Alex Iafallo Kings Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Trevor Lewis Kings Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2.EDMONTON -- The new coach of the Edmonton Oilers has already delivered a message to his new team: get fit or get out. "I think there may some big adjustments for the players, with me coming in here," Dallas Eakins said at his introductory press conference. "I want players to be so fit that a forward, if I ask him to play 26 minutes that night, hes going to play 26 minutes at a high level. If were in a Stanley Cup playoff game and were in quadruple overtime, he will still be firing on all cylinders. "That is something that Im passionate about that will be probably a bit of a challenge on the buy-in. But its non-negotiable, and there will be buy-in." Eakins, who replaces the fired Ralph Krueger, comes to the Oilers after spending four years as an AHL coach in Toronto, where he led the Marlies to the 2012 Calder Cup final. Thats where the 46-year-old caught the eye of Edmonton general manager Craig MacTavish, who had gone up against him as the then-coach of the Chicago Wolves. "He was getting players to do things that as a coach I knew were very difficult to get players to do," said MacTavish. "I always felt that the teams that were most prepared off the face-off before the puck was going to drop had a real residual effect on their overall team game. Their teams, every time that puck dropped, were very well-prepared." After interviewing Eakins at a Toronto hotel, MacTavish said Monday he quickly realized it would make more sense to hire him as a head coach than an associate on Kruegers staff. Eakins was considered an up-and-coming name in NHL coaching circles. He reportedly drew interest from the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks, and MacTavish knew he had to move quickly. "He had too much polish and pedigree not to land one of the NHL jobs available," MacTavish said. Eakins is the fourth coach in the past five seasons for the Oilers, who have not made the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2006. He said one of the reasons he wanted to come to Edmonton was the teams young and gifted line-up. That roster that includes No. 1 picks Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov along with Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz. His guidance of young players like JJake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri in Toronto played a role in the Oilers hiring him.dddddddddddd "The pieces that are currently in place with this team excited me," Eakins said. "Its definitely a team that has potential to do some special things." Eakins said his coaching style -- he credits Roger Neilson and Paul Maurice as main influences -- isnt likely to change much as he moves to the big league. "I dont coach a team," he said. "I coach anywhere from 23 to 27 individuals. "The way you coach players now is you get them one-on-one. You grab them for lunch, you hit them at the coffee machine. Its small group meetings, its one-on-one meetings and its constant. Its every day. "Youve got to know their triggers. You have to look under a lot of stones sometimes to find out what makes a guy tick. But once youve got it, you can really help push him in the right direction." He promised fast, aggressive hockey. "I want to be able to push the pace as high as we can, not only with our speed and our skill but our fitness level. "When we have the puck we are going to challenge the other team with that kind of game. But as soon as we lose the puck, were going to push the pace to get it back." Never more than an NHL journeyman, Eakins said he put his nights as a healthy scratch to good use. "I wasnt just sitting upstairs eating popcorn," he said. "I was taking notes." Eakins got a couple congratulatory shout-outs from his old organization. "Congrats to (Eakins) on getting the job in Edmonton. Great man, great coach," tweeted Leafs defenceman Mike Kostka. Former Leafs general manager Brian Burke added his own tweet. "Congratulations to Dallas Eakins. He has worked very hard for this opportunity. An excellent young coach." He also has a wicked deadpan. Reminded by one reporter of his 120-game, scoreless NHL career, Eakins responded without even the flicker of a smile: "Coaches were holding me back." He turned that sense of humour and his passion for fitness on reporters once more as the questions and answers came to an end. "Enjoy those doughnuts, guys," he said. "Its the last time youll see those." ' ' '