force unlike any other in the CFL was unleashed on the club.

LONDON - Nearly a year later, Swedish hockey star Nicklas Backstrom reached a settlement Thursday in his fight against the positive drug test that kept him out of the Olympic final in Sochi.The Washington Capitals centre dropped his appeal against the International Olympic Committee ruling that he committed a doping violation. In return, he was issued with the minimum sanction of a reprimand and cleared of any intention to cheat.The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, announced the settlement was reached after constructive discussions between Backstroms lawyers and the IOC, World Anti-Doping Agency, and International Ice Hockey Federation.Mr. Backstrom, WADA, the IOC and the IIHF are pleased that this matter has now been concluded and wish to clarify that at no time was Mr. Backstroms receipt of his Olympic silver medal at issue in the proceedings, CAS said.Backstrom tested positive for pseudoephedrine after Swedens win over Slovenia in the Olympic quarterfinals on Feb. 19, 2014. He said the stimulant was contained in a sinus medication he had been taking for allergies.An IOC disciplinary panel in Sochi ruled that Backstrom committed a doping violation. He was suspended and pulled from the Swedish team just hours before the Feb. 23 gold-medal game, which Sweden lost 3-0 to Canada.The Swedes were outraged by the timing of the decision, and said it affected the teams performance.A few weeks after the Olympics, the IOC ruled that Backstrom hadnt intended to enhance his performance, laying the blame for his positive test on the Sweden team doctor. Backstrom was allowed to receive the silver medal based on mitigating circumstances.Backstrom appealed in April to CAS, contending that no anti-doping rule violation occurred. WADA filed its own appeal to CAS in October, challenging the IIHFs ruling that Backstrom had not violated the agencys code and would face no further sanction.CAS said Backstrom agreed to withdraw his appeal against the IOC finding that he violated doping rules. In turn, WADA, the IIHF and the player agreed he should receive only a reprimand — the minimum applicable sanction permitted in the WADA code, CAS said.WADA, the IOC and the IIHF take this opportunity to state that there is no indication that Mr. Backstrom intended to enhance his sport performance by taking a prohibited substance, the statement said.The substance was contained in a product Backstrom was taking for medical reasons, he relied on the advice of his team doctor that it would not produce a positive sample, and he disclosed the product on his doping control form, the CAS statement said.Backstrom received his Olympic silver medal in a ceremony in Sweden on Aug. 28.___Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap Wholesale San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . -- The Guelph Storm are moving on to the Western Conference final after defeating the London Knights 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. Authentic San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . According to a report from ESPN, the veteran safety has signed another one-year deal with the team Raiders, the team that drafted him, and who he returned to last year after a long stint with the Green Bay Packers. http://www.cheap49ers.com/ . Yoenis Cespedes proved he can play through a hurting right heel, giving Scott Kazmir and the As a spark with a pair of RBIs that helped spoil the Minnesota Twins home opener with an 8-3 victory on Monday. Cheap San Francisco 49ers Gear . Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Custom 49ers Jerseys . 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence.A football season can be a long, arduous affair. Practice after practice, meeting after meeting, film session after film session. The days run together and any break from the tedium is much appreciated. In the 2012 season, the Toronto Argonauts had a class clown. Cornerback Ahmad Carroll kept things loose with his razor-sharp sense of humour. If you saw a player laughing so hard that he was on the verge of tears and you asked why he was busting a gut, the answer was usually one word: "Carroll." Then, on October 17th, with the season more than half over and the daily repetition making the day-to-day grind even tougher, a life force unlike any other in the CFL was unleashed on the club. The Argos signed Adriano Belli. Belli was known as a talented, yet sometimes dirty player on the field. His well-deserved off-field reputation was as a person who would do anything to get a laugh. Anything. Head coach Scott Milanovich says that last years arrival of the man known as The Kissing Bandit came at a key time. "Certainly Bellis arrival last year was well-timed" Milanovich told TSN.ca. "At the time, we were struggling and we needed a little levity." Coincidence or not, Bellis added life to the locker room came at the same time the team started to show signs of life as a contender. It lost Bellis first game, then ran off five straight wins en route to a Grey Cup championship. Does the team have a comedic go-to guy this season? In a word, no. "I dont know that you can replace an Ahmad Carroll or a Belli" continued Milanovich. "I dont know if we have that guy, but weve got some guys who, behind closed doors, can at least take a stab at it." Multiple players pointed the finger at members of the linebacking corps as the guys to keep things loose. Robert McCune, Jason Pottinger and Marcus Ball all received more than one mention as the class clown. The latter didnt mind being cited one bit. "Its very important to have a guy to loosen up the load a little bit" said Ball, the teams top defensive player a year ago. "You havve meetings most of the work day, youre out here (at practice) battling with big, strong guys, and when coach is yelling at you, you need someone to loosen you up, so those guys help out a locker room and help brighten the day.dddddddddddd." Who does Ball feel provides the most comic relief? "I dont think its one" continued the linebacker, "I think weve got a handful of guys who can light the locker room up. Khalif (Mitchell), myself, Pottinger and McCune, hes the sleeper." James Yurichuk was with the B.C. Lions a year ago, missing out on the Carroll/Belli experience. Another member of the linebacking corps, Yurichuk was also pointed out as someone who breaks up the monotony of daily routine. That was news to him. "I didnt know they thought about me like that" said the native of Brampton, Ontario. "I always thought it was Pottinger, a.k.a. Dr. Evil, taking on that role. Its a grind out here, so whatever youre able to do to loosen things up and keep spirits high, its good overall for the team. I just try to be myself within the lines and if they laugh, they laugh." Offensive lineman Jarriel King is another newcomer, who added his own sense of humour when asked about how he felt about his teammates. "I got tired of them very early. I stay away from a lot of the guys, Im a loner" deadpanned King, before talking about how important it is to keep things loose. "We just have fun a lot" King told TSN.ca. "Thats the best thing you can do during a long season like this. With bodies aching and everything, you just have to come to a common ground and just have some fun. As much as you would think that we do stay away from each other (away from the locker room), we kind of do stay together. Its the camraderie, but we joke around a lot." King pointed to Ball and McCune as being the "big two" when it came to comedic relief. They may not be as outrageous as Carroll and Belli were, but may be equally important to the disposition of the team as it attempts to repeat as Grey Cup champions. 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