have had a good week with lopsided wins that should keep them near the top

A former NFL player who suffered what the league deemed a career-ending concussion has sued Lloyds of London for denying a $1 million insurance policy for professional athletes.The lawsuit filed this week in North Carolina could become a test case for insurers dealing with the emerging fallout from sports concussions and head trauma claims.The NFL declared former Carolina Panthers defensive back Haruki Nakamura fully and permanently disabled after the concussion he received in an August 2013 preseason game, and it awarded him monthly benefits.Lloyds medical expert nonetheless ruled, nearly 18 months after the claim was filed, that he could return to play. However, the doctor cautioned Nakamura to consider the probable long-term effects of repetitive concussions before making the decision, according to the suit, filed Monday in Mecklenburg County.Lizzie Lowe, a U.S. spokeswoman for Lloyds, said the insurance consortium doesnt comment on pending litigation.Nakamura, 30, said he suffers from headaches, vision problems, fatigue, depression and suicidal thoughts.He hit the side of his head making a tackle in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was diagnosed with a concussion at a hospital. Citing a concussion, the Panthers released him five days later, the lawsuit said. He was later diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome by a sports concussion expert at the University of Pittsburgh.Nakamura had paid $17,000 a year for the Lloyds policy in 2012 and 2013, according to his lawyers, John W. Schryber and Julie L. Hammerman, who specialize in insurance policies for athletes. The policies are recommended for athletes who might not have a guaranteed salary and who can be cut after an injury. The lawyers said they have never had an insurer reject a policy after a doctor or the NFL judged a client to have a career-ending injury. But this is the first concussion claim they have filed under coverage for bodily injuries.And now theyre denying coverage altogether, Schryber said Wednesday. The point of going out and buying private insurance is to have a hedge against all of these other things that are outside of your control.Nakamura could potentially seek an award under the NFLs planned $1 billion court settlement of concussion claims, though its unclear how he might fare. The settlement, which could roll out within the next year, is designed to cover more than 20,000 NFL retirees for the next 65 years. The league estimates that 6,000 former players, or nearly 3 in 10, could develop Alzheimers disease or moderate dementia that some link to concussions.Nakamura, an Ohio native, played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to 2011 before joining the Panthers. He lives with his wife and two children in Mooresville, North Carolina. Cheap Brooklyn Nets Jerseys .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Cheap Nets Jerseys Authentic . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. http://www.cheapnetsjerseys.com/ .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Dzanan Musa Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Cheap Nets Jerseys . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rick Pitino graciously acknowledged the latest milestone in his Hall of Fame career with the hope his Louisville Cardinals grow from the tougher-than-expected win that required overcoming some deficiencies.Quentin Snider scored 15 points, V.J. King added 13 and No. 11 Louisville overcame a cold shooting start to beat Texas Southern 102-71 on Saturday and give Pitino his 400th victory as the Cardinals coach.Pitino, who last month earned his 750th career college victory, improved to 400-163 in his 16th season with Louisville. His Cardinals (9-1) first had to shake off early sluggishness and a 4-for-21 start from the field to pull away from the scrappy, athletic Tigers and win their fourth in a row.They also had to overcome a rebounding clinic conducted by Texas Southerns Derrick Griffin, who grabbed 26 of his teams 49 boards to establish as NCAA Division I high for this season. His performance included 15 offensive rebounds that helped the Tigers make things tense for 25 minutes before Louisville slowly pulled away.Well, congratulations to Derrick Griffin because that was an amazing rebounding performance, said Pitino, whose team edged the Tigers by two rebounds overall. Happy with the victory, but when you can learn lessons in victory rather than defeat, like the Baylor game, it helps you a lot. ... It was good tonight because those guys got taken to the woodshed on the glass, and theyll learn a valuable lesson.Louisville made 30 of its final 57 shots (53 percent) to finish at 44 percent from the field overall while holding TSU (4-5) to 35 percent. Sniders first double-figure game scoring in four contests set the tone followed by five teammates.Donovan Mitchell had 12 points, Jaylen Johnson and Deng Adel 11 each and Mangok Mathiang 10 for Louisville.Freshman point guard Demontrae Jefferson debuted with 27 points for Texas Southern, which lost its fourth straight. Dulani Robinson added 16 points and Griffin had 15 for the Tigers.Griffin didnt seem fazed by his rebounding performance.Playing defense was key, said the 6-foot-7 sophomore, last seasons Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year and this years preseason choice. Thats what we focus on, aand our offense comes from our defense.ddddddddddddTHE BIG PICTURETexas Southern: The 5-7 Jefferson entered as a four-star prospect and with just one practice but delivered on high expectations with strong court leadership and 10 first-half points. Griffin helped the Tigers stay close on the boards with Louisville but had no bench to keep up with the Cardinals, being shut out 21-0 in the first half and outscored 43-8 overall.Theyre just so physical, coach Mike Davis said of Louisville. Because of that, a turnover here, a missed shot there wouldve been different but it wouldve been hard for us to sustain our play for 40 minutes.Louisville: Three days after thriving against Southern Illinois, the Cardinals frontcourt struggled early against TSU as Mathiang and Ray Spalding each picked up two fouls. Fortunately for Louisville, Snider picked things up while Adel and King added timely baskets.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville: The Cardinals have had a good week with lopsided wins that should keep them near the top 10.ROAD TESTEDTexas Southern wont debut at home until Jan. 14 against Grambling and their next four games are at No. 22 Cincinnati, LSU, TCU and No. 4 Baylor, which handed Louisville its first loss last month. Davis said he created the challenging road docket to prepare his team for league play and hopefully win a third straight SWAC regular season title.Were not focused on the outcome right now. were focused on the outcome in March, he said. Id rather show them a great hotel, eat really well, play in a game theyll be able to see on TV one day with the family than to play a home game in front of a few hundred people and it cost us money. If they understand the challenges now, itll help them in the real world.UP NEXTTexas Southern: The Tigers stretch of 16 road games to open the season continues Tuesday at No. 22 Cincinnati.Louisville: Hosts Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 17. Pitino reunites with second-year Colonels coach Dan McHale, who was a Cardinals staff assistant and former video director.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '