MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota football coach Tracy Claeys doubled down Sunday on his support for players who boycotted practices and threatened to skip a bowl game if 10 teammates suspended after a sexual assault investigation werent reinstated.Speaking publicly for the first time since a standoff between 110 Golden Gophers football players and the administration, Claeys said he understands the players frustration with a Title IX investigation that they felt was inherently unfair to teammates who were accused of assaulting a woman at an off-campus dorm in September.As kids, they have no problems being held to a higher standard than the university requires and should require, Claeys said after Minnesotas practice. This is all about the due process.Claeys also clarified a comment he made on WCCO radio on Sunday morning when he said he was risking his job by supporting the players. The coach said he was just advising his players of possible ramifications during a team meeting on Thursday, before the team made the announcement to boycott.I was a sounding board for them and it was their decision, Claeys said. I made sure to make sure that they knew what the possible fallouts could be and we went through all those things. ... I was there to make sure that they were doing it for the right reasons and they knew what the consequences could be.The boycott ended Saturday when the team backed down and said they would play in the Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl against Washington State in San Diego, even though officials declined to reinstate their suspended teammates. The players agreed after getting assurances that those accused will get a fair hearing next month.After the entire team announced the boycott Thursday, Claeys publicly backed his players.Have never been more proud of our kids, Claeys tweeted at the time. I respect their rights (and) support their effort to make a better world!Claeys said Sunday he wished he would have chosen his words more carefully in the tweet, but said he did not regret sending it.If you just show support for the players behind closed doors, youre going to have a group of them that dont believe you, he said. I needed to do that in a public way and I tried to do it as short as possible. ... It was all about me supporting their actions to try to improve the due process. Not just on this campus but other campuses.Claeys said his players were not condoning sexual assault or harassment in any way. But they believed their suspended teammates were denied due process.Officials announced the suspensions Tuesday after an internal investigation determined the 10 players violated school conduct codes in an encounter involving a woman and several players on Sept. 2.According to the police report, the woman told police she had consensual sex with two men that night, but that she did not consent to sexual contact with other men who were present, including players. According to universitys more detailed internal report, she told university investigators that she believed 10 to 20 men had sex with her that night, though she wasnt sure largely from her experience of shock, pain and fear rather than from intoxication.Prosecutors declined to press charges, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but the university uses a lower bar in student discipline cases.Linebacker Nick Rallis told WCCO the players believe the boycott succeeded, even though nobody was reinstated, because they believe it will ensure that athletes at Minnesota and other colleges who are accused of misconduct in the future get fair hearings.The Title IX investigative process has become a hotly-debated topic on campuses around the country. Opponents argue that school investigators are often not professionals and do not have subpoena power or the ability to put a witness under oath.Proponents say the problem of sexual assault on college campuses is too important, especially after the Department of Education threatened to pull federal aid for public schools if they did not increase their efforts to address the problem.Minnesota President Eric Kaler said Saturday that he understood that Claeys position.Coaches are in a challenging position, Kaler said. They need to support their players. They need to motivate their players. At the same time, they need to be responsible for their actions, and there are times in which those two demands put coaches in very difficult positions.And I think some of our coaches around this issue were in that very difficult position and well talk about that with them and try to improve both their understanding and our understanding.Claeys said he has spoken with athletic director Mark Coyle several times since Thursday and is not concerned about his job at the moment.I understand why (the suspensions) were made, Claeys said. But as for the players, the due process part was the part I did agree with on the players.---Associated Press Writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. Wholesale Phoenix Suns Jerseys .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. Elfrid Payton Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. http://www.cheapsunsjerseys.us/?tag=brandon-knight-jersey .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Steve Nash Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Dan Majerle Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. BOSTON -- Mookie Betts wasnt pleased with his recent swings at the plate.A little tweaking and he joined elite company in Red Sox history.Betts hit three home runs and drove in a career-best eight runs, joining Hall of Famer Ted Williams as the only Red Sox players in over 100 years with a pair of three-homer games in a season and powering Boston over the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-2 Sunday.These last couple of days I was off, Betts said. I basically just swung my way out of it.The Red Sox said Betts joined Williams, who had two three-homer games in 1957, as the only Red Sox players since 1913 to accomplish the feat.It makes you feel pretty good anytime your names said with his. It means youve done something well, said Betts, who matched David Ortiz with the club lead with 26 homers.Dustin Pedroia had five hits and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run homer for Boston.Rick Porcello (16-3) became the first Red Sox pitcher in 70 years to open a season 12-0 at Fenway Park as Boston completed a three-game sweep of Arizona.Zack Greinke (11-4) was chased in the second inning.The guys swung the bats tremendous today against one of the best pitchers in the game, Porcello said. I threw strikes to get us back in the dugout as quick as possible.Betts had two chances to hit a record-tying fourth homer, but lined out to right and then grounded out in the eighth. The crowd chanted `Lets Go Mookie! before his final at-bat.His teammates wanted to see him become the 17th player in major league history with four homers in a game.They told me try and swing for it, Betts said.Betts other three-homer game came against Baltimore on May 31.What was billed as a marquee pitching matchup turned into a rout early when Greinke was tagged for three homers and nine runs in 1 2/3 innings.It just seemed like my stuff was really flat today, he said. Most times, guys dont hit my off-speed very good, but they hit all my off-speed pitches today.Porcello allowed one run on three hits over seven innnings and became the first Boston pitcher since Dave Boo Ferriss to begin a year by winning his first 12 decisions in Fenway.ddddddddddddBetts two-run homer in the first cleared the Green Monster and made it 2-0.His second, a three-run shot into the first row of Monster seats, keyed a seven-run second. Bradley hit his off the Pesky Pole, and rookie Andrew Benintendi and Pedroia each drove in a run during the inning.Betts third homer was a three-run shot that caromed off a billboard above the Monster in a six-run fifth.Michael Bourn had a solo homer and RBI single for the Diamondbacks. They had won four straight before being swept.It was the second-most runs Greinke has allowed in his career. He gave up 11 in a start for Kansas City, against the Diamondbacks on June 10, 2005.They just hit everything he threw up there, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: C Welington Castillo is due back Monday from bereavement leave.Red Sox: Bradley was in the lineup after getting Saturday off to rest and nurse a sore big toe. . Manager John Farrell said after the game that RHP Steven Wright (jammed pitching shoulder) would go on the DL and Hanley Ramirez on the bereavement list.HUGE MILESTONEPedroia had his fifth career five-hit game, most in club history.BIG REQUESTRecently acquired Red Sox C Bryan Holadays preschool-age son walked over to Ortiz in the clubhouse, looked up and asked: Can you teach me how to hit home runs every time?Big Papi smiled and replied: You want to learn how to hit home runs every time? Well work on that.UP NEXTDiamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (5-11, 4.57 ERA) faces RHP Bartolo Colon (10-6, 3.35) Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Mets.Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-2, 5.26) is set to start when they open their four-city road trip. RHP Josh Tomlin (11-5, 4.18) goes for the Indians. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '