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For years Tom Carter has been provoking footballing foes and opposing fans. Danny Ings Jersey .His time at the Waratahs between 2004-13 was punctuated with feisty moments, and now in the club ranks with Sydney University he continues to show his hot-blooded emotions, often acidic tongue and sheer love of playing rugby every Saturday afternoon.Not even regular spectator barbs aimed at him can dent this on-field extrovert, described by Sydneys Daily Telegraph newspaper as one of the peskiest sledgers in the game, he revels in being the player many love to hate. Being a nuisance motivates him, drives him on.But there is a far softer side to Tom Carter. When out of his playing gear, he is polite, courteous, all embracing, who carefully considers what he says. Even a rugby diplomat.A Jekyll and Hyde?Oh massively, massively. Big time, he told ESPN.I know I polarise people... and many do find it strange that I am totally different when Im not playing. Off the field, I regard myself as deep thinking, very thorough, meticulous and more sensitive. On the rugby field, the more brash side does come out in me.The 33-year-old Carter knows he doesnt appeal to everyone. But he remains one of the few true characters of the Australian rugby scene, the type of player who attracts to suburban grounds spectators who either want to let out their frustrations by trying to stir him up, or just want to admire him for his rugby passion.TOM CARTER IS A CONTRIBUTOR TO ESPNS SCRUM5 PODCASTHere is someone who has made full use of his footballing abilities.Carter was not a flashy representative centre. He was more the reliable, diligent worker, who knew how to straighten the Waratahs attack, knew how to get them over the gain-line, tried to knock over anything that came his way in defence, and motivated all those around him through his sheer enthusiasm. The Waratahs organisation appreciated him because during his 84 appearances for the state he was dependable and totally dedicated to the team cause.He may never have seriously been in Test contention, but at the Waratahs was regarded as a real heart and soul operator, who gave the province a required edge.I probably over achieved. Everyone would say that I was not the most skilful person. I certainly wasnt the fastest, or most gifted, but I feel really proud that I was able to play that long for the Waratahs, Carter said.One regret is that you dont really enjoy it as you go along. You are so focused on getting another contract, or performing in the moment, but when I look back on my career with the Waratahs, it is something Im really proud of.Sometimes there is also the regret over whether I should have hung on for another year and won a Super Rugby title with the Waratahs. But I dont think anyone is entitled to that, so it was maybe fortunate the organisation moved me on and they won the trophy.He blames his aggressive on-field persona to the youngest brother syndrome; wanting to be heard when he had two elder brothers and an older sister growing on a 1,400 hectare cattle and wheat farm near Young in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales.Living on a farm when there were droughts, you do become pretty resilient and tough. You also learnt to stand up for yourself.He later moved to Sydney where his schoolboy cricketing days, especially as a close-in fieldsman, helped him refine his sharp vocabulary skills.I think I learnt how to sledge when I was at Turramurra High playing cricket.And what the public think of him has never really bothered him.It hasnt changed me much at all. If it had, I probably would have stopped trying to be so antagonistic, abrasive and in your face on the field. But over time, Ive tried to leave what I do on the field on the field, and be a really good bloke off the field to help grow the game.When youre young, you probably did get your back up about it all, and get concerned about what people were saying, or what journalists were writing about you. But as you get older, and a little bit wiser, you realise it is all part of the game. People are entitled to have an opinion. I love Wayne Bennetts comment that if you start listening to those on the sideline, youll end up there pretty quickly.Im still copping it from everyone on the hill at club rugby. But I dont mind. Some of my fondest memories is of those on the sideline at Manly Oval, or the Hillbillies at Rat Park, or walking onto the ground at Coogee or Eastwood, and that what makes club rugby special.A lot of sportsmen get so sensitive, and get filled with too much self-importance. The point is that the game needs interesting people to commentate on, and compel you to watch it. Also most of the criticisms aimed at you are pretty trivial.He has also discovered how to win over an edgy crowd. Earlier this year, when playing for the Students against Warringah at Rat Park, the Hillbillies spectators, who stand on the Hill on the ocean-side of the ground, took delight in baiting Carter all game.That didnt deter Carter during the traditional after-match function to make a speech in front of many of the Hillbilly fans, where he congratulated them for their enthusiasm, explaining how important they were to the well-being of the club rugby scene. One Hillbilly, moved by Carters sentiments, presented him with his Warringah club cap, and the supposed enemy after they had got stuck into me during the game ended up having a beer with them, and I really enjoyed that.But this link will soon end. He says this is his last year of club football. Hes uttered that a few times before, but is adamant 2016 will be his last season.Playing for the Students the past few years has revolved around giving something back to the game. But this season is it. Definitely this is it. I have been a dominant figure in the Uni change room, but its time for someone else to do it, and let this team grow.I will miss it. Playing is such an outlet. Those 80 minutes on a Saturday is the happiest you see me. You are able to express yourself, and you dont have to think about the worries you have in the world. It will still be good not feeling anxious on a Friday night.In rugby retirement, he will continue to diversify his talents. For the past three years, Carter has been running a strength and conditioning business, called Human Performance. This has involved working with several high profile Test cricketers- Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon, the Sydney Sixers cricket team, and Jarryd Hughes, who recently won gold at the Winter X games in snowboard cross.Carter is busy, but the first to admit that adapting to life after professional football can be very difficult- and an area which needs greater attention. He believes it is right near the top of the biggest problems confronting rugby.When I left the Waratahs, I really struggled to work out what I actually wanted to do.It was brutal. You felt lost. I didnt know what to do. Even though I had three university degrees, there were difficulties in being able to practically apply them. I was good at reading a textbook, but how can they be turned into getting a job? You didnt know how to sit opposite someone and sell yourself.The biggest challenge is your sense of self. You become accustomed to playing in front of big crowds on a Saturday night, where theres an enormous adrenalin rush, and youre very protected by the rugby organisation you are involved with.That all changes when youre in the real world, and if youre trying to run your own business, youre suddenly by yourself.You have to get used to the day to day grind. The problem with many men is that they dont talk about the loss of identity, the loss of an income and their standing in society. You go from being at the top of your tree to being a Neville Nobody, with probably no life skills to be able to cope with that.We talk about mentors and role models, but it is more important in this situation to actually have people sitting with you and taking you through what is required step by step to be able to adapt and fit in to the business world, which is far different from the days when you were being lauded as a superstar.It involves the mentoring having genuine relationships with the person who needs assistance. This is where players are told face to face that it is going to be tough, and there are moments when you think youre not going to make it, but you have to keep going and remain focused. It also has to be drilled into the player that you actually have to work hard to get somewhere in life.Carter, who received constructive one-on-one business advice which helped him find his direction post professional football, has never had any problem with that work ethic. Which way he goes next though remains a bit of an open book.Id like to coach one day, but before that I feel I need to leave the game for a while so I can develop other experiences and thoughts. I am eager to get more involved in cricket, and also hopefully I can learn enough skills in the high performance sporting area to one day be involved in an Olympic team, or something like that.Professional rugby does consume you. It sucks the marrow out of your life. Your family and friends, so many other things suffer because of that. You get into a vacuum of being a professional rugby player, continually trying to make yourself better, and Ive given so much to the game. Maybe its time to give something to the rest of my life.Yes, there is far more to Tom Carter than what you see on a football field. Jordan Henderson Jersey . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Nathaniel Clyne Jersey http:///...nt-Liverpool-Jersey/ .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. IRVING, Texas -- The last week in the Big 12 was, well, so very Big 12.Going into the week, few, even insiders within the conference, wouldve predicted that the league would stunningly vote to pursue expansion.Even fewer couldve guessed that two days later the University of Texas would throw its weight behind the one expansion candidate prevailing wisdom suggested the Longhorns wouldve been dead-set on blocking.Even by Big 12 standards, it was a wild week for the conference, setting the tone for what should be a dramatic couple of months that figures to shape the immediate future of the Big 12, while also determining its long-term viability.The Big 12 marches to the beat of its own drum, one industry insider said.Its incredibly fascinating.What happened?When the presidents and chancellors entered the conference room at the Four Seasons hotel in Irving last Tuesday, the expectation around the league and among the leadership of expansion hopefuls was that the Big 12 would finally quash the expansion debate, at the very least in the interim.Oklahoma president David Boren had been pushing for expansion, but in conjunction with the implementation of a conference network. He rightly believed more eyeballs and content would be critical to getting a network off the ground. When the TV partners balked during the three-day Big 12 meetings in June, Boren backed off expansion, too.Monday of last week, however, the expansion flame that had seemingly been doused was reignited. That evening, multiple reports surfaced that the ACC and ESPN had agreed to a deal on a conference network beginning in 2019, leaving the Big 12 as the only major conference without a network.Its unclear as to whether the ACC network revelation was the impetus to the Big 12 taking expansion action. To whatever level, it was a factor, according to multiple sources. So too were the -- as commissioner Bob Bowlsby put it -- conclusionary presentations of the Big 12s hired consultants BHV and Navigate Research, which have been pushing for the conference to be more aggressive to enhance its long-term stability. The combination of the two resulted in a unanimous vote authorizing Bowlsby to begin negotiating with expansion candidates.While we had a setback in terms of interest from media partners on a conference network. ... there seems to be some competitive advantage (for expansion) to get into a playoff, and obviously financial advantages, Boren told ESPN.com last week. Were going to continue to look at those questions, separate and apart from the potential of any kind of a network.That, however, wouldnt be the only Big 12 bombshell.What is Texas up to?As surprising as the expansion announcement was, Texas president Greg Fenves sudden endorsement of the University of Houstons candidacy over Twitter was just as shocking. The common-held thought around the league was that Texas would be Houstons biggest roadblock to Big 12 entry; instead, the Longhorns have emerged, at least on the surface, as Houstons champion.Are Texas motives pure?The Austin American-Statesman was the first to report late last week that Texas might be more interested in building a $450 million research center on 300 acres of land in Houston than simply helping the Cougars get into the Big 12.Since the inception of the conference, when Texas Gov. Ann Richards helped Baylor get into the league, Texas state politics have played a heavy part in every realignment turn in the Big 12.This time could be no different.According to those reports, Houston boosters indicated they would consider dropping their opposition to Texas expansion into Houston in exchange for the Longhorns helping the Cougars get into the Big 12.Two sources at Houston denied to ESPN.com that any quid pro quo had been agreed to. Furthermore, longtime State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) emphatically denied to the Statesman that any exchange behind closed doors was taking place.For anyone to think theres a swap there, I say not only no, but hell no, he told the newspaper.Either way, whatever the motive, with Texas playing its hand on Houston so early, it has placed the Big 12s other flagship school in an interesting spot.Oklahoma and Boren could agree to support Houstons candidacy, effectively sealing the Cougars Big 12 entry, provided that Texas would agree to what the Sooners want.What does Oklahoma want?Boren, the Big 12 board chair, has been mum on which schools he prefers for expansion, though the Cincinnati Enquirer reported in May that he had been in communication with then-University of Cincinnati president Santa Ono.You are truly an outstanding leader and knowing that you are at the helm in Cincinnati makes me even more inclined to support your cause, Boren wrote to Ono in an email last year. Ono, however, is set to become the president of the University of British Columbia in August.Boren could also try to put the network back on the table, but at this juncture, that could be a long shot if not an impossibility. Through pro-rata agreements, Big 12 TV partners ESPN and Fox are already contractually obligated to pony up roughly $25 million per year to the league for each expansion candidate the conference adds. In other words, if the Big 12 adds four schools, ESPN and Fox would be on the hook for an estimated $700 million through the end of the current TV deal that runs through 2024-25.More feasibly, Boren will be able to demand Texas support Oklahomaas school of choice in exchange for his vote for Houston. Nathaniel Clyne Liverpool Jersey. .Who might that school be? And who else will emerge as expansion favorites?Are legit candidates emerging?Will the Big 12s TV partners push for an extension to the grant of rights, similar to 10-year extension the ACC signed?Will the additional $50 million a year tempt the league to expand to 14?With Texas apparently behind it, Houston appears to be the early favorite. The Cougars will be pitching to the Big 12 that the SEC has gained a stranglehold on the Houston TV market, which is the 10th-largest in the country -- and that only the University of Houston can help bring it back. Last year, only two Big 12 games -- Oklahoma-Texas and Baylor-TCU -- ranked in the top 10 of TV games in the market. The SEC, meanwhile, produced six of the 10 games in Houston, including the top 3. Houstons games against Temple and Navy, however, placed fifth and ninth for the year in the market.The SEC right now owns the city of Houston from a TV ratings standpoint, said billionaire businessman and Houston board chair Tilman Fertitta, who pointed out that adding Houston would help boost the ratings for ancillary Big 12 games in the Houston market, as well. Those eyeballs in Houston are extremely important to the Big 12.The Big 12 needs to own Houston, not the SEC.At least one Big 12 president has concerns about adding another Texas school.I feel a lot of the [Big 12] presidents feel the league is Texas-heavy already, which helps with the Texas school, Iowa State president Steven Leath told the Ames Register.Like Houston, BYU will also be heavily involved in expansion discussions. Unlike other candidates, these Cougars avoided getting caught politicking Big 12 leaders in emails and refrained from talking publicly about the Big 12, until late last week.As of [Tuesday], it became real, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe told ESPN.com Friday. Theyve said, were now looking at [expanding].By any measure, BYU has the best football tradition of any non-Power 5 program out there, with the seventh-most wins in the FBS dating back to 1980.BYUs candidacy, however, is complicated. The school does not play games on Sundays, due to its affiliation with the Mormon Church. That wouldnt affect football, but it would affect scheduling in several non-football sports, notably soccer and baseball. Despite this, Holmoe told ESPN.com that BYU will be pushing for full membership. He also acknowledged that the Cougars would be open to a football-only agreement.Football prowess wont be the only point of contention as the Big 12 mines candidates. Academics could be an underrated factor, especially if the league opts to expand by four.Boren mentioned academic standards as one of the five core criteria the league will consider, along with competitiveness of athletic programs, fan base, access to media markets and overall reputation. That could bolster Tulanes dark-horse candidacy, while damaging South Floridas. Last week, ESPN reported the NCAA is investigating South Floridas mens basketball program on allegations of academic fraud.As one industry insider and a Big 12 AD reiterated, the presidents will be making the call on which schools will be invited, and academics could play a bigger role than you might think.According to sources, Central Florida, Connecticut and Colorado State have also garnered support from different corners of the Big 12.Central Florida operates in a top-20 TV market and sits in the middle of one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country.Some view Connecticut as the Big 12s gateway into the populous Northeast, including the coveted New York City market. The Huskies also have already touted their $71 million athletic budget, which dwarfs that of several expansion candidates. UConn boasts a solid academic profile as a state school, too.Colorado State will have a new on-campus stadium completed by 2017, and claims it can bring the Denver market, which ranks 17th nationally. According to the Coloradoan newspaper, Denver also features more than 35,000 Big 12 alums.We are looking for members that will grow over time as we grow, that will bring stability to the conference and that have a high top end, and will benefit from an affiliation with the schools that are currently in our conference, Bowlsby said. Its important that they strengthen the family and we strengthen them.The University of Memphis is banking that applies to it.The school continues to have the delivery-services giant FedEx, based in Memphis, backing its candidacy. FedEx has pledged to sponsor a Big 12 championship game if Memphis is invited, though its unclear what advantage that is for the Tigers. One Big 12 insider suggested the league would have no issue landing a sponsorship for its title game, which is returning to the conference next year. Memphis, however, has also promised to make a $500 million investment in academic and athletic infrastructure over the next five years.Were looking at those schools that not only have arrived competitively, Boren said immediately after the Big 12 vote, but have a huge potential to improve their competitive capabilities by becoming members.The race to get into the Big 12 has officially begun. Suggesting one fascinating week in the Big 12 will be the first of many to come. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '