LOS ANGELES -- Derrick Rose is at a crossroads in his basketball career and one of the biggest moments in what could be a make-or-break year for the former NBA MVP didnt happen on the court.It happened in a court.Rose was vindicated Wednesday in a $21.5 million lawsuit that accused him and two friends of raping an ex-girlfriend when she was incapacitated from drugs or alcohol.The reticent Rose, who remained stoic most of the trial including during his testimony about intimate sex acts, smiled outside court, thanked jurors and put his arm around some who posed for photos with the hoops star.I am thankful that the jury understood and agreed with me, Rose said in a statement. I am ready to put this behind me and focus on my family and career.Jurors in Los Angeles federal court had sat through graphic testimony with somber expressions, but it took them less than four hours to conclude there was a lack of evidence to support the womans claims and dismiss her account as unbelievable.It felt like she was playing us, said Jared, 25, one of several jurors who spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, none of whom gave full names. The second her lawyer started questioning her, she would start crying. ... That could be realistic, but I feel lm pretty good at reading people, and I felt as if it was false.The case included X-rated testimony from the men about poolside group sex at a mansion Rose rented in Beverly Hills in the summer of 2013 and multiple sexual encounters throughout an August night and into the next morning.The woman, who had previously dated Rose for less than two years, denied having sex at his place, saying she had a few tequila shots and felt drugged before going home. Her lawyer said the defense fabricated the story to make it look like she had willingly had sex with all three men.Her testimony was impaired by a blackout that erased most memories of the night except for flashes that included the three having sex with her at her apartment as she slipped in and out of consciousness.The woman pieced together events of the night by reviewing text messages to Rose, but the defense used those to say she was lucid and sober and had been angling for sex throughout the day and had invited him over.The issue for the jury was whether she consented to sex or was too intoxicated to do so. The men all said she was alert and willing when she stopped the three outside her bedroom door and said, One at a time.The tense two-week civil trial sidelined Rose during several preseason games with the Knicks as he attempts to prove himself with the new team and rebound from major knee injuries that hurt his career with the Bulls in his native Chicago.Rose, 28, is in the final year of a five-year deal that will pay him $21.3 million and the case threatened more than his bank account and reputation. Defense lawyer Mark Baute told jurors a lot was riding on their decision.Any finding he had sexually assaulted the woman could have violated a morals clause in his player contract and a lucrative deal with Adidas and jeopardized his career and the future of family and friends who rely on him for financial support, Baute said.Defense lawyers tarred the woman as a gold-digging liar who tried to sway jurors through emotions. They claimed she was angry he had dumped her, so she set him up and brought the lawsuit in hopes of a big payoff.They portrayed Rose and his childhood pals, Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton, who both work for him, as victims in the case.All three men were innocent from Day 1, Baute said.The womans lawyer called the men sexual deviants who conspired to gang rape her after she was drunk and incapable of consenting to sex. Attorney Waukeen McCoy said the case wasnt about money, but about holding the men accountable for moral and legal wrongdoing.Los Angeles police have an open investigation into the womans claims.The Associated Press does not generally name people who say they are victims of sex crimes.The accuser, who had become emotional and trembled at times while testifying, buried her head in her hands as the verdict was read. She left the courthouse without comment.Her attorney said she was devastated and he was considering appeal options.Its a shame for women, for this country, that a celebrity can come into court and slut-shame a woman like my client, attorney Waukeen McCoy said.After dismissing the jury, Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald offered his best wishes to the woman with her studies and to Rose in his career except when the Knicks play the Lakers. Cheap Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Cheap Houston Texans Jerseys . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. https://www.cheapjerseys-wholesalechina.com/?tag=cheap-baltimore-ravens-jerseys . 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Americans invented beach volleyball.Brazil made it a passion.But theres another country making waves at the Copacabana venue during the Olympics, one with little tradition of beach volleyball -- or even a lot of sun-splashed beaches, for that matter.Canada.Yes, Canada.The ice hockey and curling power is one of only four countries to qualify the maximum four teams -- two mens and two womens -- for the Rio de Janeiro Games. Although Canada has won only one medal in the sport since it joined the Olympic program in 1996, this contingent is hoping it can change that.Canada is a competitive nation, said Ben Saxton, whose father was on the Canadian indoor volleyball team that ended up fourth at the 1984 Olympics -- its best finish ever. All of us want to win at every sport we play. Just because we cant play during the winter doesnt mean we arent resourceful enough to find a way.More often associated with ice and snow -- and sports played upon them -- than with the Summer Games, Canada has had its share of success in events like track and rowing and swimming. But the beach has been barren since John Child and Mark Heese took bronze in Atlanta.True, its hard to compete with countries where the athletes can train year-round. Yes, the lack of volleyball history itself makes it difficult to convince young Canadians to put down their hockey sticks and hit the beach. And Canadas population of about 35 million is smaller than Californias alone, not to mention Brazil.You take a couple of cities in Brazil and youve got more than the whole country, said Steve Anderson, Canadas head beach volleyball coach. You cant compete with the population. You cant compete with the history. People come to Brazil and the U.S. to immerse themselves in the culture because you cant get that anywhere else.But when Anderson ttook over the countrys beach volleyball program, he decided the problem was the mindset of Canadians who just didnt think they could compete with the sports powers.ddddddddddddAnderson, an American who coached Australian Natalie Cook to the beach gold medal in 2000, called the Canadian players together and asked them: When was the last time you got off the plane expecting to win an event?The comment was, `Thats a bit arrogant. Thats not how Canadians think, Anderson said in an interview at the Copacabana venue on Tuesday.But I dont know any hockey player that gets off a plane just to show up, he said. How do we change that environment?Since London, Canada has seen enough success on the world professional tour to hit the country quota of two teams in each gender in Rio.Saxton and Chaim Schalk reached the podium five times on the FIVB tour; Josh Binstock, a 2012 Olympian, and Samuel Schachter have four top-three finishes since 2014. On the womens side, Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan were No. 5 in the Olympic rankings and Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas were 13th.Only three other countries hit the maximum: The United States and Brazil, which have combined to win 20 of the 30 total medals since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 1996, and the Netherlands.So far, the Canadians have had mixed success.Bansley and Pavan are 2-0 and atop their pool after beating Switzerland 21-18, 21-18 on Tuesday. Broder and Valjas, who lost to Germany, are 1-1 with one game remaining in group play. On the mens side, Schalk and Saxton are 1-1 and Binstock and Schachter are 0-2.Were going to find out at these Olympics: What is Canadian volleyball? Anderson said. Thats what were going to find out. ' ' '