Weekend Hot Reads....

In light of the NFL's bullying scandal, THE MMQB's Peter King examined the issue of race in the league. King: "How did it become okay for a black player to be the subject of even one instance of hate speech in one locker room, while, from what I could gather, it was unthinkable in eight other organizations?"

Also addressing the ongoing bullying scandal in the NFL, the L.A. TIMES' Sandy Banks writes under the header, "Calling Bullying 'Bonding' Doesn't Make It OK." The N.Y. TIMES' William Rhoden: "Civility Need Not Be Excluded From The Culture Of The NFL."

Elsewhere: 

• A look at the "rising popularity and danger" of MMA
• HOF inductee Fred Shero the "main reason" for Flyers' '70s dominance
• Charley Steiner into Radio HOF the "frosting on a lifetime of chocolate cake"
• In-depth look at motion-tracking technology data for MLB pitching
• How some student-athlete injuries "lead to financial ruin for the family"
• The N.Y. TIMES' Frank Bruni offers, "Violence, Greed And The Gridiron"
• Behind Mark Messier's Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the Bronx