LOS ANGELES – Being subjected to public ridicule is fun for no one, least of all a professional athlete. Especially when it involves a girlfriend who, you know, wasn't.

But as Manti Te'o begins his NFL adventure, his fellow rookie underclassmen are united in sharing an intriguing theory: that the new San Diego Chargers linebacker's hoaxing heartbreak could actually turn out to be a positive.

It is a concept that flies in the face of popular logic that Te'o will experience a torrid time in the NFL – at the hands of rival fans, opposition players and locker room pranksters alike.

Yet a selection of rookies interviewed by Yahoo! Sports in Los Angeles on Thursday expressed the view that Te'o will be emboldened by his gantlet of media and public scrutiny.

[Photos: Manti Te'o's 'girlfriend' makes Maxim Hot 100 list]

"I don't think it is going to hurt him at all," said Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. "I don't think it is going to make it more difficult for him as a rookie

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LOS ANGELES – Rookie Geno Smith hopes to be mentored to NFL success by the same man whose likely retirement took him one step closer to the New York Jets' starting quarterback job.

Despite competing for the same position, Smith and seasoned vet David Garrard established a close friendship in the few weeks since the former West Virginia standout was taken with the 39th pick of last month's NFL draft.

Smith heard the news that injury was forcing Garrard to walk away from the game when he landed in Los Angeles on Wednesday for an NFL Players Association rookie gathering. Smith then reached out to Garrard to offer his condolences.

Garrard responded immediately with his thanks – and an offer to assist Smith in any way possible as he battles Mark Sanchez for the right to lead the Jets' offense in Week 1.

Geno Smith talks to the media after his first NFL practice. (AP)

"David is a guy I got to know once I got drafted. He always handled himself as a professional and I look forward to learning from him," Smith told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. "He has already

Read More »from Geno Smith will lean on advice from David Garrard in quest to win Jets' starting QB job

David Beckham announced his soccer retirement on Thursday, bringing down the curtain on a unique career that cannot be defined by any usual standards.

The past 20 years of the Beckham show cannot be measured in simple statistics, although nearly 800 games, 10 league championships and participation in three World Cups tell a compelling story of a man who operated at the top of his profession in a career largely spent with some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Beckham's reach was greater than that though, transcending even the most globally popular of all sports. His looks, good naturedness and marriage to Spice Girl Victoria created a fascination with the now 38-year-old that saw his face adorn billboards in over 100 countries and represent charities and leading brands alike.

England's David Beckham celebrates his goal against Azerbaijan in 2005. (REUTERS)That level of attention lavished upon an athlete is always going to bring some suspicion about their commitment to the game, but Beckham remained a fierce competitor, and for all the celebrity shoulder-rubbing and

Read More »from David Beckham, a true one of a kind, retires

A sign announces a German pub's loyalty to Bitcoins, where they are  accepted for payment. (Getty Images)The emergence of controversial virtual currency Bitcoin has given high-stakes American sports gamblers the chance to circumnavigate federal anti-betting laws and wager vast sums on major sporting events.

With full-scale betting on sports legal only in Nevada, options have been somewhat limited for those seeking a piece of the action during big games in both college and the pros.

Until now.

"Bitcoin is the new thing, the new rage," one New York-based poker player and sports bettor told Yahoo! Sports. "There are great options out there and new Bitcoin betting sites springing up all the time. Often they offer better odds or bonuses for signing with them. I personally know of around 15 big money guys who are using it, so in total there must be hundreds."

The complete anonymity afforded by Bitcoin, which technology experts expect to be the first of many similar digital currencies, allows legal restrictions to be avoided. Government jurisdictions have no way of tracking or tracing the source of

Read More »from Bitcoin – the new way to anonymously bet online?

Former NFL lineman Ray Edwards (right) is 4-0 in his professional boxing career. (Minnesotaboxing.com)The colorful characters that occupy boxing's heavyweight division have a wide range of reasons for entering the harsh world of the fight game. Ray Edwards might be the only one to do so because he thought it would reduce his chances of getting injured.

Edwards, who spent seven seasons in the NFL playing defensive end with the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons, now makes his living squaring off against huge men intent on punching him in the head as frequently as possible.

Yet Edwards is adamant that the brutal and unpredictable nature of pro football makes his new career choice a safer option with a bigger long-term upside than putting himself on the line inside the gridiron.

"It might sound crazy to some people but for sure I believe boxing is a safer sport than football now," Edwards told Yahoo! Sports. "Football is the only sport that is 100-percent injury prone.

"[In football], you don't know what is coming, where you are going to get hit, how you are going to get hit," he

Read More »from Former NFL player: Boxing is safer than football

Sir Alex Ferguson stepped out of the Manchester United head coaching hot seat Wednesday and into soccer history, leaving behind a trial of unprecedented success and a litany of anecdotes.

Ferguson, 71, is not only the most successful coach English soccer has ever seen, but retires as one of its most colorful and enigmatic characters. Ruling over United’s Old Trafford stadium for 26 seasons in a profession with the shortest of shelf lives, tales of both his exploits and eccentricities are already etched in the sport’s folklore.

Sir Alex Ferguson is leaving as the most successful coach in English soccer history. (Getty Images)For the American sports fan seeking comparison, he had the gruffness of a Bill Belichick and the fiery temper of a Bob Knight, yet the Zen-like tactical mastery of a Phil Jackson.

His departure from United, announced to his players and staff in a cafeteria at United’s training ground Wednesday morning and later via statement to the world’s media, comes after 13 English Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns and five FA Cups, all of which established the

Read More »from Sir Alex Ferguson leaves a legacy that will be impossible to match

The most apt summary of Floyd Mayweather's boxing greatness didn't come from ringside at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night, but from a Kobe Bryant tweet a few hundred miles away.

Within minutes of Mayweather's clinical demolition of Robert Guerrero, Bryant described the fighter as "Bobby Fischer with gloves," a reference to the genius chess world champion of the 1970s. Given that Mayweather took apart Guerrero with movement and tactics rather than brute force, it could not have been a more apropos assessment.

It's hard to liken Mayweather to any boxer in this era; his pound-for-pound dominance is clear. When seeking comparison, a chess maestro of yesteryear works.Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrates after his win over Robert Guerrero. (AP)

But for those who either can't remember that far back or care little for the intricacies of chess, a more modern comparator is needed, and Bryant may have more in common with Mayweather than anybody else.

Boxing and basketball are very different sports, but both men have remained around the top of the game their

Read More »from Metta World Peace: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Kobe Bryant have 'a lot in common'

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather is known to turn a phrase and has described himself as "greatest of all-time," "pound-for-pound king," and "ultimate entertainer."

A case could be made for the first two self-given monikers after his dominant win over Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, but the third was proven an utter fallacy. Ultimate entertainment this was not, due to both Mayweather's total dominance and his defense-oriented gameplan.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. lands a left jab against Robert Guerrero. (AP)

Toward the end of the fight boos could be heard from the crowd, yells of "boring" raining down from different sections of the arena. By the midway point of the final round, many had voted with their feet, making their way up to the exits with their backs turned to the ring.

While Mayweather had too much class for a game but overmatched Guerrero, the lack of drama and absence of a knockout was not enough to appease some, who'd clearly hoped for more thrills and spills in exchange for tickets priced in the high hundreds or low

Read More »from Fans boo, leave early as Floyd Mayweather Jr. reverts to 'boring' style against Robert Guerrero