Carolina Panthers ban hoverboards due to “drag racing” among players

By Mike Flacy January 20, 2016

hoverboard — Ben Larcey/Creative Commons

Prior to Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Ron Rivera has barred the controversial, electric scooters from practice facilities. After witnessing a series of drag races between players, Rivera decided to bring a halt to the two-wheeled festivities before one of the players fell and potentially sustained an injury during the postseason.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Rivera said “Truthfully, somebody told me about them igniting so I went on YouTube and found them. They also showed the (videos) with people falling off, people making sharp turns and there was somebody standing there and running into them. I can’t imagine…That’s what concerns me more than anything else is something crazy happening…I caught them drag racing in the hallways one time too. You’ve got to be careful.”

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Rivera didn’t specifically call out the players that have been racing on the hoverboards. However, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was spotted riding a hoverboard earlier this year along the streets in Charlotte. Detailed by ESPN, tight end Ed Dickson told the sports publication that roughly 25 players rode hoverboards to visit a nearby food truck earlier in the season.

Interestingly, the ban took place during late December as late season play was getting more serious for the Panthers. Speaking about the ban, defensive end Mario Addison said “He banned it, it got me kind of scared to keep it at home now. So I keep it in the hallway away from everything just in case it decides to blow up on me.”

It’s possible that the NFL could ban the use of hoverboards for people attending Super Bowl 50, which will take place on February 7 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many major airlines have barred passengers from traveling with hoverboards due to possible exploding batteries.

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Emerging Tech

Juiced Bikes sold at auction for $1.2 million, report says

The Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 adds more power, upgraded tires, and an improved battery to the popular moped style e-bike.

Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
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Michael Knight sitting on the hood of his car KITT in a scene from Knight Rider.

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Cars

The Nissan Rogue is joining the plug-in hybrid club in 2025

nissan rogue hybrid 2025 2024

It might have taken a while, and slumping sales of its most popular SUV, but Nissan has finally taken the step to offer hybrid vehicles in the U.S. The Japanese automaker will add a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to the 2026 Rogue compact SUV, which should be available stateside sometime next year, Nissan Americas chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News.A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) typically runs on electric power until its battery is almost depleted, at which point it automatically switches over to using a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. The battery can be recharged conventionally from the outside or through regenerative braking.
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