a little bit higher behind the knee, added the Chilean. It is simillar to [Aleksandar] Kolarov injury a month ago.ddddddddddddKolarov took around three weeks to one month to come back. Pelle

WASHINGTON -- Simon Tam has openly criticized the Washington Redskins team name as a racist slur that demeans Native Americans.But Tam and his Asian-American rock band, The Slants, find themselves on the same side as the NFL franchise in a First Amendment legal battle over trademark protection for names that some consider offensive.The Supreme Court could decide as early as this month whether to hear the dispute involving the Portland, Oregon-area band. And if the football team has its way, the justices could hear both cases in its new term.At issue is a constitutional challenge to a law barring the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from registering trademarks that disparage minority groups. The office denied a trademark to the Slants in 2011 after finding the name disparaged people of Asian descent.The Slants say their goal was not to offend anyone, but to transform a derisive term about the shape of Asian eyes into a statement of ethnic and cultural pride. The band won a major victory last year when a divided federal appeals court in the District of Columbia ruled the law prohibiting offensive trademarks violates free-speech rights. The Obama administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling.The Redskins, too, say their team name is meant to honor American Indians. But the team has faced years of legal challenges, and a testy public relations fight, from members of the very group they claim to salute. The Redskins case involves the trademark offices move last year to cancel the team trademark that was first registered in 1967. A federal judge has agreed with that decision.A federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, has not yet considered the teams appeal, but the Redskins are urging the Supreme Court not to wait. If the high court agrees to hear the Slants case, the team wants the justices to hear both disputes at the same time. Such requests to leapfrog lower courts are rarely granted.Tam, in a legal brief, says if the court decides to hear the cases together, the justices should do so now rather than waiting for the appeals court to rule in the Redskins case. Otherwise, he says, a future ruling against the Redskins could end up affecting the bands status.Anyone who has visited The Slants website will find the band members are certainly no fans of the team. One section has a lengthy list of reasons why the cases are different. No. 1 is unlike REDSKINS, THE SLANTS is not an inherent racial slur.The website says the word Redskin has a long history of oppression and the football team treats the people as mascots. By contrast, The Slants breaks stereotypes about Asian-Americans, especially in the entertainment industry.Tam does not mention those distinctions in his brief to the court, and he declined to be interviewed.In The Slants case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in December that the First Amendment protects even hurtful speech that harms members of oft-stigmatized communities.The First Amendment forbids government regulators to deny registration because they find the speech likely to offend others, Judge Kimberly Moore said for the majority.The administration argues that the law does not restrict speech because the band is still free to use the name even without trademark protection. The law simply reflects Congress judgment that the federal government should not affirmatively promote the use of racial slurs and other disparaging terms by granting the benefits of registration, the government said.Jeremy Sheff, a professor at St. Johns University School of Law who specializes in intellectual property, said the Supreme Court could be interested in the cases because it has been pretty aggressive in protecting First Amendment speech -- even remarks considered highly offensive.The knock on the law is that nobody knows what disparagement means, he said. That is a concern.The Redskins claim their case is a better vehicle than Tams for the Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of the trademark law. The team says the effect of canceling a trademark is more harmful because it has been relying on the laws financial protections for nearly 50 years. Without trademark protection, the team could lose millions if it cant block the sale of counterfeit merchandise.The team also points out that the government over the years has registered dozens of companies with names that could be considered offensive. Among those: Baked By A Negro bakery products, Midget Man condoms, Dago Swagg clothing and the rock band White Trash Cowboys.The American Civil Liberties Union has sided with the Redskins free-speech claims, even as the group has publicly called on the team to change the name because it is offensive.The government doesnt get to withhold a benefit because it disagrees with the content of someones speech, said ACLU national legal director Steve Shapiro.The Redskins have come under increasing pressure in recent years to change the team name. Even President Barack Obama has said he would think about changing it if he owned the team. Owner Dan Snyder has said hed never change the name and that it represents honor, respect and pride.--This story corrects a description of the bands legal argument. The Slants say if the Supreme Court wants to hear the cases together, it should do so now rather than waiting for lower court to rule in Redskins case.Custom Basketball Jerseys Online . LUCIE, Fla. Custom Basketball Jerseys Outlet . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.basketballcustomjerseys.com/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys Cheap . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Custom Basketball Jerseys China . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country.Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could be out for up to eight weeks with a calf injury, Belgium boss Marc Wilmots has said.The central defender was substituted early during Manchester Citys 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday, and has been left out of Wilmots squad for the friendly against Portugal on March 29.However, despite the Belgium coach revealing he expects Kompany to be out for six to eight weeks, Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is hopeful that he will have his skipper back before the end of the season. Talking with the doctor, I think that Vincent has an injury in his other leg - not the same calf as last time. We will see the way he improves, but maybe in one month he can be ready so part of the season he can play, said Pellegrini.It is the third time this season that Kompany has suffered a calf problem, with the 29-year old featuring just 12 times in the Premier League in an injury-hit campaign.But, Pellegrini insists that Kompanys should be able to return before the end of the campaign.It is a new injury in the other calf, a little bit higher behind the knee, added the Chilean. It is simillar to [Aleksandar] Kolarov injury a month ago.ddddddddddddKolarov took around three weeks to one month to come back. Pellegrini (left) believes Kompany (right) could return earlier than Belgium boss Marc Wilmots expects Its very important the way he improves in the first two weeks that he starts working - its difficult now to say, but the first thing we think is that he can return in a month.Kompany will miss Sundays Manchester derby, live on Sky Sports, and will almost certainly be ruled out of Premier League clashes with Bournemouth and West Brom in early April, as well as the Champions League quarter-final double-header against Paris Saint-Germain on April 6 and April 12.Also See:City face PSG in CL quartersSterling wont rule out titlePremier League build-upAguero: Title slipping away ' ' '