Laying out a record fee for a Championship player raised more than a few eyebrows.
But the player raised a restraining hand and hunched over his shot.
So how many of you want to go lift weights?" Only one player raised his hand.
Philip Myers, the brash principal French horn player, raised his voice challengingly, as others recounted later, and said, "We knew you had an agenda when you came here".
In short, has the player raised interest in the sport he plays?
Can Caroline Wozniacki — the top-ranked women's player — win her first Grand Slam? Every player raises a question, a hope, and, sometimes, a sinking of the heart.
Given what is happening at the University of Illinois following a former football player raising issues regarding player mistreatment, the answer to that question is no.
The effect is akin to watching a very rich poker player raise the stakes on a nervous gambling addict by pushing forward a pile of chips with a smirk.
"Can you imagine, if a coach finished a pregame speech, and some player raises his hand and says, 'Excuse me, Coach, I don't think that's right,' " he said.
But with so many scary hits in such a short time, opinion seemed to coalesce quickly for the first time Sunday that while the N.F.L.'s intent with the rules change clamping down on such hits was good, its follow-through needed to be stronger than fines to enact a sea change in a generation of players raised on highlight reels glorifying big hits.
