Never before have Kenyas fabulously successful runners gone to the Olympics in such a negative light.Kenya has a doping problem, no doubt, but seemingly not on the same scale as Russia . Theres no indication that the East African country has a state-sponsored conspiracy to hide cheating.While Russias anti-doping program appears corrupt -- leading to a ban for its track and field team and a narrowly-avoided blanket ban for all Russian competitors from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics -- Kenyas drug-testing program is best described as inept.That doesnt mean there arent serious issues and allegations in Kenya. The countrys track team goes to Rio -- there was a moment when it also might have been thrown out -- with its reputation at stake.The Kenyan doping mess explained:---THE PROBLEMS: -- At least 40 Kenyan track and field athletes have failed doping tests and been banned since the 2012 Olympics in London.Four senior officials at the Kenyan track federation, including the top two, have been suspended by the IAAF -- track and fields international governing body -- after being accused of trying to corrupt the anti-doping process.Its almost three months since Kenyas entire drug-testing program was declared non-compliant and suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency because of problems with how its run.Seven men -- five Kenyans, an Italian coach and an Italian agent -- are facing criminal charges in two separate cases in Kenya related to allegations of supplying and administering banned substances to runners.---THE CONTEXT: -- Although 40 doping cases in four years is a significant number, the vast majority so far have been lower-level runners who havent won major titles. There are a couple of exceptions: Marathon champion Rita Jeptoo and two-time cross-country world champion Emily Chebet are among those banned.Kenyan authorities promised extensive testing of their Olympic athletes to show that the stars -- such as 800-meter world-record holder David Rudisha -- are clean. In the last few weeks, the sports minister said, around 400 tests were conducted on Kenyas full Olympic team of just over 100 athletes.The Kenyan track federation president, vice president, the former track team manager and federation chief executive are all being investigated by the IAAF over allegations they sought to hide positive doping tests or arrange lenient bans while seeking bribes from the athletes involved. Unlike Russia, the anti-doping agency and government departments havent also been implicated.While Kenyas anti-doping program is currently declared non-compliant by WADA, so is Spains. Non-compliance doesnt immediately mean a country should be banned from competition. It does mean that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya wasnt able to do tests in the run-up to the Olympics, leaving it to one of WADAs regional bodies to do so.The court cases involving Kenyan men accused of supplying banned substances to athletes appear to be getting to the heart of Kenyas problem. Allegations were made as far back as 2012 that people were selling banned substances to athletes in remote training bases. Kenyan police and anti-doping authorities have clearly been slow in shutting that drug supply line down.---WHAT SPORTS AUTHORITIES HAVE DONE: -- WADA described Kenyas anti-doping regulations as a complete mess when it declared the country non-compliant in May, but WADA doesnt have the power to ban Kenyas track and field team from international competitions.That falls to the IAAF and, in the case of the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee. The IAAF stopped short of throwing out Kenya, but placed the country on a doping monitoring list until the end of the year. If there arent significant improvements, the IAAF could decide on sterner punishment.In June, the IOC told international sports federations to test individual athletes in Kenya to make sure they are clean before Rio.---REPUTATION AT STAKE: -- Kenyas sporting pride revolves around its world-beating distance runners. If just one of Kenyas athletes fails a drug test at the Rio Olympics, then all of them -- maybe unfairly -- are going to be under suspicion. Itll also probably revive the question of why Kenyas track team was given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to go to the Olympics.Kenyas javelin world champion Julius Yego said the scrutiny is going to be severe: Everybody will be looking at the Kenyans and all sorts of bad things will be mentioned about Kenya.Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta repeatedly warned the athletes against doping when he addressed the Olympic team last week.Show them we can win clean. Even if we dont win, show them we can play clean, Kenyatta said.---Follow Gerald Imray on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAPWes Hopkins Youth Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Brian Dawkins Eagles Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Nick-Foles-Jersey/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Reggie White Eagles Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Dallas Goedert Eagles Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay first-round draft pick Vernon Hargreaves III has a lasting memory of the first time he matched up against Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper.Nothing the young cornerback saw on film before the two met in college two years ago prepared him for what would be one of the most humbling days hes had on a football field.Thats the first time I played against somebody that was better than me, that I felt like was significantly better than me, and he knows that, Hargreaves said, recalling Cooper catching 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns to pace Alabamas 42-21 victory over Florida in 2014.For me, I was young. I was a sophomore, and at that point he was already playing like he was in the NFL, the rookie cornerback added. So covering him, after the game I kind of sat down and thought: `Wow, he really got me better in a way, if that makes sense. And he knows that.Cooper, a junior at the time, went on to become the fourth pick in the 2015 NFL draft.Hargreaves, selected 11th overall this year, gets another shot at one of the games budding stars when the Bucs (3-3) host the Raiders (5-2) on Sunday.Ive talked to him before ... and he knows were going to get after it, Hargreaves said. Im excited to see him again.Cooper leads the Raiders with 40 receptions for 614 yards, but has only gotten into the end zone once this season. Teammate Michael Crabtree has 39 catches for 461 yards and is tied with Bucs receiver Mike Evans for the league lead in TD receptions with six.Its going to be exciting to go against those guys and see where we really are, said Hargreaves, whose transition to the NFL has been helped by the presence of four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes, who signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent last spring.Hargreaves gives Cooper credit for helping prepare him for the type of receivers hes facing in the pros.He was already an NFL player in college. So seeing the routes he ran, getting to cover him, when you play against good players you just naturally get better, the rookie said. I dont why that is, how that works, I just know thats how life works, in all aspects. And Im glad I got to see that early in my college career, somebody of his caliber, because it prepared me well.Some other things to watch for when the Raiders visit the Bucs:NOT SO SWEET HOME: The Raiders are aiming for their fifth straight road win. The Bucs are 00-2 at home, 3-15 since the start of the 2014 season, and at a loss to explain why.dddddddddddd Oakland won 33-16 at Jacksonville last Sunday, then remained in Florida to prepare for Tampa Bay instead of returning to the West Coast. The extended trip also provides coach Jack Del Rio an opportunity to watch his son, Luke, play for the University of Florida this weekend.FILLING IN: The Bucs have won two straight, beating Carolina and San Francisco on the road, to climb to .500 after a 1/3 start. RB Jacquizz Rodgers is one of the biggest reasons why , posting career highs rushing with 101 yards against the Panthers and 154 against the 49ers while standing in for the injured Doug Martin, out since Week 2 with a sore hamstring.PROTECT THE PASSER: Ever since watching his brother David get sacked 76 times as a rookie in Houston in 2002, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has known how important an offensive line can be. Hes always had good protection in three years in the NFL, and this season might be the best. The Raiders have allowed a league-low seven sacks, led by left tackle Donald Penn, who was cut by Tampa Bay following the 2013 season.When you got guys that it means that much to them to do their job and it means that much to them that it makes them sick, not only to have a sack but for those guys to even touch you, you know you have the right person protecting you,Carr said.FAMOUS JAMEIS: Bucs QB Jameis Winston threw eight interceptions and lost two fumbles during Tampa Bays 1/3 start. With Rodgers keying an effective rushing attack, the second-year pro has only turned over the ball once in the past two games.BIG PLAY PUNTER: Raiders punter Marquette King has played a big role in the teams success this season. He leads the NFL with 19 punts of at least 50 yards, is second in gross average at 50.6 yards and is tied for second with 15 punts inside the 20. He delivers even when things dont go right, as evidenced by his 27-yard run for a first down after a low snap last week in Jacksonville. That run was longer than the any this season for top backs such as Frank Gore, Todd Gurley and Lamar Miller.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '