TORONTO -- David Clarkson wouldnt blame John Scott or anyone else. Nike Free 3.0 Pas Cher . Not this time. More than 48 hours after leaving the bench to enter the line brawl between his Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres to come to the defence of teammate Phil Kessel, a contrite Clarkson accepted his automatic, 10-game suspension even while justifying his actions. "Im a grown man and Im going to take this one for what I did and be held accountable," Clarkson said. "Im not appealing it. Im going to take it, and Im going to work hard to get back." Clarkson broke his silence after playing in the Leafs 3-2 pre-season loss to the Ottawa Senators, apologizing for not addressing the situation before. The 29-year-old right-winger said he wanted to wait to get official word from the NHL about the suspension and then didnt want to be a distraction on a game day. It was another case of Clarkson trying to do what he figured was right for the team. When he did that Sunday night upon seeing Sabres tough guy John Scott going after Kessel, it got him into this mess that will cost him almost $270,000. "I think I sometimes make decisions with my heart, not my head," Clarkson said. "I saw a teammate that I felt was in trouble, and my reaction was to help. You can have many different opinions, but that was my mind-set going in. I was just going there to go to help and settle things down. That was the intent." Teammates admired Clarksons intent, so much so that he said everyone in the locker room expressed support for sticking up for Kessel. There was no hesitation in leaving the bench to leap to the aid of someone Clarkson has only called a teammate since July. It was simply a gut instinct, albeit a very costly one. "Its like if you have a little brother and you feel like hes in trouble or you feel like theres a situation you can get out and help," Clarkson said. "That was the feeling I had in my belly. I had feeling to do something, and Ive got to pay the consequences for it. That was the feeling, it was to go out and to try and help or to calm down a situation and now Ill serve my 10 games and come back better for it." Clarkson never conceded regret about a "split-second" decision. He never said the result would have been different if he had to replay the incident over again. "The part that sucks is that Im missing these games," he said. "But at the same time I think defending teammates is something thats just in me. Its what Ive done my whole life and I think that the 10 games thing obviously is tough to swallow, but when theres rules out there in place, youve got to abide by them." Coach Randy Carlyle, whom Clarkson said has been "supportive" since the brawl happened and the suspension was handed down, called the rationale "more of an old-time hockey explanation." Clarkson brings the kind of tools that make him a throwback player, but this wasnt what the Leafs signed up for when they gave him a seven-year, US$36.75-million contract. But Carlyle said earlier Tuesday that he can sense the "burning desire" Clarkson has to make a difference. Its one he wont be able to do on the ice until Torontos 11th game Oct. 25 at the Columbus Blue Jackets. "Ill say sorry to the fans or anybody whos disappointed, but I was going out there and what I felt like (was) my teammates in here are first to me," Clarkson said. "Thats whats gotten me to where I am in my career, thats why I believe Im here. I think thats just the person I am. If anyone was in trouble in here, I would try to go to help and that was what I did." Until he can make his regular-season debut, Clarkson resigned himself to being "the biggest cheerleader" he can be. Oct. 25 feels "very far" away. "This is one of the toughest things Ive been through in my career, especially being excited to be somewhere, just getting used to things," he said. "But no one in life is perfect, and when you make a mistake youve got to live up to it and deal with it." Nike Air Max 2015 Homme . The forward left Thursdays game against the Philadelphia Flyers late in the third period with a lower-body injury that was thought to be a muscle pull. Nike Air Max 90 Femme Soldes . Howard had 19 points and nine rebounds in his first game since signing a four-year, $88 million deal with the Rockets in the off-season. Howard was 6 of 11 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes. TAMPA, Fla. -- For nearly 57 minutes, the Arizona Cardinals played poorly. The offence sputtered and the injury-weakened defence committed costly penalties and failed to rattle Mike Glennon until persistence paid off against Tampa Bays rookie quarterback. Patrick Peterson had two interceptions in the closing minutes for the Cardinals (2-2), one setting up Carson Palmers 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and the other sealing a 13-10 victory over the winless Buccaneers (0-4) on Sunday. "It was a great exhibition of 60-minute football," first-year coach Bruce Arians said after the comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit ended what would have been a tough extended road trip on a positive note. "The game is played for 60 minutes, and it doesnt matter really what goes on as long as you can maintain the chase that something good is going to happen," Arians added. "That fourth quarter was some of the best football weve played all year. It was just a matter of doing it. It was there to be done." The Cardinals pressured Glennon all game until the third-round draft pick out of North Carolina State made a costly mistake. Petersons first interception set up Arizonas first TD in six quarters. The other ended any chance of Glennon bringing the Bucs back after Jay Feelys 27-yard field goal snapped a 10-10 tie with 1:29 remaining. Starting in place of the benched Josh Freeman, Glennon was steady -- if not spectacular -- for most of the day to give Tampa Bay the type of performance it had been wanting from a quarterback. Freeman was declared inactive for the game and was not in uniform, instead watching the game from a suite at Raymond James Stadium. Coach Greg Schiano said it was a "mutual" decision. Freeman declined to comment as he left Raymond James Stadium. "With all the happenings of the week, it was the best thing for our team," Schiano said. "Theres stuff that Im not going to get into, but that was the best thing for our football team." Glennons day shifted suddenly when Peterson stepped in front of a pass intended for Vincent Jackson and returned the pick 11 yards to the Bucs 13. Fitzgerald beat cornerback Darrelle Revis on the next play for his 80th career TD reception with 3:06 left. Arians couldnt say enough about Peterson, a third-year cornerback with a knack for game-changing plays. "Im really surprised they threw toward him. And with a rookie quarterback, hes going to make you pay," the coach saaid. Nike Free 5.0 v4 Femme. "I think hes the best in the league. Some will argue that Darrelle is, but its not even close in my opinion." The Cardinals moved 29 yards after forcing a punt to win it. Palmer threw 19 yards to Jaron Brown on the first play of the drive, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Bucs safety Dashon Goldson moved the ball to the Tampa Bay 9. Palmer overcame a slow start to complete 21 of 38 passes for 248 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Fitzgerald had six catches for 68 yards, all in the second half. Revis and Johnthan Banks had Tampa Bays interceptions, and Leonard Johnson set up Glennons first career TD pass by forcing a fumble that Gerald McCoy recovered at the Cardinals 41. "Its just an unfortunate way to end the game. The defence played great the whole game," Glennon said. "The offence looked good in the first half. At the end, I just cant make that throw. Definitely a learning experience, but also a tough one to swallow." Arizona had trouble moving the ball until Palmer got Fitzgerald involved in the third quarter. The seven-time Pro Bowler was matched up most of the day against Revis, and Palmer didnt even attempt to throw the ball his way in the first half. "That was bad ball in the first half all around, and our defence just kept fighting and fighting for us, kept the game manageable for us, and were so thankful those guys played their tail off," Fitzgerald said. "We lost a lot of bodies last week, and guys continued to step up in new roles, and thats what being a team is about." The Cardinals lost linebackers Sam Acho, Lorenzo Alexander and Alex Okafor to season-ending injuries during the previous weeks lopsided loss at New Orleans, then flew straight to Florida to practice in nearby Bradenton instead of returning home to prepare for the Bucs. Glennon was 24 of 43 for 193 yards, including an 8-yard TD pass to Mike Williams in the first quarter. He threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Notes: Cardinals S Rashad Johnson was inactive after losing the tip of a finger making a tackle last week. NT Dan Williams also missed his second straight game due to the death of his father. ... Tampa Bays Doug Martin began the day second in the NFL in rushing. He was limited to 45 yards on 27 carries. ... Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps made his NFL debut for the Bucs. He had a 14-yard run on his only carry, caught one pass for 8 yards and returned three kickoffs for 69 yards. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
