EUGENE, Ore. -- Sprinter LaShawn Merritt has won a pair of Olympic gold medals and might take home a few more before his career is over.Hes been expelled from his sport for more than a year, too.The man who has seen both the pinnacle and the bottom is working on his next chapter on the track -- but also thinking ahead. Merritt, who turned 30 last Monday, owns a trucking business, a day care and is working on starting up a counseling center in his hardscrabble hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia.Im not someone trying to reinvent the wheel, said the sprinter, who tries to secure his Olympic spot in the 400 meters Sunday. But I dont want to be the guy whos an Olympic gold medalist, and also broke. That happens a lot in the U.S.Track stars, even those who enjoy long careers and win Olympic gold medals the way Merritt has, are not guaranteed millions, the way so many football, baseball and basketball players are in the United States.There are always athlete rights movements -- currently best reflected in efforts spearheaded by 800-meter runner Nick Symmonds -- to give sprinters and throwers a bigger share of the pie from licensing deals negotiated by the U.S. Olympic Committee and tracks governing bodies.Merritt is working outside the system, well aware that track and field will only take him so far.It goes by fast, and you definitely have to set yourself up for afterward, he said. A lot of guys finish the sport and they dont know what theyre going to do, not just for money, but for things to just do. They go into coaching. I think Id be a great mentor, but I dont want to coach, day-to-day.One of Merritts businesses currently includes five 18-wheelers that haul freight long distances.He also wants to run counseling centers for poor parents and kids, the struggles of whom he witnessed far too often growing up in a poor part of southeast Virginia. Merritt also suffered his own tragedy, when his older brother, Antwan, fell to his death out of a dorm-room window in 1999. It might help explain the sprinters compassion for those less fortunate.If I can get this together to be able to get great people together to mentor these kids, then come in and use my influence, its something that needs to be done, he said. The trucking thing, that just makes sense. But the counseling thing is something that needs to be done.Merritts career has seen its share of ups and downs.In 2008, he had a back-and-forth rivalry going with American Jeremy Wariner, and he beat Wariner in Beijing by a whopping 0.99 seconds to take the gold medal. Merritt followed up in 2009 by beating Wariner at world championships, as well.But in 2010, Merritt failed drug tests -- the result of using a banned substance found in a male-enhancement product. A humiliation, he called it, and he was banished for 21 months. Reinstated in time for the London Olympics, he went into those games nursing a tender hamstring and didnt make it out of the qualifying round.Things have gotten better.He came into this years Olympic trials with the worlds fastest time in 2016 at 200 meters -- not his preferred distance -- opening up the possibility that he could join Allyson Felix in going for the 2-4 double in Rio. Merritt said hell decide on whether to pursue the 200 after qualifying for the 400 is over Sunday night.His plans for the long-term future are better laid out.Its definitely about more than running for me, he said. Its about maximizing these opportunities and setting myself up for the second chapter of my life. Rob Gronkowski Youth Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Drew Bledsoe Patriots Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Tom-Brady-Patriots-Jersey/ .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. 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According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Johnson was granted a very special wish Tuesday to become a Cornhusker for a day, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Nebraska football team.Johnson has a genetic disorder called Menkes disease that?affects distribution of copper in the body and the development of bones and muscles.Johnson signed his letter of intent?during a school assembly at Norfolk (Nebraska) Catholic High School.He will be?an honorary member of the team for Satturdays home game vs.dddddddddddd Maryland. Hell?take the field with the players before watching the?game?from a skybox, per the?Lincoln Star. On top of that, he will?tour the stadium, eat lunch with members of the team and participate in warm-up drills.Nebraska granted a young fan a similar wish in 2013. Seven-year-old Jack Hoffman played as an honorary member of the team that spring, scoring a 69-yard touchdown in its spring game.-- Courtney Schellin? ' ' '