TORONTO -- Ask people who know Bradley Orr and the reviews of the veteran English fullback are glowing. A great teammate. An experienced professional. A player to watch and learn from. "Hes a fabulous member of any squad," said Toronto FC captain Steven Caldwell, whos known the 31-year-old Orr for more than 15 years and shares an agent. "A real character, a real winner." That character, in part, was forged the hard way. As a young man, he made mistakes that led to jail. Then the Liverpool native learned from them. If Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is looking for someone to mentor 21-year-old Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas, charged this week with drunk driving, it probably need look no further than its sister soccer team and Orr. He made headlines in 2006 when he was one of three Bristol City players jailed for their part in a nightclub brawl. A fourth player was given community service. Orr and a teammate were sentenced to 28 days in jail. Wales international David Partridge was given two months behind bars. The players were also suspended and fined two weeks wages by their club. "Soccer Heroes in Prison Shame" was the headline in Englands Sun tabloid. It didnt help that just days before sentencing, Orr was sent off for attempting to head-butt a teammate during a nationally televised game. Some eight years later, Orr believes his biggest mistake was just being at the Romeo Browns nightclub. "Not a lot of people actually know the story and what happened," said Orr, who doesnt shy away from his past or his missteps. A teammate -- "not necessarily a friend" -- was thrown out of the nightclub and then became involved in a brawl with bouncers, two of whom were also charged later. "Things got out of hand. It was wrong place wrong time," said Orr. "He ended up getting a beating. I tried to stop it, got caught up in it and ended up finding myself in prison at the age of 23. "Not ideal but I probably wouldnt change it, because from that, a lot of thought and reflection went on. I decided there and then its either give it everything youve got and try to make the most of this amazing opportunity that Id been given. Or Im going to find myself like many other lads around the same age, and certainly from the same city, on the scrap heap where youve got a bit of ability, youve got the talent but you havent quite got the mentality or the maturity or the discipline to succeed." Orr said he made "little adjustments," worked on his weaknesses and "really knuckled down and gave it everything." "Its eight years down the line and Im still playing football for a living. Ive got an amazing family here with me. Ive got a lot of people who mean a lot to me." Many of those stuck by him during those "dark times." "I was a young lad, I was distraught. I thought my career was finished. You think the worst at that age and I had 23 hours a day to think about it in a cell." "Im just glad I learned from a mistake, in a positive way," he added. "The outcome since then has pretty good so far. I think Ive had a decent enough career and one I can look back (at) with pride. "Even though that was an isolated incident and Im not proud of it, I certainly wouldnt change it because its probably helped make me who I am." Orr pleaded guilty based on advice that he would get some kind of community service. His father and girlfriend came to court, expecting to drive him home. Instead he was taken directly below to the cells. Orrs soccer journey featured stints with Newcastle United, Burnley, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Blackpool before joining Toronto FC on loan in late January. He spent the bulk of his career with Bristol City, playing more than 225 games between 2004 and 2010. At 31, Orr is one of the grey beards on Toronto FCs squad. Only Dwayne De Rosario (35), Caldwell (33) and Jermain Defoe (by less than a month) are older. Orr showed his value Saturday in Columbus when injuries and suspension pressed him into service as centre back, alongside 21-year-old rookie Nick Hagglund. Toronto blanked the previously unbeaten Crew 2-0 with Orr one of three TFC players subsequently named to the MLS team of the week. The performance out of position is just why manager Ryan Nelsen acquired Orr. "For me, we needed just hardened guys who have kind of seen both sides of the tracks, if you know what I mean," Nelsen said. "Just so our young guys can learn what it takes to be a pro, to win away (games), to do the little things that it takes to be a good team. And you generally learn that from experience." Nelsen knows talent is not everything. Character plays a huge role in how far a player goes. "Our young guys have got to see that. Because its the best lesson to learn, that theyve got to do a lot of ugly stuff before they can kind of get to that top." Ask Orr about Hagglunds performance in Columbus and the veteran beams. "He was fantastic. I was delighted for Nick. His attitude towards his profession is absolutely (a) different class. He comes in every day really willing to learn and work hard. And theyre the type of lads who you want to see do well." One of the reasons Orr opted for MLS was he wanted to take himself out of his comfort zone and test himself. He has not regretted the move. Orr, who came to Canada with his wife and five-year-old twin boys, has marvelled at the passion of Torontos fans for sports. "Its really mind-blowing," said Orr. He is also blown away by Toronto FCs set-up "How can you not love this place?" he asked, pointing at the clubs well-appointed training centre. "The facilities are world-class. The citys fantastic." "So far Im loving it. Hopefully that can continue and I cant see no reason why not," he added. Orr has jumped right into Torontos sports community, taking in both Leafs and Raptors games. Hes also not afraid of getting out among the fans. A lifelong "big, big" Liverpool fan -- his 21-year-old nephew Jon Flanagan plays for the Reds -- Orr recently found out where the local supporters club was based. So he and Caldwell, with sons in tow, dropped in to see a recent Sunday game over breakfast. Jhoulys Chacin Jersey . -- Crystal Webster avoided elimination at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trial curling tournament with an 8-5 win over Amber Holland on Thursday. Rickey Henderson Jersey . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. 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"It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said.WASHINGTON - Although theyre not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, its safe to say playoff chances for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins have gone by the wayside. The NFC East rivals hope to save face Sunday night at FedEx Field. You can see all the action on TSN beginning at 8pm et/5pm pt. Washington is a disappointing 3-8 on the season and has lost three in a row, including Monday nights 27-6 drubbing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the first of three straight games in D.C. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had a rough go of it and threw for a season-low 127 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Griffin had five touchdown passes to one interception in his previous two games and head coach Mike Shanahan was asked if the young QB has regressed from last season. "No, I dont believe so. I think I shared with everybody that we tried to do things a year ago that gave him the best chance to be successful and things that he could do very effectively that I thought he was very good at," Shanahan said. "The drop-back passing game takes some time. It doesnt happen overnight. Robert is getting better and better every game. He feels more comfortable with it and were putting him through a lot of situations." The Redskins, who had a total of 190 yards on Monday, havent lost four in a row since a six-game slide in the middle of the 2011 season and hope to get their offense going again this week. Getting running back Alfred Morris off to a strong start could help and he ran for a season-low 52 yards on 14 carries versus the 49ers. He had rushed for 90-plus yards in five straight games and hasnt scored since Nov. 3. Morris, though, is 30 yards shy of 1,000 for a second year in a row and believes the Redskins are better than advertised. "Its just frustrating because we know were better than this," said Morris, who has 593 rushing yards and two TDs in the last six games. "Were better than what were putting out there on the field. "If I had an answer to the problem, I would tell you. We dont have an answer. Were the same team, wee have talent, we know were better than our record says.dddddddddddd Its just frustrating when you put it together and cant get a win." Washington is 0-3 in division play and just 1-7 against the NFC. The Giants, meanwhile, are a game ahead of the Skins in the division with a 4-7 record and had their season-high four-game winning streak come to an end with Sundays 24-21 loss to the rival Dallas Cowboys. Perhaps some trash talk before the game jinxed the G-men, whose winning streak came on the heels of an 0-6 start. The Giants rallied to tie the game at 21-21, but the defense allowed Tony Romo and the Cowboys to march into New York territory to set up Dan Baileys game-winning 35-yard field goal. Giants quarterback Eli Manning passed for 174 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and said theres still hope to make a run at an NFC East title. "I think we know we have to win these next five games to give ourselves a shot," Manning said. "Its still just a shot, nothing is guaranteed, but theres still hope and we know all we can do is worry about us trying to win each game and win the next game and thats what were going to do." Andre Brown ran for a career-high 127 yards on 21 carries and has two 100-yard games in three contests this season. Rueben Randle led the receivers with 64 yards on three receptions, while Victor Cruz caught just two passes for 27 yards. Cruz hasnt found the end zone since Sept. 29, but owns 12 receptions for 235 yards and a TD in last two meetings with Washington. Hakeem Nicks was inactive versus the Cowboys and is questionable this week. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said Nicks is receiving treatment on his abdominal strain. Nicks has yet to score a touchdown this season. The Giants will host the Redskins on Dec. 29 at MetLife Stadium and split last seasons series. They lead the all-time series with Washington, 92-64-4, and have won 10 of the past 14 meetings between the NFC East foes. New York suffered a 17-16 loss in Landover last Dec. 3. Coughlin is 13-8 lifetime against the Redskins and Shanahan owns a 4-6 mark against the Giants. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL China Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Stitched Jerseys ' ' '