DEVON ALLEN

Joshua Dobbs ran for a touchdown and looked good directing Cleveland’s backups during a 21-20 loss to Philadelphia Eagles in an exhibition watched by both team’s starters, along with soon-to-be-suspended Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

World Athletics rules determine that any start within .1 second of the starting gun sounding is a false start. Here's video of the incident, which shows no discernible visual evidence of Allen starting before his competitors. "Overall, usually, if you look at all my reaction times, I'm probably in the top 1-5% of all sprinters at every competition I'm at," Allen said. "And the good thing is I'm probably the fastest, most athletic I've been in my career. "I'm probably at least a tenth faster if not more, so probably 4.2," Allen said of his projected 40-yard dash time now.

Allen was one of three athletes on the night who fell victim to World Athletics' ridiculous false start rule. Imagine if the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald had been disqualified from the Super Bowl in February after one false start. That's what World Athletics does to its runners on one of the sport's biggest stages. Crouser, Kovacs, McLaughlin and Muhammad are just four examples of America's amazing current crop of track and field athletes. World Athletics is hurting its product.

The Americans had a spectacular day at the world championships by winning nine medals on home turf.

Hurdler Devon Allen, who is joining the Philadelphia Eagles next season, started too soon after the gun was fired.

Instead, heartbreak on his home track ended his world championships by the slimmest of margins. The Oregon graduate and Philadelphia Eagles hopeful lined up for the 110-meter hurdle final at the world track and field championships in Eugene with a shot at making the podium. But he was disqualified thanks to a false start imperceptible to the human eye. Allen was detected as reacting at 0.099, meaning he was disqualified by .001 seconds. In addition to running track, Allen played wide receiver at Oregon from 2014-16.

Leaping over those leg-bruising hurdles might be the easy part for Devon Allen. The University of Oregon track standout and football player is attempting a difficult sort of double this month: Win a medal, preferably gold, at the world championships on his home turf and then earn a spot with the Philadelphia Eagles in training camp. It's an endeavor he knows would make his biggest fan proud — his father, Louis Allen Jr, who died last month at 63.

To make the World Athletics Championships team, American athletes must finish in the top three at one of the most competitive meets ever held

“Not an option of mine to go play football.”___8:10 p.m.Grant Holloway didn’t get the world record, but he did become an Olympian. Hollway is the 2019 world champion in the event and the current world record holder in the 60 hurdles. ___7:30 p.m.Katie Nageotte’s pole vault of 16 feet, 2 3/4 inches Saturday put her on the Olympic team for Tokyo. Kara Winger made her fourth Olympic team with a throw of 201-8. It is also Price’s second Olympic team.

US Track Trials Athletics Erriyon Knighton wins a semi-final in the men's 200-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) (Ashley Landis)EUGENE, Ore. — (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. track and field Olympic trials (all times local):8:35 p.m.Erriyon Knighton, a 17-year-old from Florida, turned in the fastest time in the semifinal round of the men's 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. “Not an option of mine to go play football.”___8:10 p.m.Grant Holloway didn’t get the world record, but he did become an Olympian. Holloway ran a fast 12.81 during the semifinals, leading to speculation that he might break the world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merrit in 2012. Hollway is the 2019 world champion in the event and the current world record holder in the 60 hurdles. ___7:30 p.m.Katie Nageotte’s pole vault of 16 feet, 2 3/4 inches Saturday put her on the Olympic team for Tokyo.

Brittney Reese made her fourth Olympic team in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 4 3/4 inches to win the event at the U.S. track and field trials.

Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf couldn’t catch the field in his heat of a 100-meter race at USA Track and Field's Golden Games in California.