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MUNICH, Germany -- Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone rejected accusations of bribery as he went on trial Thursday in a case that could threaten his grip on the sport, telling a Munich court that he was blackmailed by a German banker who received a disputed $44 million payment. wholesale jerseys . Ecclestone said at the beginning of a four-hour personal statement read out in German by his lawyers that he was "grateful" to be able to give his side of the story -- though he told judges that he would answer questions from the Munich state court through his lawyers, rather than personally. The 83-year-old Ecclestone is charged with bribery and incitement to breach of trust, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The charges involve a $44 million payment to banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, who is serving an 8 1/2-year sentence for taking the money. Ecclestone appeared in court in a dark three-piece suit and followed the proceedings closely with help from an interpreter whispering into his ear. Prosecutors allege the payment was meant to facilitate the sale of Munich-based bank Bayern LBs stake in Formula One to a buyer of Ecclestones liking. Gribkowsky was in charge of selling that 47 per cent stake in F1 in 2005. Ecclestone testified during Gribkowskys trial in 2011 and Gribkowsky is expected to be the main witness during Ecclestones trial, which is scheduled to last until Sept. 16. Gribkowsky was found guilty of corruption, tax evasion and breach of trust in a trial led by the same judge who is hearing Ecclestones case, Peter Noll. The defence made clear that it will attack Gribkowskys credibility, and Ecclestone said in his statement that the banker didnt tell the truth. In Thursdays statement, Ecclestone reiterated testimony he gave at Gribkowskys trial that he gave the banker the money because he was "blackmailed" and worried Gribkowsky would falsely accuse of him of being in charge of a trust fund set up for the Formula One bosss former wife and their children -- possibly incurring a huge British tax bill. Ecclestone said that "from todays point of view, it was not a rational decision" to pay Gribkowsky. "I saw my lifes work in danger" if Gribkowsky went to the British tax authorities, he said, adding that he wouldnt have been able to pay the resulting bill. Ecclestone said he had turned over his entire stake in Formula One to his then-wife, Slavica, and their two daughters in 1997 following a series of operations and a health scare that left him worried his wife would face a 40 per cent inheritance tax. He said he ran the day-to-day business of Formula One but hasnt owned any stake in the lucrative series since 1997. Ecclestones lawyers also insisted anew that their client is innocent, saying in a written statement that "the alleged bribe has not occurred." They argued that the indictment is based on statements by Gribkowsky that are "incorrect, misleading and incoherent" and said they would produce new documents at the trial to dispute Gribkowskys assertions. Ecclestone said he thought Gribkowsky wanted out of banking and had been interested in founding his own Formula One team. Ecclestone has stepped down temporarily as a director of F1s holding company pending the outcome of the trial, though he continues to manage the sports commercial operations on behalf of investment fund CVC Capital Partners, which has a controlling stake in the web of companies which run the commercial side of the sport. Ecclestone, who built his powerbase in F1 starting in the 1970s, likely would be unable to remain in charge if convicted -- even if he avoids a prison sentence. The trial will continue May 2. jerseys from china . Hoefl-Rieschs exit — from the downhill course into safety nets, then airlifted from the slope by helicopter — left Anna Fenninger of Austria favourite to win her first giant crystal trophy one month after becoming an Olympic champion. cheap nfl jerseys . The Michigan lineman faces three assault charges stemming from an incident in December, according to a report from ESPN. The report states Lewan is scheduled to be arraigned in April on one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault or assault and battery.DENVER -- So maybe going 6 for 6 isnt quite enough for his manager to award Charlie Blackmon the everyday job in centerfield. Still, Walt Weiss did promise his platoon outfielder this much: "Hell be in there tomorrow." Thats good enough for Blackmon. He tied a team record with six hits and drove in five runs, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 in their home opener Friday. Blackmon had three doubles, a two-run homer and scored four times. The only other Rockies player with six hits in a game was Andres Galarraga against Houston on July 3, 1995. "When you get an opportunity to play, its really nice to come up and contribute," said Blackmon, whos sporting a bushy beard. Blackmon acknowledged hes never had that many hits in a game -- on any level. "Pretty amazing," he said. Carlos Gonzalez certainly thought so. "I dont think I ever hit 6 for 6 in my life," Gonzalez said. "Im happy for him. Hes proving to everybody he deserves to be in the big leagues and every day in the lineup." And yet Weiss plan is to keep platooning Blackmon with Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson. Unless, of course, Blackmon has more days like this. Thanks to his big afternoon, Blackmon is hitting .563 (9 for 16). "He had a pretty good day," Weiss said. Same goes for Gonzalez, who added a two-run triple and a two-run homer off the facing of the third deck as the Rockies improved to 13-9 in home openers. That was more than enough for Juan Nicasio (1-0), who surrendered one run and four hits in seven efficient innings. His only mistake was a slider that Mark Trumbo hit for a solo homer in the fifth. "He pitched well," Paul Goldschmidt said. "He used his fastball a lot and he was getting ahead right there. He was locating it, moving it in and out. He was doing a good job. They made some good plays out there and we werent able to get enough going." With the loss, the Diamondbacks fell to 1-6, tying their worst start in franchise history. "Games over now. You just go out tomorrow and play as hard as you can, and thats what the guyss will do," Goldschmidt said. nfl jerseys china. "We just havent played well enough." Goldschmidt did extend his hitting streak to 26 games dating to last season with an RBI single in the eighth, Its the second-longest streak in club history, four behind the mark Luis Gonzalez set from April 11 to May 18, 1999. Randall Delgado (0-1) gave up six runs and 10 hits in four innings. Colorado finished with 17 hits, with Blackmon leading from the leadoff spot. A triple shy of the cycle, he lined the ball into the left-field corner in the eighth, then pulled up at second when Trumbo quickly corralled the ball. He was tempted to go, though. "I didnt even know where it went when I hit it," Blackmon said. "You know you had a good day when you hit a ball and it ends up two inches inside the line." Michael Cuddyer kept his hot streak going, finishing with three hits. The reigning NL batting champion has multiple hits in four of his first five games. Arizona third baseman Martin Prado left in the sixth after cutting his left index finger tagging out Blackmon on a steal attempt. He said Blackmons spike caught the finger sticking out of his glove. "It was bleeding a lot," Prado said. "Fortunately for me, it just took a little skin off." As a motivator, the Rockies have stenciled the numbers one through 100 on panels above the lockers in the clubhouse. With each win, that panel is filled in with purple. Win No. 2 was secured with Blackmons help. He even received a standing ovation in his last plate appearance. "I missed it," Blackmon said. "But I received a lot of applause when I went out to (the outfield). It was really nice." NOTES: Arizona 2B Aaron Hill finished 2 for 4 and is hitting .370 against Colorado in his career. Its one of the highest marks among active players. ... RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-0) will start Saturday for the Diamondbacks against Colorado and LHP Jorge De La Rosa (0-1). ... LHP Boone Logan (elbow inflammation) pitched a scoreless inning on Thursday for Triple-A Colorado Springs. 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