deflect

verb6

1. •
   To make (something) deviate from its original path or position.
2. •
   To touch the ball, often unwittingly, after a shot or a sharp pass, thereby making it unpredictable for the other players.

   • The defender deflected the cross into his own net.
3. •
   To deviate from an original path or position.
4. •
   (figurative) To divert (attention, etc.).

   • Certainly there was much in the relationship itself that, with so much energy deflected into logistic maneuvering was never […] "worked out." — 1979
5. •
   To redirect culpability to avoid it.
6. •
   (figurative) To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.).

   • The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment.