April 2012 Archives

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill allegedly choked and assaulted his girlfriend during an argument just weeks before he was traded to LA, Houston's KTRK-TV reports.

Hill, who was playing for the Houston Rockets when the alleged choking incident occurred Feb. 29, was charged Monday with third-degree felony assault, according to KTRK. An arrest warrant will be issued once paperwork is complete, ESPN reports.

Hill, 24, apparently had just two words in response to the felony charge, according to ESPN, which he shared with fans via Twitter:

Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arrested early Friday for allegedly shoving a man to the ground after shouting an anti-Semitic slur at another man outside a New York City hotel.

Young, 26, was "highly intoxicated" when he allegedly hurled insults at a panhandler who was reportedly wearing a yarmulke, a Jewish skullcap, police told the New York Post.

"[Expletive] Jews! [Expletive] Jews!" Young allegedly yelled at the panhandler, who apparently walked away. But then a group of four men confronted Young, who then allegedly came out swinging.

With the Summer Olympics just three months away, some legendary Olympic athletes are suing Samsung over an Olympics-related Facebook app.

Samsung's "Olympic Genome Project" app allows Facebook users to see how they may be connected to, and what they have in common with, famous Olympic athletes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The app cross-references a Facebook user's profile information with a database of about 3,000 Olympic athletes. But Samsung never got permission to use the athletes' names and images, the lawsuit by 18 famous Olympians states.

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had access to an electronic eavesdropping device that tapped into opposing coaches' communications at the Superdome, sources told ESPN.

If Loomis used such a device, his actions may have been criminal under federal and state wiretapping laws. But it may be too late to file charges. Loomis could face discipline by the NFL -- in addition to his current eight-game suspension for the Saints' bounty scandal.

Federal prosecutors "were just made aware" of Loomis' eavesdropping device on April 20, a U.S. attorney told ESPN. But the device's covert capabilities were allegedly set up 10 years ago.

The former New York Mets clubhouse manager who admitted to stealing $2.3 million worth of team memorabilia will serve five years of probation, and can never set foot on Mets property ever again.

Charlie Samuels, 55, had worked for the Mets for more than three decades before the team fired him in 2010, the Associated Press reports.

"He had a baseball fan's dream job but allowed greed to get in his way," a Queens prosecutor said, according to the New York Daily News. Now Samuels will have to pay for his unauthorized personal collection, which he stashed in a friend's basement.

Ex-MLB star Roger Clemens' new perjury trial is set to begin in Washington, D.C., as the Cy Young-winning pitcher defends himself again from charges he lied to Congress about steroids.

"Good morning, good morning," Clemens, 49, said to potential jurors Monday in U.S. District Court, Reuters reports.

A federal judge and lawyers on both sides interviewed 20 prospective jurors Monday. It's the first step in Clemens' retrial, after an error by prosecutors derailed his first trial last summer.

Ozzie Guillen is suspended immediately "without pay" for five games, the Miami Marlins announced Tuesday, after the manager's remarks about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro unleashed fury from Cuban American fans.

Guillen, 48, in his first season as the Marlins' manager, apologized for a second time Tuesday for the controversy that he blamed on his own translation issues, Reuters reports.

In an interview with Time magazine's online edition, Guillen was quoted as saying, "I love Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years but that [expletive] is still there."

Ex-NFL star Warren Sapp has taken a huge hit to his bank account -- so much so, the defensive tackle-turned-TV commentator is seeking Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Sapp, 38, counts more than $6.7 million in debts in his bankruptcy filing, including unpaid child and spousal support, the Associated Press reports.

That figure eclipses Sapp's $6.4 million in assets, which include a $1,200 lion-skin rug, a $2,250 wristwatch, and 240 pairs of Jordan athletic shoes worth nearly $6,500.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has denied the Saints' appeal, leaving intact his initial punishment for the team's bounty program. The move comes as no surprise to individuals who read Goodell's original statement regarding the pay-for-pain scheme.

He called the team's actions "particularly unusual and egregious" and expressed concern about the intentional injuries and the team's "willful disrespect of the rules."

With these words, Goodell left little doubt that he is very serious about head coach Sean Payton's 1-year suspension.

The Oscar De La Hoya sex lawsuit may finally be coming to its end. A New York judge has knocked out the civil tort suit against the retired fighter.

Angelica Marie Cecora, the plaintiff, sued De La Hoya for $5 million alleging false imprisonment, assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, New York Daily News reports.

Judge Paul Wooten called Cecora's suit frivolous. He followed with a one-two of his own by ordering Cecora to pay De La Hoya's legal fees and imposed a $500 sanction on both her and her attorney. 

That wasn't the end of it, either.

The Detroit Lions have a marijuana problem.

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley was arrested on Tuesday and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in the second degree. This comes just weeks after running back Mikel Leshoure was busted for possession. Offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath was also arrested on similar charges in January.

Could the team soon be losing three of its players?

The Masters golf tournament tees off today with much anticipation: Many are waiting to see if the Augusta National Golf Club will offer a green jacket -- and membership -- to a woman, for the first time ever.

Augusta National opened as a men's golf club in 1933. The club has never granted membership to a woman, though women are allowed to play on its golf course, CBS News reports.

Activists are taking a swing at the issue again, as Augusta faces a precedent-setting dilemma. But Augusta's men-only policy is apparently legal, thanks to its status as a private club.

Oakland A's outfielder Manny Ramirez's domestic violence charge has been dropped by a Florida prosecutor.

The state dismissed the charge after his wife, Juliana Ramirez, failed to cooperate with investigators, The Washington Post reports.

It's believed that Juliana is currently out of state, a representative for the Broward County State Attorney's Office said.

Domestic violence charges don't always depend on the victims' cooperation, but it appears that in  Manny's case it might.

Oh, Ryan Leaf. Arrested two times in one weekend? Such a shame. But not at all surprising.

Montana police picked up the former NFL quarterback on Sunday, just two days after he was released on a $76,000 bond. The first arrest, which occurred on Friday, involved accusations of burglary and felony possession of prescription drugs. The second arrest?

The same exact thing.