College football analyst Craig James was fired by Fox Sports over anti-gay comments he made while he was running for political office in Texas last year. According to the Dallas Morning News , he joined the Fox Sports Southwest team in late August (this year) but was cut loose after just one appearance . A former college football standout at SMU and with the New England Patriots during the 1980s, Craig James went on to be a polarizing analyst for ESPN. He left broadcasting to join the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Texas in 2011, and the anti-gay remarks came during a primary debate in early 2012. James said that homosexual people would “answer to the Lord for their actions” and claimed that being gay was “a choice,” according to USA Today. He also chastised opponent Tom Leppert for attending a gay pride parade. James placed a distant fourth, WAY behind Leppert, David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz , who went on to win the Senate seat, in the 2012 GOP primary election. As for why the 52-year-old broadcaster was fired now for comments he made on the record, and in a public forum, almost a year and a half ago? “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” an unnamed Fox spokesman told the Morning News . “He couldn’t say those things here.” Citing unnamed sources, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated reported that James’ hiring “had not been fully vetted at the highest levels of Fox Sports management.” “Craig James will not be making any further appearances on Fox Sports Southwest’s football coverage this season,” the Fox Sports spokesperson told Deitsch.
Bradley College Signs Terminally Ill 5-Yr-Old To Basketball Team This is such a great story … Via NBC Sports: No, this is not another story of recruiting gone bad. It’s the rare recruiting gone very right tale. On Friday, kindergartner Johnah Sahrs and his nine-year-old brother Jarrett signed letters of intent to join the Bradley Braves for the 2013-14 season. Johnah is battling the life-threatening condition neuroblastoma and his older brother has been doing what brothers do – helping his sibling get through the tough times. The brothers were introduced to the Braves by Team Impact, a non-profit organization that gets sick kids together with their favorite college teams. Bradley’s website went the whole nine yards, announcing the signing in a non-ironic press release that could touch the coldest heart. A 3-foot-4-inch guard, Johnah Sahrs will wear uniform number 1. He becomes both the youngest and the shortest player in Bradley Basketball history. Standing 4-foot-5-inches, Jarret Sahrs will wear uniform number 32. Senior guard Mason Alwan, sophomore guard Anthony Fields, senior center Jordan Prosser and freshman guard Jordan Swopshire gave the Sahrs brothers a tour of the Renaissance Coliseum facilities prior to the signing ceremony and will serve as their primary team mentors throughout the season. So wonderful! We hope little Johnah can beat his condition and live a long healthy life. Continue reading →
Grammy-winning singer Bruno Mars will perform at halftime of Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, a person familiar with the NFL’s entertainment plans told the AP. The season-ending event is set for February 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Yes, an outdoor stadium minutes from New York City. In February. The potential for bad weather, marketing tie-ins and a deluge of media, advertising and branding giants may make this Big Game the biggest yet. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently noted that there’s “already more buzz around this Super Bowl this year than any Super Bowl in its history.” The halftime performance will be a major stage for Mars, as the telecast has drawn over 100 million viewers in the United States alone in recent years. Football season kicks off in earnest today.
Lamar Odom’s crack addiction is beyond bad. We’re talking the point where even his own dealer, a man who deals crack for a living, had to cut him off. Lamar Odom Watch: Where is He Now? TMZ quotes sources close to the dealer in claiming that he had delivered the powerful substance to the NBA star all summer long, but it got to be too much. Last week, Lamar Odom’s crack addiction became insatiable. Incessantly, he would call, demanding more and more crack. Apparently even his longtime, go-to dealer got scared enough to cut Lamar off … partly for his own good but mostly to cover his own behind as well. After all, if Odom dies, he’d no longer be off the grid. Authorities would investigate and come down on him like wife Khloe Kardashian is trying to come down on her husband, only he’d actually go to prison. Lamar, of course, has not necessarily stopped using. He just had to find a new source, which isn’t hard if you’re invested in the whole scene like he apparently is. Guy has his connections all over it seems. The name Polina Polonsky ring a bell? In fact, after leaving rehab after one day , rumors surfaced that he wasn’t ready to get clean or admit he had an issue, and is already back on drugs. He’s refused multiple interventions from Khloe Kardashian’s family, his former NBA teammates and his friends from NYC, but no one can get through. There are reports that Odom is receiving out-patient treatment for addiction, and though this has not been confirmed, we really hope it’s the case. Any treatment is better than nothing right now. He was last seen Friday at a sushi restaurant, where he ordered soup and green tea. So there’s that.
Big shock there… Aaron Hernandez Pleads Not Guilty To Odin Lloyd Murder Charges Via USAToday Six times on Friday a Superior Court clerk read a charge against Aaron Hernandez and asked for his plea, and six times the former New England Patriots tight end answered strongly: “Not guilty.” Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the murder of his friend, 27-year-old semipro football player Odin Lloyd, and five accompanying weapons charges at his arraignment for an indictment handed down by a Fall River grand jury two weeks ago. Hernandez, who will seek bail at an Oct. 9 hearing, will remain held in a Bristol County correctional facility, where he has been since his arrest on June 26. When Hernandez originally was charged, a Bristol County District Court judge ordered him held without bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and the convincing evidence. Hernandez’s attorneys will attack the circumstantial evidence against their client at the bail hearing next month, but bail is unlikely with other shooting investigations — with possible links to Hernandez — pending. Still, Hernandez’s attorneys, who has previously vowed that he would be “exonerated,” asked the public not to jump to conclusions. The information and evidence that has been released on this case has all been one-sided and untested, they said. “Not one shred of evidence has been presented (in court) yet,” Hernandez attorney Charles Rankin said. He likened an arraignment to “a kickoff” in a football game. Senor Hernandez is gonna have to tell one helluva story to get himself outta this one. Image via AP
Lamar Odom reportedly refused another intervention with friends during the downward spiral that is torpedoing his NBA career and marriage to Khloe Kardashian. “He’s headed for destruction,” says a friend who reportedly flew out to L.A. with a handful of Odom’s pals from N.Y. in hopes of getting Lamar help. Lamar Odom: OUT of Rehab “A few weeks ago his friends from the projects back in Queens flew out to L.A. and banged on Lamar’s door trying to have an intervention with him.” “They wanted to take him home to New York and get him clean but Lamar wouldn’t open the door, telling them he ‘didn’t give a f–k what the world thinks.’” Odom added that they “‘don’t know the pressure I’m under,'” but the friends finally got him to open his door, and were distressed by what they saw . “He’s smoking crack now,” the insider revealed. His friends “knew he liked to freebase cocaine, but they were shocked to see him with crack. They found more than 60 grams of crack in his possession.” “He had no intentions of stopping.” This intervention was one of three held with Odom – the others by NBA teammates and Khloe Kardashian and family – in an attempt to get him clean. No dice. Addicted to Oxycontin and Ambien, Lamar briefly entered a rehab clinic last August under pressure from the Kardashians, but left after three weeks. That was sadly a lot longer than he lasted this week, when Odom checked out of rehab after just one day and immediately went off the grid again. His whereabouts are unknown, as the athlete and his camp have kept his estranged wife, and the entire Kardashian clan, in the dark about everything. That includes Lamar’s arrest for DUI last week, which Khloe found out about from TMZ like everyone else. Not a good sign for their future – or his life. “Lamar feels invincible because he’s rich and famous, but he also seems scared that his destiny is to be a drug addict like his father,” the source said. “He’s really struggling right now. It’s bad. We are all at a loss for words.” “His friends fear he’s suicidal and trying to smoke himself to death.”
As expected, former NFL star Aaron Hernandez pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and more in a Massachusetts court on Friday. Six times, a charge was read and six times, his plea was “Not guilty.” Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the murder of his friend, 27-year-old semipro football player Odin Lloyd, and five accompanying weapons charges. Today was his arraignment. His next hearing is October 9. Hernandez will seek bail on that date. Until then, he’ll remain held in a Bristol County correctional facility, where he has been since his arrest on June 26. A Bristol County District Court judge has ordered the athlete held without bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and the convincing evidence . Hernandez’s attorneys will attack the circumstantial evidence next month, but bail is unlikely with other investigations – with possible links to him – pending. Just the same, his lawyers said he will be “exonerated” and asked the public not to jump to conclusions based on “one-sided and untested” evidence. “In a sense, this is like the opening kickoff,” Hernandez lawyer Charles Rankin said after the arraignment, “and we have a long way to go before trial.” “We encourage everyone to keep an open mind. We feel confident when evidence is presented in a court of law, Aaron Hernandez will be exonerated.” Last month, prosecutors divulged that police are probing Hernandez’s possible ties to a double homicide in Boston in 2012 in which two men were killed. Then, in February 2013, a shooting in Florida took place and one of Hernandez’s friends said he shot him in the face and blinded him in one eye. That friend, Alexander Bradley, has filed a lawsuit that says the ex-New England Patriot shot him as they argued in a car, then dumped him in an alley to die. Hernandez was granted a stay in that case until criminal charges against him in Massachusetts – and any other possible jurisdiction – have been settled. Stay tuned.
Has homewrecking put her on top of her game? As she dominates the US Open, Serena and her rumored coach boo are the subject of a new feature that credits him with helping her kill the competition. Via NYDailyNews reports : At 31 years old and chasing history, she has overpowered everything on her court, ranked or unranked, finding health and peak performance behind a new coach who apparently doubles as a significant other. It has been this way for months — ever since Patrick Mouratoglou began overseeing her career last year. “Mentally, she’s different. She really wants it,” the Frenchman coach said. “She’s working like she’s 19 years old and wants to win her first Grand Slam. She has the same appetite. “That makes a huge difference. How many players being (almost) 32 have the same appetite and especially after winning so many Grand Slams? I mean, they are different. Serena is really different, mentally.” Williams, who turns 32 on Sept. 26, is the unbeatable force at Flushing, a lock, it would seem, to bowl through Friday’s semifinals and move one step closer to the three women with more Grand Slam titles — Chris Evert (18), Martina Navratilova (18) and Steffi Graf (22). Williams, who faces fifth-seeded Li Na on Friday, has 16 Grand Slam titles and counting. She has dropped just 13 games through five rounds at the Open. But Mouratoglou said history or records are never discussed. “She doesn’t speak about it,” Mouratoglou said. “What she says is she wants to be the best she can be. She wants to keep on improving. She said to me at the start, ‘I’m prepared to do anything to be back to the top and to be winning Grand Slams.’ ” According to reports and paparazzi pictures, Mouratoglou, 43, is more than a coach to Williams. He started working with Williams in June last year, following her first-round ouster at the French Open. Williams responded with three Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal, while her off-the-court relationship with her coach raised eyebrows. The pair has been photographed together during intimate moments, whether holding hands on a boat, or cuddling on a street in France. Both have declined to discuss their relationship beyond tennis, but it’s clear they’re comfortable in each other’s presence. Maria Sharapova, who skipped this U.S. Open because of a shoulder injury, brought negative attention to the relationship in a back-and-forth with Williams during Wimbledon. “Maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids,” Sharapova sniped. Mouratoglou, who has three children, is separated from his wife. Williams is by far his highest-profile client, and certainly a success story after guiding her through the best stretch of a 17-year career. So what adjustments has Mouratoglou made to Williams’ game? “When you have a player at that level, small changes make big differences,” he said. “Small changes make major differences. They can make someone play from a great level to an unbelievable level. “The better you achieve what you want to achieve, the more confidence you get. The more confidence you get, the more difficult to beat also you get. So little things have many consequences.” Should it matter that homeboy is married with three kids since he’s technically SEPARATED? And do those details even belong in a story that is about her SPORT, not her personal life? Is Serena different mentally because she’s happy and in love and it translates onto the tennis court? Just some questions we had after reading the story. Getty Images
This baller’s wife was spotted leaving the Apple store in Soho via cab. The mother of three is wed to an NBA vet who recently switched teams. Can you name her NBA hubby? Hit the flip for the answer. AKM-GSI Continue reading →
Kim Kardashian has come out of hiding once again. And this time, she’s given fans something to talk about aside from her figure or baby North West . Kim has gone blonde! And, no, it’s not a wig this time. Perhaps wanting to divert attention from the admission that she may pose nude for Playboy again , Kim was spotted around Los Angeles this weekend with a very different hair color. Check out the new look in the following video (for U.S. and UK residents only… sorry!) and decide… Kim Kardashian Goes Blonde! … what do you think? She’s a beautiful blonde! She’s a better brunette! View Poll »
