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USC cornerback Josh Shaw admitted to USC officials Wednesday that his story about injuring his ankles after jumping off a second-story balcony to save his drowning nephew was a lie. Shaw, a senior and projected starter who was named a team captain over the weekend, has been suspended indefinitely. Shaw released a statement through his lawyer, Donald Etra, on Wednesday: "On Saturday August 23, I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part. My...

I don’t get it. After it found itself at the epicenter of a storm of criticism over a report on the shower habits of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player on an NFL roster, and his teammates, ESPN responded Wednesday morning with a further statement on the report.“ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports.”…In its initial response to the firestorm, ESPN reponded Tuesday: “In response to recent questions about Sam fitting in with the team, multiple...

Tuesday's SportsCenter featured an awkward break down of Michael Sam -- Rams defensive lineman and the first openly-gay player in the NFL -- and his shower habits. While Josina Anderson reported Kendall Langford said Sam is "one of the guys and seems to be taking a rookie approach in terms of listening and learning at his own pace" she also reported one unnamed Rams defensive player's position on Sam's showering with teammates. "Another defensive player told me Sam is 'respecting our space' and from his perspective he seems to think Michael Sam is kind of waiting to take a shower...

University of Southern California cornerback Josh Shaw is a real American hero. He’s currently sidelined with two high ankle sprains after jumping out of a second story window to save his drowning cousin who was in a pool but couldn’t swim, according to ESPN. “I would do it again for whatever kid it was, it did not have to be my nephew,” Shaw told ESPN. “My ankles really hurt, but I am lucky to be surrounded by the best trainers and doctors in the world. I am taking my rehab one day at a time, and I hope to be...

Troy Schmidt’s jaw dropped. A few minutes before, he had been preparing to start his seventh year as chaplain for the Olympia High School football team in Florida. But now, those plans had been changed – radically changed. “I received a call from the coach,” Schmidt told me. “He said Orange County Public Schools is no longer allowed to have chaplains as a part of the football program.” Schmidt, who is a campus pastor of the First Baptist Church of Windermere, Florida, listened as the football coach explained the district’s decision to cleanse Christianity from its ranks. “I could no...

Herby was in NY today w/ GMA folks. Watch Lara Spencer kick a FG barefoot.

Sometimes a story is too good to be true. Could this be the latest example of that adage at work? USC is opening an internal investigation into the story of senior cornerback John Shaw saving his nephew from drowning. The story shared by USC’s athletics website was inspirational and a touching one. Shaw reportedly suffered a pair of high ankle sprains while allegedly leaping from a second floor balcony into a pool below to save his nephew, who cannot swim. A day later, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian says there may be conflicting information regarding how the injury to Shaw’s...

NEW ORLEANS -- Leaders of the Slap Ya Mama Cajun spice company taped a new commercial in response to the NFL's ban on a popular ad method used for three years during preseason Saints games. "I'm in shock over it, it's wild, it's absurd,"said Slap Ya Mama Vice President Jack Walker.

USC senior cornerback Josh Shaw has been sidelined indefinitely after suffering two high ankle sprains while saving his 7-year-old nephew from drowning. According to USC’s RipsIt Blog, Shaw was attending a function at his cousin’s apartment when he looked down from the second-floor balcony and saw his 7-year-old nephew, who cannot swim, had fallen in the pool and was struggling to stay afloat. With total disregard for personal safety, Shaw jumped off the balcony and landed on the concrete below. He then crawled into the pool, grabbed his nephew and got him to safety. Then, even though both of his...

If you saw a Native American walking across the street, would you yell out, “Hey, Redskin, you dropped your hat’’? I don’t believe you would, no matter how strongly you feel that the Washington Redskins should be able to keep their nickname. And I don’t believe Mike Ditka would, either, even though he has come out strongly on the side of intolerance, whether he realizes it or not. The say-anything coach went off on those of us who want to see the Redskins nickname go the way of medical bloodletting. In an interview with RedskinsHistorian.com — you always save up...

InvisibleChurch has hosted a league for FReepers for the past decade. His schedule has changed and I volunteered to help out. Please join our group 18177, and use the password "donate". Same rules as for many years - just pick the team you think will win, and assign points based on how confident you are that the team will win. This year I am trying out tie breakers. Yahoo! gives us two, game scores and most/fewest points. We'll see if we like it. So for week 1, I may pick Dallas to beat San Fran in San Fran, and assign...

In the latest chapter of political correctness versus the sporting world of common sense, which is overwhelmingly behind owner Dan Snyder, leftists have now recruited some game announcers to refrain from saying “Redskins” during broadcasts. Why you ask? It’s all about a political agenda, a victimization platform, designed to grossly misrepresent the intent and history behind one the most recognizable teams in NFL history. If you recently fell off the turnip truck and landed in Nancy Pelosi’s garden for the not so gifted, the term ‘Redskins’ was obviously chosen to cheer a professional football team onto victory by conveying the...

Plenty of football players exercise on Chestatee High School’s field — it’s the exercising of their faith that atheists object to! Georgia locals found that out the hard way when the bullies at the American Humanist Association lined up against the team’s posters and prayers. In a move that’s almost comical, the national group sent an undercover photographer to practices and games, hoping to catch the team in an act of blatant religiosity. “We have received reports,” AHA insisted, “that CHS coaches have joined players in prayer while standing in a circle, hands interlocked.” Gasp! football team prayer The organization’s...

The Redskins' defensive backs took the field against the Cleveland Browns with their hands raised — a nod to the 'Hands up, don't shoot' pose that has become a symbol of solidarity among protesters in Ferguson, Mo. Washington Redskins players showed support for slain Missouri teen Michael Brown on Monday night by running on to the field with their hands up during the team's introductions. Safety Brandon Meriweather led the team's defensive backs through a tunnel and onto FedEx Field with their hands raised, a nod to the "Hands up, don't shoot" pose that has become a rallying cry for...

Ohio State senior quarterback Braxton Miller, considered by several polls to be among the preseason leaders to make a run at the Heisman Trophy, reinjured his right shoulder in practice this afternoon, sources told The Dispatch. The injury puts in jeopardy his playing status for the coming season. An OSU spokesman would not confirm the news, and coach Urban Meyer could not be reached for comment. But it likely means that redshirt-freshman J.T. Barrett will be the starter when the Buckeyes open the season against Navy on Aug.30 in Baltimore. Barrett moved ahead of sophomore Cardale Jones late last week...

Very long article, so linked.Actually a very well written insight (especially for something from bleacher report) into James Franklin and his staff. 16 guys that seem to stick together.

More than eight years after he took his last snap as quarterback of the Texas Longhorns, Vince Young is back with the university in a new capacity. The school announced Thursday that Young, who led the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship, will work for the school’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE). Beginning September 1, he will serve as a “development officer for program alumni relations” where his job will be to raise funds for programs “that address the educational challenges” of both first-generation college students and students who come from “low-income backgrounds.”

Arizona State University football player Edward "Chip" Sarafin has come out as gay, according to Compete Magazine. In the magazine's August issue, the offensive linebacker said he told his teammates last spring. "It was really personal to me, and it benefited my peace of mind greatly," he said. Serafin told Compete, he told his teammates mostly for himself and because he wanted them to hear it from him instead of the college rumor mill.

DALLAS — A few years back, Deion Sanders, the Hall of Fame cornerback and N.F.L. commentator who still digs being called by the nickname Prime Time, was approached with a splendid business proposition. A partner suggested creating a Texas charter school. They would name it after Sanders: Prime Prep Academy. They would collect and mentor the finest male athletes in Texas and elsewhere and become a powerhouse. God only knows what business opportunities might come along, particularly if they could tap Sanders’s deep-pocketed backers, like the sports clothing manufacturer Under Armour, for which Sanders works as a brand ambassador. All...

The son of the former Penn State football player had only five weeks to live. Pete Curkendall and his wife, Renee, already were caring for an adopted girl with AIDS and cerebral palsy. Doctors then stunned them with news that their 2 1/2-year-old biological son, Joshua, had a cancerous brain tumor and almost certainly wouldn't survive. They had just moved to the Syracuse, N.Y., area and knew hardly anyone. At least they weren't lacking for hope and resolve. Caring for kids with special needs was a life-long plan for Renee Curkendall, as much now as it was then, 16 years...