Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer ‘proud’ of time at Florida
AHN Sports Staff Columbus, OH, United States (AHN Sports) – Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer addressed a Sporting News article that was critical of his coaching style while at his previous stop at Florida. Meyer, who led the Gators to a pair of national titles, said he indeed favored players who did what they needed to on the field and in the classroom. “When you start saying preferential treatment to players, that’s probably a correct statement. We did do that. We do that here. We did it at Bowling Green and Utah,” said Meyer Wednesday on the Big Ten coaches spring teleconference, referring to his previous coaching stints. “If you go to class, you’re a warrior, you do things the right way off and on the field, and you’re completely committed to helping us win, you’re going to get treated really good.” An alleged incident involving wideout Percy Harvin, in which he was said to have physically confronted a Gators assistant coach, was raised in the story. Harvin supposedly wasn’t disciplined for his part of the incident, though the assistant denies it ever took place. “I’m extremely proud of what we did down there. And throwing great players — not good players, great players — under the bus like that, I don’t get the intent,” Meyer said. “I’ll fight for those guys, man. Those guys did a lot of great things for the University of Florida. And to sit there and call them out four or five years later, I’m not sure of the intent, once again. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Bye-Bye Bobby: Arkansas dismisses football coach Petrino
AHN Sports Staff Fayetteville, AR, United States (AHN Sports) – A visibly shaken and upset Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long announced the firing of football coach Bobby Petrino Tuesday, just days after Petrino tried to cover up a motorcycle crash in which he had a female member of the department on board. Long said he made the decision after a full review of the facts, which included the revelation that Petrino gave the same woman, Jessica Dorrell, $20,000 for an unknown reason. “In this case, coach Petrino abused his authority when he made a staff hire that benefited himself and jeopardized integrity of football program,” Long said. “There was no negotiation about how he could remain as our coach.” Petrino served as coach for the program for four years before the controversy struck. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Wideout Steve Smith signs with Panthers through 2015
AHN Sports Staff Charlotte, NC, United States (AHN Sports) – Wideout Steve Smith signed a three-year extension with the Panthers Tuesday, keeping the Pro Bowler in Charlotte through 2015. Smith hauled in 79 passes for 1,394 yards and seven TD this past season in a solid campaign working with rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Smith, 33, is the team’s all-time leader with 699 catches, 10,278 receiving yards, 59 TD. He is just the the 35th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards and stands at No. 32 all-time on the list. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Ex-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams fingered 49ers to injure
AHN Sports Staff New Orleans, LA, United States (AHN Sports) – A documentary filmmaker captured former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams telling his players to injure specific members of the San Francisco 49ers the night before the NFC playoff game. Williams delivered an emotional speech urging his players to injure quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore and wideouts Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams, according to filmmaker Sean Pamphilon. “At one point Williams says, ‘We hit (expletive) Smith right there’ – then he points under his chin (and continues) – ‘remember me,’” Pamphilon told Yahoo! Sports. Pamphilon admitted that coach Sean Payton or general manager Mickey Loomis were not in the room while Williams made his speech. “Kill the head, the body will die,” Williams said of Gore. “We’ve to do everything in the world to make sure we kill Frank Gore’s head.” Williams has been suspended indefinitely by the league while Payton, Loomis and assistant coach Joe Vitt are appealing their bans. Payton was suspended for the 2012 season, Loomis eight games and Vitt six by the NFL. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
UEFA Champions: Chelsea tops Belfica; Real Madrid pummels Apoel
AHN Sports Staff London, United Kingdom (AHN Sports) – Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles netted a goal each as Chelsea secured a seat in the semifinals with a 2-1 victory against Belfica in the second leg of their UEFA Champions league quarterfinals match at Stamford Bridge. After winning the first leg by a goal, Chelsea started the match a little bit sluggish but the trio of Lampard, Branislav Ivanovic, and Fernando Torres kept the Blues offensive attack deadly. Chelsea finally seized its first clear chance at scoring as referee Damir Skomina awarded a penalty kick to Lampard, who calmly slotted the goal into the net for a 1-0 lead (2-0 aggregate) in the 21st minute of the quarterfinals showdown. Despite playing a man down after Maxi Pereira was slapped with a red card, Belfica fought hard and even tied the score following a beautiful goal by Javi Garcia in the 85th minute. However, there’s just no stopping Chelsea from booking their fourth UEFA Champions league semis appearance in six seasons after Meireles broke free and blasted the killer goal in the 90th minute. The victory put Chelsea in a semifinals duel with a Spanish football power Barcelona, which blasted A.C Milan, 3-1, in the second leg of their quarterfinals contest. Meanwhile, Real Madrid also marched on to the semifinal round after beating Apoel Nicosia, 5-2 (8-2), in Wednesday’s high-scoring semis game at Santiago Bernabéu. After routing the Cyprus-based ballclub 3-0 in the first leg, the Spanish powerhouse remained aggressive in the offense and consistently applied pressure on Apoel’s brittle defense. In the end, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and Kaka nailed another as Real Madrid moved a step closer towards claiming their 9th UEFA Champions League title. Real Madrid will next face Bayern Munich, which came off a 2-0 (4-0 aggregate) win over French ballclub Marseille in the quarterfinals. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Nike, NFL unveil new uniforms for all 32 teams
AHN Sports Staff New York, NY, United States (AHN Sports) – The NFL showed off its new look Tuesday as Nike debuted new uniforms for all 32 NFL teams at an unveiling event in New York. Anticipation of drastic changes was unfounded as most of the uniforms appeared to have minor tweaks to them but still resembled what fans have come to expect. The one team uniform Nike did the most changes too was Seattle’s. The Seahawks now have a new helmet logo and revised color and design for home and away jerseys. The uniform offer players a lightweight design and greater range of motion. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who has a Nike endorsement deal, offered a positive review. “It’s awesome. It’s a great opportunity for Nike, and it’s a great opportunity for the NFL,” Vick told NFL Network. “We’ll feel good and we’ll play good, and I’m very excited for the Nike brand.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Ex-NFL quarterback Leaf faces longer jail time following arrest
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Helena, MT, United States (AHN Sports) – Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf could face imprisonment longer than his 10-year probation term if his probation is revoked following his arrest Friday in his hometown of Great Falls on charges of burglary, drug possession and theft. Police said that Leaf, 35, was arrested after a month-long investigation that concluded with the former NFL player breaking into an acquaintance’s residence to steal prescription painkillers. Leaf, the former San Diego Chargers first round draft pick, was released on a $76,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Meanwhile, Leaf, who only lasted four seasons in the pros and never lived up to the hype he had as a star player for Washington State, released a statement through his publicist, Wendy Ogunsemore, Friday night. “I’ve made some mistakes, and have no excuses,” the statement read. “I am using the tools I’ve learned to move forward rather than backwards, and will be open to talking about the details in the days to come. “I am confident that there will be further understanding when the facts are revealed, and feel very blessed for all of the support, especially from my friends and family.” The latest legal trouble is not the first for Leaf, who faced a similar accusation in 2008, when he was accused of robbing a player’s home while serving as the quarterbacks coach for Division II West Texas A&M. The investigation following that 2008 incident revealed that Leaf had obtained nearly 1,000 pain pills from area pharmacies in an eight-month span. In May 2009, he was indicted on burglary and controlled substance charges in Texas. Leaf, who was undergoing drug rehab in British Columbia at the time of the indictment, was arrested by customs agents as he returned to the United States. That same year, he pleaded guilty to eight felony drug charges and sentenced to 10 years of probation and fined $20,000. That same plea agreement could be revoked, according to reports. On Saturday, the West Texas district attorney who prosecuted Leaf in 2009 indicated that he will file a motion to revoke the former NFL player’s probation following his arrest in Montana. San Diego made Leaf the
Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Peters ruptures Achilles tendon
AHN Sports Staff Philadelphia, PA, United States (AHN Sports) – Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg during a workout in Texas earlier this week, according to the team. Peters will reportedly undergo surgery next week and could take up to a year to fully heal. Coach Andy Reid’s team will depend on King Dunlap, who started a pair of games last season and played in a dozen, to fill Peters’ void. “Jason is one of the best, if not the best, offensive tackle in the NFL,” Reid said in a statement. “We don’t know when he will return to the field and we will not speculate on a timeline. We are just going to let the surgical process and the rehabilitation process play itself out. “(General manager) Howie (Roseman) and I will sort out the roster situation for the offensive line. We are glad to have King back as a part of our offensive line and we will continue to scan the free agent market, also knowing the draft is less than a month away.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Packers agree to terms with defensive end Hargrove
AHN Sports Staff Green Bay, WI, United States (AHN Sports) – The Green Bay Packers agreed to terms on a deal with free agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove according to reports Thursday. ESPN first reported the deal. Terms were not disclosed. The 28-year-old Hargrove played with the Seattle Seahawks last season, recording 18 tackles and three sacks. Hargrove has also played with the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams during his career. For his career Hargrove has 19.5 sacks in 102 games. In 2008, Hargrove was suspended for a year by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
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