News sport : Former NFL safety Darren Sharper charged with rape in Las Vegas

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FILE - In this Feb. 20, 2014, file photo, former NFL safety Darren Sharper appears in Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles. Sharper and two other men were indicted Friday, Dec. 12, 2014, on multiple rape allegations in New Orleans , adding to a list of charges and allegations the ex-player faces in several states. AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Bob Chamberlin, Pool) Longtime NFL safety Darren Sharper has been charged with rape in Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press.


Already facing sexual assault charges in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Arizona, a Las Vegas judge brought up two more sexual assault charges on Sharper stemming from allegations from January 2014. Those allegations state that Sharper “forced sex on two women while they were incapable of resisting.” Each charge carries a potential sentence of 10 years to life.


The 39-year-old Sharper has been in jail in Los Angeles since Feb. 27 after pleading not guilty to drugging and raping two women in 2013. Additionally, Sharper been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three other women in New Orleans in 2013 and indicted on charges of drugging three women and sexually assaulting two of them in 2013 in Tempe, Ariz.


Sharper played in the NFL for 14 seasons for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2010. Sharper played in six Pro Bowls and was a six-time All Pro selection. He won a Super Bowl with the Saints in 2010.


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News sport : Utah State WR Hayden Weichers facing sexual assault and drug charges

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Suspended Utah State receiver Gregory Hayden Weichers, who was arrested for soliciting a prostitute last fall, also has been charged with distribution of a controlled substance and sexual battery.


Weichers previously pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute and was indefinitely suspended from the team in November.


On Oct. 22, police responded to a call at a Logan, Utah hotel where a woman claimed to have been drugged and sexually assaulted. The woman admitted to being at the hotel for escort services, which prompted Weichers’ original arrest. However, police learned that Weichers came to the hotel with marijuana and sexually assaulted the woman.


Weichers, 20, faces one count of distributing a controlled substance, a third-degree felony, and sexual battery, a class-A misdemeanor. Weichers faces up to five years on the drug charge and up to a year on the sexual battery charge.


A court date has not yet been set.


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Diego Costa back in Spanish side

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Chelsea striker Diego Costa was recalled by Spain for matches against Ukraine and the Netherlands this month.


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Madrid - Chelsea striker Diego Costa was recalled by Spain on Friday for matches against Ukraine and the Netherlands this month.


The Brazil-born striker missed games against Belarus and Germany in November because of a hamstring injury.


Costa will be joined by Chelsea teammate Cesc Fabregas, Manchester City playmaker David Silva, and Barcelona's Andres Iniesta.


Del Bosque called up two new players for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Ukraine in Seville on March 27: Sevilla winger Vitolo and Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo.


“We have brought Vitolo into our path. We can use him on the left-hand side,” coach Vicente del Bosque said. “Sergio Asenjo is playing well for Villarreal, and that has been rewarded.”


Juventus striker Alvaro Morata, who made his debut for Spain in November, was also back.


Unbeaten in three matches with Ukraine, Spain will be looking for a third straight win in Group C since a shock defeat to leader Slovakia in October.


After hosting Ukraine, Del Bosque's team travels to the Netherlands for a friendly four days later.


Spain: Iker Casillas, David de Gea, Sergio Asenjo, Juanfran, Dani Carvajal, Gerard Pique, Marc Bartra, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Jordi Alba, Juan Bernat, Mario Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Mikel San Jose, David Silva, Santi Cazorla, Andres Iniesta, Koke, Vitolo, Isco, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata.


Sapa-AP






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News sport : Brian Vickers out because of blood clots, Brett Moffitt in at ACS

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Brian Vickers is out for Sunday's race at Auto Club Speedway after experiencing a reoccurrence of blood clots.


The team said he'd be replaced by Brett Moffitt in the No. 55. Because of the clots, Vickers needs to be on blood-thinning medication. He can't drive while on blood-thinners.


“Thankfully, because I recognized the signs and symptoms, the doctors caught this early and I’m going to be ok. I had finished my treatment for the clot I had in my leg back in 2013 and I haven’t needed to be on a blood thinner for a clot in my leg or lung since,” Vickers said in a team statement. “Now I won’t be able to race because I’ll need to be back on a blood thinner. I’m going to follow doctor’s orders and do everything I need to do to get well.”


Vickers missed the first two races of 2015 after heart surgery in December. The surgery was to replace a patch in his heart that was installed when Vickers first experienced an issue with blood clots. Clots sidelined him for much of the 2010 season. He was also forced to miss the end of the 2013 season because of the clot in his right leg.


“First and foremost our thoughts are with Brian and his family,” Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Michael Waltrip said in a statement. “He isn’t just our race car driver, he is our friend and we know the NASCAR community will continue to rally around Brian. We are fortunate to have Brett Moffitt in our system and marveled at his great drive in Atlanta three weeks ago, so we know he can get the job done in the No. 55 this weekend. As this news is very fresh and the situation is very fluid, we can only plan for this weekend at this point.”


Moffitt finished eighth at Atlanta while subbing for Vickers. He's been in the No. 34 car for David Ragan since and no announcement has been made on his replacement for the No. 34.


MWR didn't give a timeline for Vickers' return. He's already been given a waiver for the Chase after missing Daytona and Atlanta. The length of this absence will likely determine if NASCAR gives him a waiver for the Chase and if it's realistically possible for him to be in the top 30 in points anyway.


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News sport : Conor McGregor takes aim at Jose Aldo's face in round of darts

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Conor McGregor touched down in Brazil less than 24 hours ago and he’s already ended up shirtless, posing with pretty Brazilian admirers and deadpanning killer fight rhetoric through his black Ray-Bans.


Hamming it up for media as part of the press tour for his UFC 189 fight on July 11 in Las Vegas against featherweight champion Jose Aldo, McGregor decided to partake in the old Irish tradition of darts. Instead of using a regular dartboard to set his sights on, “Notorious” decided to use his opponents face instead:



Just one day into the 10-city circus and things are already getting interesting. Along with Rio de Janeiro, the tour includes stops in Las Vegas, Toronto, New York, Boston, London, and of course Dublin.


McGregor (17-2), the flashy 26-year-old Irishman, is getting his shot at UFC gold after only five promotional wins. However, his work on the microphone and his wicked skill-set inside the cage has earned him the dubious honor of challenging one of the pound-for-pound greats in Aldo (25-1).


The heat on this fight is only just beginning. Fans got a taste of what can be expected when McGregor jumped the fence after his most recent victory — a first-round stoppage of Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night in January — and ran into the crowd to confront a grinning Aldo in the front row.


Few are more entertaining, inside or outside of the cage, than McGregor.






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News sport : Former Temple standout Matt Brown arrested on human trafficking charges

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Former Temple all-purpose player Matt Brown was arrested on Tuesday and charged with human trafficking.


Brown, 25, was arrested during a sting operation after he brought three girls, ages 14, 16 and 17, to a Baltimore County hotel for prostitution, police told the Baltimore Sun.


According to the paper, detectives responded to an ad that contained terminology "known to be used by prostitutes." They arranged a meeting with Brown and Anthony Eley, 30. The two men were arrested Tuesday night and the girls were classified as victims of human trafficking.


As of Thursday, Brown was being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center. His bail was set at $75,000.


Brown, who is the son of prominent Baltimore attorney Warren Brown, was a standout for the Temple football team from 2009-2012. After walking on to the team in January 2009, Brown went on to be the 2012 Big East Special Teams Player of the Year and finished second in career all-purpose yardage (5,272), third in rushing touchdowns (22), and fourth in 100-yard rushing performances (10).


Brown, who is 5-foot-5, 165 pounds, was signed as a free agent kick returner by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, but released.



Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : Kevin Durant 'removed from basketball activities,' could miss rest of season

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Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced Friday that All-Star forward Kevin Durant, the league's reigning Most Valuable Player, "has been removed from basketball activities on the floor," a significant setback in Durant's attempts to return to game action after undergoing another surgical procedure on his right foot last month.


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Durant has been limited to just 27 games after suffering a Jones fracture to his right foot just before the start of the 2014-15 NBA season. He had been ramping up his work in practice of late in anticipation of a return, and Thunder coach Scott Brooks said last week that Durant was "one to two weeks" from returning to Oklahoma City. New concerns arose Thursday, however, as Durant sat out Thunder practice "with another bout of soreness in his surgically-repaired right foot."


Brooks declined to offer a timetable for Durant's return or much in the way of specifics on his setback on Thursday. The comparatively small amount of light Presti shed on the proceedings Friday wound up sounding pretty dark.


"He's not making the progress we had hoped," Presti told reporters. "[...] I would say out indefinitely."


"Indefinitely" doesn't necessarily preclude Durant from returning this season. It does, however, cast significant doubt on the prospect of a comeback to anything resembling his prior, All-World offensive form this season.





News of Durant's indefinite shutdown comes just three days after Oklahoma City power forward Serge Ibaka underwent surgery to "alleviate the soreness and swelling he had been experiencing" in his right knee, a procedure that will sideline the Thunder's best interior defender for four to six weeks. Oklahoma City now seems likely to be without two of its best three players for the balance of the regular season, placing an even greater burden on All-Star guard Russell Westbrook — who has been sensational of late — to keep the Thunder afloat in a hardfought race to secure the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City enters Friday's game with the East-leading Atlanta Hawks at 38-30, one game ahead of the ninth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans and 2 1/2 games ahead of the No. 10 Phoenix Suns.


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : Former UNLV RB David Peeples died of accidental painkiller overdose

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Sep 14, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; A detailed view of a UNLV Rebels helmet before a game against the Washington State Cougars at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE Former UNLV running back David Peeples died of an accidental overdose, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.


Peeples, a Las Vegas native, died at Mountain View Hospital on Feb. 25. He overdosed on hydrocodone, a substance found in various prescription painkillers. The coroner’s office, which issued its report on Thursday, did not believe the overdose was intentional. Peeples was 29.


Peeples was the Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year in 2003 and enrolled at UNLV in 2004. However, his collegiate career was hindered by injuries. He rushed for 566 yards and eight touchdowns as a Rebel.


At the time of his death, UNLV Sports Information Director Mark Wallington and Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, a Las Vegas native, remembered Peeples fondly on Twitter.




For more UNLV news, visit Rebel-Net.com.


Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : N.C. State students go crazy after BeeJay Anya's game-winner (Video)

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N.C. State overcame a big deficit to shock LSU in the final seconds of Thursday night’s East region game in Pittsburgh when sophomore forward BeeJay Anya hit a left-handed hook in the lane to give the Wolfpack a dramatic victory.


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N.C. State students packed the Talley Student Center back Raleigh and anxiously watched the game’s final sequence. As Anya’s shot rolled around the rim, clanged off the backboard, and eventually fell, the room went bonkers.



Anya scored his only four points of the game in the final minute to help his team overcome an LSU 14-point second-half lead.


The win moves the Wolfpack into the Round of 32 where they’ll take on No. 1 seed Villanova on Saturday night.


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News sport : Former Penn State walk-on Marshall Lefferts battling cancer

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If you need a break from the NCAA tournament this fine Friday, the Penn Stater, Penn State’s alumni magazine, has the fantastic story of a former walk-on, who is currently battling cancer.


Marshall Lefferts, an offensive lineman from Dallas, walked on at Penn State last summer and had visions of redshirting while he got stronger and bigger to keep up with the grind of the FBS. However, in the fall, Lefferts started feeling tired even after mundane activities.


“I had no energy,” Lefferts told the Penn Stater football blog. “I would go to class, come back to my room, and sleep all day.”


In mid-November, blood tests showed low numbers for his platelets and white blood cells, and ultimately he was diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). This form of leukemia, however, has a 85-90 percent survival rate and Lefferts has been living up to those odds.


“It sucked at the time to put football on hold,” Lefferts said, “but if that hadn’t happened, I probably would’ve died. The doctors told me, ‘One hit would’ve killed you.'”


Lefferts’ spring schedule has consisted of working out in the morning and chemotherapy in the afternoon. He said the chemotherapy left him exhausted for a few hours, so doing it in the afternoon meant he can be rested for the gym in the morning. His most recent blood test showed no sign of the cancer, which meant a month off from chemo. However, he’ll resume treatments after that.



Lefferts’ doctors said he could probably return to the field in August if he continued to make positive progress. However, he probably won’t be returning to Penn State. He said he’s likely going to stay closer to family either in Dallas where his mother lives or in California with his father.


“My ultimate goal is to play somewhere. I don’t know if it’ll be at the level of Penn State, but it’s a big priority for me,” he says. “At the same time, my No. 1 priority is getting a great education, and I know I would’ve gotten a phenomenal education at Penn State.”


For more Penn State news, visit BlueandWhiteIllustrated.com.


Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : Watch the Georgia State golf team's epic reaction to R.J. Hunter's 3-pointer (Video)

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A wild opening day of the NCAA tournament was highlighted by No. 14 seed Georgia State’s remarkable comeback win over No. 3 seed Baylor. GSU’s R.J. Hunter drilled a deep 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds remaining to put the bow on the team’s 13-0 run in the final minutes to shock the Bears, 57-56.


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The Georgia State golf team was watching the game intently back in Atlanta and a camera were rolling as Hunter’s shot went in the air.


The team’s reaction was priceless:



The win marked the second NCAA tournament victory in the school’s history, so everyone on campus was going nuts.


The Panthers will get back on the court in the Round of 32 on Saturday when they take on No. 6 seed Xavier at 6:10 p.m. ET.


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News sport : Keegan Bradley says transition to the short putter is 'going great'

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One of the big questions going into 2015 was how players who have been employing the anchored putting stroke would make the transition to a traditional stroke.


With the anchored stroke set to become illegal on Jan. 1, 2016, it would be a matter of time before a player would have to make the change, but how and when piqued the interest of a many in the game.


As it turns out, a number of players have decided to ditch the anchored stroke now rather than wait until the last minute. That group includes Keegan Bradley, who has made the switch to the short putter away from the anchored belly putter. It's starting to show results. After a 4-under 68 on Thursday to open the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bradley talked about the process.


"It's been going great," Bradley said. "I haven't been putting great, haven't been putting bad."


The 2011 PGA champion noted how it's a different deal for the likes of him and Webb Simpson -- young guys who have used the anchored stroke for years, and not necessarily as a Band-Aid for a flimsy stroke.


"It's just for guys like me and Webb, every round that we play is so big for us because it's just another round under our belt that we haven't had," he said. "This is new for all of us."


Bradley kept the change as simple as possible, simply cutting down the length of the Odyssey belly putter he had been using.


"I just was starting to keep it as similar as possible, grip it the same spot, all that stuff," he said. "Trying to keep it as similar as I can."



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Madrid derby for Champions League

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Holders Real Madrid will face city rivals Atletico in the last eight of the Champions League, a repeat of last year's final.


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Nyon, Switzerland - Holders Real Madrid will face city rivals Atletico in the last eight of the Champions League after Friday's draw set up a repeat of last year's final.


Paris St Germain and Barcelona were paired together having met in the group stage, with the French side winning in Paris and the Catalans coming out on top in Spain.


Porto will face 2013 champions Bayern Munich, a repeat of the 1987 final won by the Portuguese side, and Juventus will take on Monaco.


Real, who won last year's final 4-1 after extra time against their local rivals, endured a wobble in the last 16 against Schalke 04 while Atletico came through a penalty shootout against Bayer Leverkusen.


The ties will be played on April 14/15 and April 21/22. – Reuters






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News sport : KHL coach mocks referee by offering him bribe from wallet (Video)

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Raimo Summanen of the KHL’s Avengard is one of our favorite coaches because he’s basically John Tortorella with an impulse control problem. Let that sink in for a moment.


There was the time Summanen challenged Jaromir Jagr to a fight during a playoff series, when Jagr was playing on his team. Most recently, he took one of his players’ sticks and waved it at the referees to argue that they missed a spearing penalty.


One really, really gets the notion that Summanen has a slight lack of respect for on-ice officials, and his actions in a KHL playoff game on Thursday did nothing to dispel this.


In an elimination game against Ak Bars, Summanen watched his team go down 1-0 on an Oscar Moeller goal. His shot hit goalie Konstantin Barulin’s right pad and appeared to trickle through him a second before an onrushing Petr Vrana made contact with the goalie just outside of his crease.


The referees allowed the goal. Summanen … disagreed.


He stood inside the open door to the bench and waved over referee Alexei Belov, yelling at the official as he arrived. When Belov skated away following their intellectual discourse, Summanen screamed out “HEY!” to recapture his attention and then stuck his hand inside his jacket to pull out his wallet, with some money visibly sticking out from it – “enough for a light snack from the snack machine,” according to the game report.


Summanen held his wallet on top of his game sheet for the cameras to see, and again showed it off to the referees as he watched them from the bench. Alas, they didn’t take the financial incentive, and Avengard was eliminated from the postseason in a 2-0 loss.


What was Summanen thinking? Did he really expect Belov to become the first Russian official ever to take a bribe? (Ahem...)


When asked by SovSport about the stunt, he said (translated):


"I have all the time in the pocket wallet, I always use it - sometimes it falls. I've got two pens, wallet, keys and hockey book. I always use it."


Frankly, if this were the regular season, we’d like to think Summanen would have just taken out his wallet and made it rain on the ice. But everyone’s on their best behavior in the playoffs, apparently. Even him.






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Bafana coach robbed

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Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba was robbed on Thursday evening, according to reports.


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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba was robbed on Thursday evening, according to reports.


Thieves broke into Mashaba’s car as he entered a fast food outlet in Auckland Park ahead of his interview with Metro FM's Robert Marawa.


Shakes reportedly told Marawa during the interview later that he made a stop at a fast food outlet in Auckland Park “for a few minutes” but when he returned he found his car had been broken into.


“A number of personal items were stolen, among them my two cellphones and a laptop,” he said.






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