Author Archives | J. Donatelli

Wolverines’ Lewis charged for domestic violence

Michigan Wolverines former football player Jourdan Lewis was slapped with a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. Court records stated the alleged incident happened yesterday but provided little more detail so it is unclear when his court appearance will be taking place.

Mlive.com interviewed Ann Arbor Detective Lt. Matthew Lige and said Lewis is accused of assaulting his 20-year-old girlfriend. Lewis was not arrested but was interviewed then released and later charged.

Lewis has not commented to the media about the alleged incident but did take to Twitter to Tweet:

That tweet could not be found at the time of this article posting so it appears Lewis deleted it.

Lewis is expected to be drafted in the middle rounds of next month’s NFL Draft and is staying near The Big House in Ann Arbor preparing for next month’s NFL and Michigan’s Pro Day. Pro day is happening on March 24 and gives prospects like Lewis the opportunity to meet and greet NFL GMs and perform workouts.

Lewis is sure to have his day be tainted with questions and concerns over this incident.

Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh made a statement early last season after Lewis sat out a game without an injury and it was speculated he may have possibly been suspended:

“Jourdan Lewis is one of the finest guys we have on the team. Football character and off-the-field character. There’s few, if any better, than Jourdan Lewis. Just wanted to clarify that for the record.”

We’re awaiting the results of this latest headline and how Harbaugh might respond.

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Revis criminal charges dropped

A judge dismissed all criminal charges against NFL free-agent cornerback Darrelle Revis yesterday. Those charges, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of robbery, one count of making a terroristic threat and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, stemmed from an alleged street fight incident that occurred last month in Pittsburgh.

Credit: NY Daily News

It was an easy call for the judge after a close friend of Revis, a guy named Rashawn Bolton, testified that it was him who punched and knocked out the two men and not Revis.

Witnesses said those two men, Dallas Cousins and Zacheriah Jarvis, both in their early twenties, approached Revis outside a bar that night and began following and the NFL star.

One began videotaping Revis, the incident escalated, an argument ensued, then punches were thrown. The men said they were both punched and knocked unconscious in the street. They were later taken to a nearby hospital for treatment with one treated for a broken bone near his eye.

During the testimony, Bolton also said it was his voice and not Revis’ that was on the cellphone used in the incident and investigation. The audio on that phone plays a man brashly declaring:

“I knocked both of these mother f____ers out!”

When the incident happened Revis’ attorney said Revis was the victim and feared for his safety. Well, maybe, but regardless of who instigated the fight, Revis still may face a civil suit from Cousins and Jarvis, and or, discipline from the NFL for possibly violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

NFL commish Roger Goodell appears to have his schedule filling up with personal conduct incidents. This Revis incident, some offseason arrests and the ongoing Ezekiel Elliott investigation and St. Patty’s Day #Breastgate.

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Cowboys Elliott Bitch Slap of the Week

When you’re a NFL superstar living in the world of the 1% and you’re under investigation by your league for breaking their conduct policy, how do you act while that process is taking place?

Photo: Keith Allison Wiki

For starters you shouldn’t be yanking down the shirt of an intoxicated female on a public bar rooftop, exposing her breast. But that’s exactly what Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott did and for that, he gets our Bitch Slap of the Week.

You would expect the 21-year-old Elliott to be on his best behavior since the NFL is still investigating him for “allegations of domestic violence” from a 2016 claim made by his ex-girlfriend. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently stated that case is still open with no timetable on the league’s verdict.

The breast exposing incident happened during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dallas and TMZ posted videos of Elliott performing the act.  Reports stated that Elliott’s  rep told TMZ:

“It was all in good fun.”

But we’re not sure how fun it was for the woman. In the second video on TMZ’s website, the woman appears pretty pissed as she glares back at Elliot and pushes away his hand.

Elliot may have set himself up for an unpleasant visit with NFL commish Roger Goodell to discuss the league’s personal conduct policy, AGAIN. Unless of course, the NFL decides pulling down a woman’s top to expose her breasts in public is not a violation.

This puts Goodell in a tough spot and Elliott certainly has hurt his chances of skating through the current investigation for alleged abuse. Hey rookie, welcome to our Bitch Slap of the Week.

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Busch bloodied in NASCAR fight (VIDEO)

NASCAR fights just received another entry. This time the one getting the worst of it was Kyle Busch, and yep, it was Busch who instigated the fight. The incident occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on pit road when Busch was pissed at Joey Logano after Logano bumped him on the track.

Busch confronted Logano and sucker punched him, prompting Logano’s crew to jump in. By the looks of the photos and video, the bloodied Busch got the worst of the altercation. Here’s a look at the fight captured on video by JeffGluck.com.

Busch was ticked after he spun on the last lap after contact with Logano. Busch should know all about contact, both intentional and accidental. Back in 2011 Busch was barred from racing for a short time after it was determined he intentionally rammed Ron Hornaday into a wall at a track in Texas.

Back to this Las Vegas Motor Speedway fight, Busch and Logano were jockeying for position on the backstretch when Busch wanted to get around a slower car and cut down on Logano. As both drivers drove through Turn 3, Logano was under Busch but went up the track, hitting Busch and putting him into a spin.

The incident caused Busch to finish a dismal 22nd while Logano took home money for 4th place.

After the fight, Logano said:

“Busch was in a fighting mood. Kyle and I have always raced really well together. We’ve never had an issue, but I guess that’s over.”

In an interview with Fox Sports, Busch sounded more threatening, saying:

“I got dumped,” Flat out wrecked me. He’s going to get it.”

Now that sounds like a direct threat and with Busch’s history of being a hot head, NASCAR better jump in or they’re almost guaranteed a few intentional wrecks next time Busch meets Logano on the track. But hey, like some NHL fans like the fights, some NASCAR fans go to the races for the wrecks.

 

Posted in Features, NASCAR, WTF!0 Comments

NFL offensive line free agent frenzy

Zeitler Photo: Jeffrey Beall

2017 NFL free agency frenzy is in full gear, and while playmakers like quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers normally get most of the attention out the gate, this year offensive linemen are making as big of a splash.

Makes sense; right? With the NFL long evolved into a passing league, that concept starts with a competent offensive line – unless you’re the Browns, then you wait until this year to finally realize that.

After years of reaching for playmakers, many that fizzled out, the Browns jumped into the FA mosh pit early and added 622 pounds of beef to their O line, laying claims on two studs to join many time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas. They snagged tough, proven 315-pound guard, Kevin Zeitler, from division rival Cincinnati Bengals and former Packers’ center, 307-pound JC Tretter. While Zeitler was rated the top offensive lineman available, Tretter was rated the second best center on the market.

Terms on Tretter are not known but Zeitler’s deal is said to be for five years and $60 million. BTW, the Bengals may possibly lose a second anchor on their line with offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth reportedly having a three-year, $36 million deal in place with the Los Angeles Rams. Not sure if Whitworth will stay with the Bengals or move but that offer may be too hard for Cincy to match; especially with the aging tackle being 35 years old.

Other teams moved fast to bid on offensive linemen.

The Minnesota Vikings ripped offensive tackle Riley Reiff from division rival Detroit Lions. Reiff, who is versatile and has steadily improved over the years, can play on either side of the line like he did during his tenure in Detroit.

The Lions lost another anchor of their line when guard, Larry Warford bolted and is expected to sign with the New Orleans Saints.

To fill those holes, second year Lions’ GM Bob Quinn, who was trained well spending more than a decade in New England Patriots’ organization, signed high ranked former Ravens right tackle, Ricky Wagner.

Other notables who have signed or are expected to move teams were:

Ronald Leary, Dallas Cowboys guard, who is reportedly joining the Broncos on a four-year deal worth $36 million.

Russell Okung offensive tackle who underachieved in Denver last year, inked a four-year deal with the Chargers worth $53 million ($13.25 million guaranteed).

Matt Kalil, Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle who has given up a ton of sacks over the years is jumping ship to join his brother Ryan in Carolina. That leads into this “swap”. While the Vikings lost Kalil to Carolina, they replaced him with Panthers’ offensive tackle Mike Remmers, signing him to a five-year, $30 million deal.

While all those players are popping the corks to their champagne, others are waiting for offers to come across the desk. Those include, New York Jets’ tackle, Ryan Clady, the former Pro Bowl player who has withstood an onslaught of injuries over the years and Packers’ guard T.J. Lang.

Lang also has been hit with setbacks, including a foot injury and what is said to be a ‘minor’ hip surgery. Lang was rated the No. 2 guard in this year’s FA group and has visited some teams, including the Lions who may take chance on the solid right guard to replace Warford.

Let the carousel continue.

Posted in Features, NFL0 Comments

Tony Romo Instagram video to fans

Tony Romo posted a farewell video on Instagram to Dallas Cowboys fans, thanking them for their support over the years. The quarterback who was expected to lead the Cowboys to another Super Bowl wanted to make a personal exit with the fans before he dons an opposing jersey this season.

Romo may have been in his home gym because a laid back Bob Dylan tune was playing in the background. I don’t know about your gym, but most blast higher energy music than Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changin”. Romo’s wife must feel us here, because near the end of his delivery, she walked through the frame saying, “Enough of the sad music, babe.”

The video is below, and here’s the transcript for those who prefer to read it:

“Hey everyone, I just wanted to come to tell you it’s been a crazy 48 hours here. Me and my family felt the outpouring of support and love from all of you. It’s been overwhelming and it doesn’t go unnoticed. So, I wanted to say thank you, and we have a lot to think about here going forward, but we’ll see what happens. Until then I’m just going to keep listening to Bob Dylan.”

After his wife walked through delivering her line, Romo smiled and closed out the video saying, “That’s my wife. She loves me unconditionally.”

Thanks for everything cowboy nation. @candiceromo

A post shared by Tony Romo (@tony.romo) on

It’s no secret that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones prefers to trade Romo as opposed to letting him walk. That would assure he doesn’t land in the same division.

In fact, Jones would love to see him go to the AFC and two teams there appear to have Romo on their radar; the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.

Posted in Features, NFL0 Comments

This hockey fight doesn’t end on the ice

Some hockey fights just can’t end on the ice. Some brawls make there way onto the benches or into the penalty boxes. This one shown on video below, made it all the way into the walkway that leads back to the locker rooms.

In a recent AHL game between the Chicago Wolves and Iowa Wild, Kurtis Gabriel, known more for dropping his gloves than scoring goals, got in a fight with Wolves defenseman Vince Dunn with a few minutes left in the game.

The players may have been separated on the ice, but they had a little more spunk left in ‘em on their way back to their locker rooms. Cameras happened to follow the pair off the ice to capture the action.

Both players can be seen trash-talking down the corridor. A shoving match ensues. Gabriel throws a punch, then Dunn retaliates with a one-punch knockdown square on the noggin.

Posted in Hockey Brawls, NHL, Recent Buzz, The Mosh Pit, WTF!0 Comments

Dodgers’ Puig becomes latest robbery victim

Well, we can add another celebrity to the robbery victims list — Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder, Yasiel Puig.

Puig Instagram Photo

During the week of February 27th, Puig’s $1.8 million California home has broken into and robbed, with expensive jewelry being the main target and totaling upward of $170,000.

Puig joins the growing list of Los Angeles celebrities who have been jacked including, Nicki Minaj, Alanis Morissette and former NBA player and head coach Derek Fisher. All of those robberies occurred within the past six weeks but police have not confirmed if they are related. No arrests have been made in any of these heists.

Reality star Kim Kardashian was also robbed, but hers was more terrifying. Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris back in January. A list of suspects have been arrested and face a laundry list of charges in that burglary.

According to reports, no one was in Puig’s house when the thieves broke in. Puig had left to go to Arizona for MLB spring training.

A journalist at Los Angeles KTLA station stated that Puig’s girlfriend’s father was watching the home but was not at the residence when the break in occurred.

Posted in Features, MLB, WTF!0 Comments

Tebow’s brutal rookie debut at the plate

Where Tim Tebow goes, the media frenzy follows. Why? Well, a lot of people are still trying to figure that out because it usually has very little to do with his performance on the field.

That held true again today when Tebow had a dreadful day at the plate in his MLB spring training debut against the Boston Red Sox at First Data Field.

Here are Tebow’s plate appearances:

3rd inning – In the third, Tebow walked out of the dugout to a chorus of cheers, stepped to the plate to face reigning American League Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, then, well, Porcello took him to school, dishing four consecutive fastballs. Three were strikes and Tebow, dejected, went back to the dugout – but not before chewing on home plate umpire Ryan Addition’s ear for a bit.

4th inning – Tebow stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs! A perfect chance to make a mark against Sox reliever Noe Ramirez. This time he made contact, but gave Ramirez exactly what the doctor ordered, hitting into a run scoring double play.

What did the overzealous crowd think of the feat? They offered Tebow a standing ovation, yep, that’s right, a standing O for hitting into a double play with bases jammed and none out. Looks like the Tebow zombies were out in full force this afternoon.

6th inning – In the 6th inning, things got a little more interesting when Tebow was hit by a pitch and actually got on base. However, L.J. Mazzilli lined out to second base and Tebow got caught leaning and was doubled off. Psssssttt! That would be the sound of a balloon deflating…

8th inning – There was time for redemption when Tebow was given another opportunity in the 8th inning facing Brandon Workman. Not to be outdone by Porcello, Workman followed suit and struck out the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Tebow finished the game 0-for-3 with no RBI, two strikeouts, was involved in two double plays and for that performance, one standing ovation, all for one of the worst rookie debut’s one can hope for.

BTW, the Mets did win the game 8-7.

Posted in Features, MLB, Recent Buzz, The Mosh Pit0 Comments

49ers quarterback Olsen arrested on rape charges

Charlotte 49ers quarterback Kevin Olsen was arrested on rape charges Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Olsen charges included three counts of felony second-degree forcible rape and second-degree sex offense described as forcible fondling.

The 22-year-old Olsen cheesed for a mugshot and was booked into the Charlotte Mecklenburg Jail on Sunday.

Olsen has been a train wreck throughout his attempt at becoming a college football player. Although he started the first five games for the 49ers in 2016, he had a history of being suspended or kicked off other college teams prior to his arrival there.

One of those prior stops was in Miami where Olsen was expected to win the starting quarterback gig for the Hurricanes. That imploded when Olsen left the school after reportedly being suspended for failing a drug test and breaking team rules then later being charged with DUI. Another stop was at FCS Towson but Olsen was also booted off that team.

Olsen is also the younger brother of Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and the NFL Pro Bowl tight end has made no comment.

UNC Charlotte said they’ve been communicating with police and they later released a statement saying the incident occurred off campus and the allegations “appear to involve sexual assault within an existing relationship.”

Olsen may be a great candidate to write a new book called, “How to Blow Great Opportunities in College for Dummies.

For more athlete arrests and mugshots, go to Jocks Behind Bars here.

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